Brochure Sefarad Itinerary LaMeridional

¡Kaminos de leche i miel!

שבדו בלח לש םיכרד

Madrid

Madrid

Toledo

Toledo

Córdoba

Córdoba

Lucena

Lucena

Nerja

Nerja

Melilla

Melilla

- Breakfast in the hotel.

- Morning arrival in Madrid Airport (MAD).

- Transfer in a charter bus to the city. Check in at the hotel and refreshments.

- Grocery shopping at Mercado Antón Martín Picnic lunch in the park.

- Program Orientation Session at historic Retiro Park.

- Tapas dinner in downtown restaurant and Night Circle.

- Sleep in the hotel.

- Meet our guide to discover Madrid history and fun facts. The role of the monarchs and their influence in architecture and art. The Islamic origin of the actual capital of Spain and the episodes of the Spanish Civil War in Madrid.

Menú del día lunch in downtown traditional restaurant.

Focus on culture: A guided visit to one of the most impressives art galleries in the World: El Prado Museum. Discover in this engaging educational tour the role of women creating the royal collection of art during Spanish history.

- After so much beauty and history we will need some ¡churros con chocolate!.

- Shopping in Preciados Street.

- Reflection at sunset (journaling).

- Dinner at famous Mesón de la tortilla and night circle in Plaza Mayor.

- Sleep in the hotel.

DAY 3 · MADRID

JEWISH YOUTH & NATURE

- Breakfast in the hotel.

- Focus on nature: 1 hour ride in a charter bus to Sureste Natural Park for an interpretive route led by an ornithologist from BirdLife NGO (optical material provided).

- Community Engagement: For this activity we will be accompanied by our friends from The Jewish Youth of Spain. This organization has three priorities: fight against anti-Semitism in universities, ensure youth representation in Spanish public institutions and unite Jews from all over the country by generating bridges between cities.

-Back to Madrid downtown for lunch all together.

¡Kome kon gana! · לאכול עם רצון

- Focus on culture: Visit to Casa Sefarad - Israel: This is a public diplomacy institution formed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2006 whose purpose is to serve as a bridge between Spain and the Jewish world. This center has been deepening the study of the legacy of Sephardic culture as an integral and living part of Spanish culture.

- Curriculum 1: Leadership styles learning session + Reflection time at sunset at Debod Temple: an Egyptian temple from the 2nd century bCE installed near Plaza de España in Madrid. The temple was donated to Spain by the Egyptian government in 1968.

- Dinner at Mercado de San Miguel: This historic building is one of the main gastronomic markets in Europe. A monument to Spanish cuisine in the heart of Madrid.

- Night Circle at Plaza Mayor and sleepy time.

THE JERUSALEM OF THE WEST

- Breakfast in the hotel. 20 min walking to Atocha train station to take the train to Toledo, La Mancha (35 min train ride).

- Navigating the Jewish quarter of Toledo with Carmen. With a degree in Ebrean philology and Arabic philology, Carmen is a historian specializing in medieval Jewish history.

- Focus on culture: The Sefardic National Museum, at El Tránsito Synagogue, will be our closure for the morning.

- Menú del día lunch in a restaurant including traditional La Mancha dishes.

-Marzipan workshop with Asunción. The Toledo sweet par excellence is undoubtedly marzipan (mazapán). Made by hand using ground almonds and sugar, it is one of the most typical delicacies of La Mancha gastronomy since the 12th century.

- Down time in Comercio Street.

- Curriculum 2: Culture Map learning session & reflection time at el Tránsito park.

- Outdoor dinner in Plaza Barrio Nuevo and night walk to enjoy old city architecture.

- Night Circle and sleepy time.

DAY 5 · CÓRDOBA ·

THE CRADLE OF MAIMÓNIDES ·

- Breakfast in the hotel and walk to the train station to catch the high speed train to Córdoba, Andalusia.

- Checking in the hotel and lunch in a restaurant by the River Guadalquivir bank.

- We immerse ourselves in Cordoba: the Omeya cali phate capital in the 10th century. Cordoba was the most vibrant metropolis in Europe and the Arab World at that time. Visit to the Mosque-Cathedral place of worship for more than a millennium for the three main religions in different periods.

- After this aesthetic experience, we will walk the streets of the Jewish quarter, visiting the synagogue built in 1315, Casa-Museum Sefarad and the artisans souk.

