• Getting to know modern Spain, its people and sceneries, and witness the awakening of Spain to its Jewish roots and how it tackles the issue
• To enliven the story of Sephardic Jewry, for whom Spain was home for as long as 1500 years, as an active educational experience
• Experiencing the vibrant cultural life of Sephardic Jews and the multi-faceted leadership which characterized the Jewish community at large, two elements which leverage and enhance the students’ connection to the roots of the Jewish People, offering a new meaning to their Jewish identity

• To discover the interaction between the three monotheistic cultures of Sepharad – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• To allow students to experience the events right on the spot where they took place, while comparing them to processes and experiences with which the participating student is familiar.
• To promote awareness to the continuity of Jewish life in the Diaspora following the expulsion from Sepharad, and the human values that are valid to this day
• To get closely acquainted with the leaders of Sephardic Jewry
• To address the significance of the expulsion from Spain and the dilemmas it posed to the Jews

Day 1 – Madrid – Toledo
Madrid – Meet Europe and the Spanish Culture
Sites and Activities
• Acquaintance vantage point – Temple of Debod
• Main Avenues
• Plaza de España – Statues of the outstanding literary figures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
• Plaza Mayor – The heart of Madrid – The Design of the Square – Official Events, including Auto-da-fé (ritual of public penance) in the past
• Probable visit to Real Madrid’s monumental stadium Santiago Bernabeo
• Visit to one of the famous Reina Sophia and Prado art museums – Works by the most preeminent masters of classical Spanish art

Day 2 – Toledo – Córdoba
The Visigoth Era – Continuous Jewish presence until the Expulsion
Particular emphasis on the “School of Translators”
Synagogues of Toledo – Yehuda HaLevi

• El Tránsito
• Santa María la Blanca
• The figures of Samuel HaLevi Abulafia and other courtyard Jews bridging between cultures and nations
• Architecture of the Synagogues — Influences
• Workshop at El Tránsito – Finding ornamental elements relevant to the students as young Israelis today
• Special mention of the role Jews played in the coming to being of Toledo’s “School of Translators”
• Poetry of Yehuda HaLevi

Day 3 – Córdoba
The Essential Meeting Point with the Enlighten Islam
The Flourishing of Jewish Golden Age Poetry – Jewish Philosophy as Embodied in the
Thought of Maimonides (HaRambam) – Discovering the Works of Sephardic Jewry

• Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba
• The Jewish Quarters
• Statue of Maimonides
• Casa Sefarad – Córdoba’s House of Remembrance (Exhibitions — Maimonides; original documents from the Spanish Inquisition; the Sephardic Diaspora)
• Workshop – Reenacting the literary gatherings in the home of Hasdai ibn Shaprut; studying Golden Age poetry and music to identify poems which students are familiar with: Dror Yikra (Dunash ben Labrat), El Nora Alila (Moses ibn Ezra), Shalom Leja Dodi (Solomon ibn Gabirol)
• On Maimonides – His Thought, the Eight Levels of Charity, and how to lead a healthy life.

Usually, Sabbaths are spent in Córdoba – Students are encouraged to prepare the Sabbath contents by themselves while searching for relevant Sephardic poems.

Day 4 – Córdoba – Seville
Discovering the culture of “Al-Andalus”
Meeting Christian faith and culture through a comprehensive visit to the
Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba — Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the Americas

• Visits to main attractions – Cathedral, Alcazar of Seville, Plaza America, “Tower of Gold
• Flamenco Workshop (may be arranged for specific groups)
• Pogroms of 1390 and their effect on Sephardic Jewry
• La Judería (Jewish Quarters) of Seville – Visitors Center – Legends and Folklore – “Treasure Hunt” throughout the Jewish Quarters

Day 5 – Seville – Cáceres – Hervás Cáceres
Symbol of the quest of a safe haven for Jews, due to the deterioration of their situation in Andalucía following the invasion of the Almoravid dynasty
Spreading North towards Christian territory – The Highlighted Value – Entrepreneurship
The ability to Create out of Nothing – Conversion to Christianity

• The uniqueness of Cáceres: Jewish Quarters both within and outside the defensive walls
• Discovering a typical Medieval town, wonderfully preserved and declared by the UN as World Heritage Site
• Workshop – Role-playing games: The Anusim (Crypto-Jews)
• Probably encounter with local youth

Hervás
Symbol of Jewish presence in Extremadura – Confrontation with the past
Annual “Anusim” Festival – Theatrical interpretation of the lives of crypto-Jews

About 50% of the people of Hervás were from Jewish descent. Nowadays, songs in Ladino may be heard along the narrow streets of the ancient town. We can also learn about the importance of the town from the masterpiece series “The Jerusalem that was in Sepharad”, inspired and hosted by former President Yitzchak Navon.

• Musical tour through the town’s alleys and the places were Jewish homes stood, including the Rabbi’s house and the Synagogue, led by a local music group of singers-musicians
• Workshop – Meeting with the musical group and discussion on issues such as identity, belonging, Ladino music, and more

Day 6 – Hervás – Béjar — Segovia Béjar
One of the most important Aljamas of Castile – Authentic and well preserved
Jewish Quarters, highlighted by the second most important Jewish Museum in Spain

• Study of the concepts “Aljama” and “Judería”
• Family names such as Bejar, which originated here, are an example of common family names used to this day by Jews in both Israel and the Sephardic Diaspora, mostly in Turkey
• The Jewish Museum, venue of the annual meeting of Bejar descendants worldwide
• Exhibition on the significance of the Expulsion Decree and the Sephardic Diaspora
• Probable meeting with local youth

Day 7 – Segovia – Madrid – Tel Aviv  Segovia
Example of an important and influential Aljama
Jewish Didactic Center of Segovia – Abraham Senior Coronel: Leadership in challenging times
Coping with the Expulsion – How Spain faces its past

• Jewish Quarters
• Great Synagogue of Segovia (Today Church of Corpus Christi)
• The Alcazar – Royal Palace
• Jewish Didactic Center
• Ancient Cemetery – Honoring the memory of Sephardic Jewry
• Workshop on the challenge the local Jewish leadership was faced with: Convert or be expulsed from Spain

• Closing Meeting: How did the journey in Sepharad enrich my life?
• Submission of Works

A visit to the city of Granada may be added to the itinerary in the future

Academic Advisor: Dr. Pinchas Bibelnik