Jewish Buenos Aires

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Jewish Buenos Aires

Purpose:	Culture, Heritage, History
No. of days:	5 days - 4 nights
First & Last Cities:	Buenos Aires
Other cities:	Embassy of Israel Square, AMIA, Shoa Museum, Templo Paso, Club Hebraica
Starting cost:	$459

Argentina’s Jewish community is the largest in Latin America, with approximately 200,000 people, of whom nearly 180,000 live in Buenos Aires. Its origins trace back to the 16th century, when Jews from Spain, Portugal and Northern Africa came to our shores. Nevertheless, most of them came from Western Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. The presence of this community in the city’s political, economic and cultural life is very strong, and has left a lasting mark on Buenos Aires. In this tour, we’ll visit some of the places that have typically been associated with it, and that now have become part of the city’s historical and cultural heritage

Day 1: Buenos Aires

Welcome to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure to enjoy the city at your pace. Later enjoy a Tango/Show dinner at Café Los Angelitos. A one hundred-year live witness to Porteño history, today in the vanguard of tango, this show will go through a whole time period with luxury and elegance. Before dinner, two expert dancers will teach you the basic tango steps.

Day 2: Buenos Aires

Our tour starts at the Embassy of Israel Square, built on the spot once occupied by the Israeli embassy until 1992, when a brutal terrorist attack destroyed it. In order to preserve the memory of this terrible event, the old façade has been kept; 22 trees were planted in the square, commemorating the same number of victims; and two large plaques were placed to represent fraternity between Jewish and non-Jewish people. Next, we visit the new building of the Argentine-Israel Benefit Society, best known as AMIA*. Its original building was destroyed by a new terrorist assault in 1994 that killed 85 people. This institution is one of the most traditional in Argentina. Its mission is to promote Jewish culture in our country, to keep its traditions and to foster the development of the Jewish community. Nevertheless, its doors are open for every Argentinean, and it offers job and educational opportunities to anyone interested. Our next stop is the Shoa Museum, built to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. This small but well-planned museum shows objects, images and testimonies related to the life of Jewish people in Argentina and Europe. Ending our journey, we visit the neighborhoods typically associated to the Jewish community: Abasto, where we can find (at the Abasto Shopping Mall) the only McDonald’s franchise serving kosher food in the world –outside of Israel; Villa Crespo and Once, where we’ll visit the Templo Paso, one of the most important Ashkenazi synagogues in the country. [B]

* Note: AMIA is only opened for visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Day 3: Buenos Aires

This tour portrays the many facets of Buenos Aires. We will visit the symbol of our city: the Obelisk. Squares such as ‘Plaza de Mayo’, ‘Plaza San Martin’, ‘Plaza Alvear’; Avenida De Mayo, Corrientes and 9 de Julio, consider the widest in the world. The historic neighborhoods of La Boca and San Telmo. Every Sunday in San Telmo there is a market that is not to be missed! Next we head to the magnificent district of Palermo and the chic Recoleta area, home of beautiful parks, cafes and the famous Recoleta Cemetery. Our next stop is the modern areas of Puerto Madero, Palermo and the commercial and financial areas of the city. Our tour also includes a guided visit of the famous Colon Theater. A landmark of the city, it is ranked the third best opera house in the world by National Geographic, and is acoustically considered to be amongst the five best concert venues in the world. The Teatro Colón’s sublime architecture stands out in every single detail. The theater’s marvels, beauty, and charm make this guided tour an ever-lasting memory.After lunch (not included) we will visit the Club Hebraica, one of the most highly developed Jewish cultural complexes. Under the personal guidance of a club official, you will receive a special tour of this vast network of schools, sports and entertainment facilities [B]

Day 4: Buenos Aires

Day at leisure to discover Buenos Aires at your pace. [B]

Day 5: Buenos Aires

At agreed time transfer to the airport to board your flight to the USA or to your next destination [B]

[B] = Breakfast