- Focus on culture: Flamenco show after dinner. Fla menco, the artistic expression of Andalusia, is known for transmitting intense emotions through music, singing and dancing. When in a flamenco show, the audience is immersed in a whirlwind of passion, me lancholy, joy and artistic expression. Each note, each tap of the foot and each moan of the singing awaken unique and deep emotions.

- Night Circle and sleepy time.

THE PEARL OF SEPHARAD

- Breakfast in the hotel and board the charter bus to Lucena (1 hour bus ride).

- Lucena: Its importance made it known as "the city of poets'' as it housed the most important Talmudic school in Sepharad. Lucena, among the Jews, was known as Eliossana. It was unique in the whole territory of the old Sepharad because of the fact thatfrom the 9th to the 11th century - it was inhabited only by Jews, hence: “the pearl of Sepharad”. In our itinerary during this day, we will discover the traces of that brilliant past with Fran: advisor on Sephardic culture and member of the only israeli family in Lucena nowadays.

- Lucena walking tour and lunch at an Andalusian restaurant.

- Curriculum 3: Why Are We Here? learning session.

- Focus on culture: Ladino sephardic folklore songs workshop with the members of Sefarad choir.

- Community Engagement: Kosher community dinner.

- Night circle and sleepy time at Santo Domingo historical hotel.

7

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

- Breakfast in the hotel and walking morning tour with Fran.

- Community lunch.

- Focus on culture: The Community Leadership Challenge. Participants, in groups, navigate and explore the community solving challenges such as: baking Challah, interviewing community members, orchard hands on, making traveler protection amu lets, dance, and more fun stuff.

- Community Engagement: Final Kosher community farewell dinner.

- Night circle and sleep in the hotel.

AY 8 · A FUN BEACH DAY IN NERJA

- Breakfast in the hotel and board the charter bus to Nerja (2 hours bus ride).

Focus on nature: visit to the impressive Cave of : one of the most important caves in Europe. Spanning 3 miles in three galleries, here has been found the oldest work of art known to humans and also some of the largest rock formations around. The Nerja Cave is one of the largest archaeological sites in Mediterranean Europe. Its rooms were visited by prehistoric groups of humans for more than 41,000 years.

- Beach time & Lunch in a paella restaurant at Burriana

Guided kayak route through the Nerja-Maro cliffs, the sea lion cave and the Maro waterfall (2.5h).

- Ice-cream at the Balcony of Europe and shopping in Nerja village.

- Comfort food dinner and boarding the charter bus to Motril Port (40 min bus ride) and boarding the ferry.

-Overnight Ferry Motril > Melilla.

THE RETURN TO SEPHARAD

- Early arrive in Melilla Port and transfer to the hotel Ánfora, our accommodation during our stay in Melilla.

- Melilla is the bridge city for the return of the Jews to Sepharad after the expulsion of 1492. There are Jews in other cities, but it is in Melilla where the 8 oldest historical landmarks in Sepharad are found, hence the importance of Melilla Judaism, after their arrival in 1864.

Melilla is well known to be the most diverse society in Spain: different confessions, ethnicities and cultures living harmoniously in this autonomous Spanish city in North Africa.

- On the ‘Melilla Sephardic walking tour’, we will learn about the legacy, tangible and intangible heritage Jewish-Sephardic history, culture and traditions in the city. We will walk through the Citadel, the Cultures square, the Synagogue and other relevant places.

- Curriculum 4: Inquiring into Spain's context. Articles and reflections.

- Community Kosher dinner.

- Night circle and sleep in the hotel.

10

INSPIRING STORIES

- Breakfast in the hotel and walking morning tour with Mr. Mordejay: President of the Israeli Association of

Community Engagement: In our days in Melilla we will accompany our friends from the Israeli Association

. This socio-cultural association is formed by Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Roma people and its aim is to promote the Jewish-Sephardic culture in

- Community Kosher lunch. Sharing your leadership story.

- Community Kosher dinner.

- Night circle and sleep in the hotel.

DAY 11 · MELILLA ·

CLOSING THE CIRCLE

- Community celebration day: We spent the day with our friends from the Sephardic community of Melilla; listening, sharing and celebrating Jewish culture.

- Program Closure Session: The final Circle

- Sleep in the hotel.

- Early breakfast in the hotel and transfer to the

Travelling day: Melilla airport MLN > Madrid airport MAD (2h flight) > international flight back home.