Flights Very tentative – TBD based on number of participants. If you would like to use miles to book flights, this can be arranged with Leah. Depart Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 11:20pm from JFK on Jet Blue #659 (non-stop), Arrive in Kingston at 4:30am (next day) Return Monday, February 15, 2016 at 2:55pm on Jet Blue #60, arrive at JFK at 6:45pm Hotel Knutsford Court Hotel (16 Chelsea Avenue, Kingston 5, Jamaica) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Student code of conduct will be signed by parents and all participants. If any of the code is violated teens will be put on a direct flight back to NY immediately at the expense of their parents. Further consequences and participation in JCC Teen Action Committee program will be evaluated on return and on a per person basis. There will be NO ALCOHOL, NO DRUGS and NO CIGARETTES on this trip for any teen or adult participants or chaperones. Chaperones - Leah Schechter and an additional adult will accompany the minimum 8 participants. After that, chaperones will be at a 1:5 ratio. Parents interested in participating as a chaperone should speak to Leah. Deposit is non-refundable as of November 15th. Full payment is due prior to departure in February 2016. It is recommended that all participants purchase their own travel insurance. Following return of the travel experience all participants will receive formal letter of participation for over 36 hours of community service. Commitments between now and the trip All participants will be required to participate in two conference calls and one in person group meeting prior to departure. Additionally participants will be asked to collect humanitarian aid and other gifts that we will bring with us to give to the community in Jamaica. All participants will be expected to do some small fundraising to help cover costs of the hands on service projects we will do while in Jamaica. Payments Discounted rate of $1,250 (plus airfare) will be extended until October 15th. After October 15th rate will be $1,350 (plus airfare. Deposit of $500 is due at the time of registration and is non-refundable after November 15, 2015. Full payment is due before the date of travel on February 11th. 2 DRAFT ITINERARY All things subject to change Friday, February 12, 2016 - Learning the Story Breakfast and rest time at Hotel Visit Hillel Academy Hillel Academy is an international school in Kingston, Jamaica for children ages 3-18 (Kindergarten to Grade 13). Hillel Academy has been accredited for over fifteen years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in the United States (SACS/AdvancED). The School was founded in 1969 by the Jewish community of Jamaica as a non-denominational, independent, co-educational, multi-cultural school with a program comparable to the best international schools worldwide. Participate in the Student Mentor Literacy Program with Hillel Academy students at a nearby under privilege school. Literacy is a major issue in Jamaica that we will learn more about. We will work alongside students who work on this issue on an ongoing basis by reading stories and playing games with students. Lunch with students Visit Bob Marley Museum The museum is situated on the site of the legendary musician’s home, which he purchased in 1975. This house, featuring 19th-century architecture, was Marley’s home until his death in 1981. It was converted into a museum six years later by his wife, Mrs. Rita Marley. The main museum displays Marley’s personal treasures. The property also features a well-equipped 80-seat theatre, a photographic gallery, and a gift shop selling T-shirts, posters and CDs and other Bob Marley memorabilia as well as items from Jamaica. You can also tickle your palate with sumptuous meals from the Legend Cafe. The venue allows you to see every aspect of the life of Bob Marley. Shabbat Service and Friday Night Dinner at United Congregation of Israelites Shaare Shalom Some History by Ainsley Henriques Jamaica’s historic Jewish communities are today represented by the United Congregation of Israelites, Congregation Kahal Kadosh Shaare Shalom, the Gates of Peace. Why historic? It is because when the English captured Jamaica in 1655 from the Spanish they found people there who may have been Marranos but must certainly have been Conversos. Interestingly, whilst no Jews were allowed in the Spanish n family, seemed to shut its eyes at Conversos. There is evidence thatףNew World, Jamaica, belonging to the Col they were involved with the introduction of Sugar Cane and the making of Sugar from as far back as 1512, produced by the “Portugals” that were sent to Jamaica. 3 Why historic? It is because the British colonizers from as early as 1655 did nothing to expel or limit the Jews to visit and settle the island. As a result the Jewish population flourished and before the end of the 17th century a small synagogue was established in the infamous town of Port Royal. After the devastating earthquake of 1692 the Jews purchased a plot in the old Spanish capital and the then Jamaican capital of Spanish Town to establish a new house of worship. The synagogue Neveh Shalom was built by the beginning of the 18th century “in the style of the recently completed Bevis Marks synagogue” (London, England). The Spanish Town community was expanded by the formation of the congregation Kahal Kadosh Mikveh Israel who built their own synagogue in 1796. These congregations flourished for over 100 years until the capital of the island was moved to Kingston in 1872. There were already growing congregations of Sephardim from 1750 and Ashkenazim in Kingston and these expanded. Much of this story has been captured in “The History of the Portuguese Jews of Jamaica,” published in 2000. Today many of the island’s leading professionals, businessmen and leaders generally can trace Jewish ancestry in their genealogy. Jamaican Jewish families today can trace their ancestry to the older congregations of Amsterdam and London as well as to their later American connections. Not only has this link of culture and heritage contributed to the present but the past is full of the contributions of the Jamaican Jews to the islands rich history. In the fields of Poetry and Literature, in business and commerce generally, in manufacturing and farming, in art and music, Jamaican Jewish contributions have been outstanding. Since the removal of civil disabilities in 1832, Jews began to play a role in the public life of the island, a role that has continued to the present. They have been in the legislature, in the justice system, in elected political office, Ambassadors and Ministers of Government. The congregations came together finally in 1921 as the United Congregation of Israelites as noted above. Today the congregation still maintains the Synagogue, one of the few in the world with sand on its floor, designed and built in the traditional Sephardic style by the Jamaican Jew, Rudolph Daniel Cohen Henriques, and his brothers. The congregation sponsored and is still responsible for the Hillel Academy, a private preparatory and secondary school open to all denominations, in Kingston. They also maintain a Jewish home for the aged and less fortunate members of the community. Saturday, February 13, 2016 - Reflecting on History Breakfast at Hotel Service at United Congregation of Israelites Shaare Shalom Visit Port Royal – The Pirate City of the Caribbean Port Royal is a city located at the end of the Palisadoes at the mouth of the Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1518, it was the centre of shipping commerce in the Caribbean Sea during the latter half of the 17th century. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1692 and a subsequent tsunami, and fires. Severe hurricanes have regularly damaged it. Another severe earthquake occurred in 1907. Port Royal was once home to privateers employed to nip at Habsburg Spain's empire when smaller European powers dared not directly make war on Spain. As a port city, it was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals. It was a popular homeport for the English and Dutch sponsored privateers to spend their treasure during the 17th century. When those governments abandoned the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish treasure fleets and possessions in the later 16th century, many of the crews turned pirate and used the 4 city as their main base during the 17th century. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal, coming from waters as far away as Madagascar. After the 1692 disaster, Port Royal's commercial role was steadily taken over by the town (and later, city) of Kingston. Current plans for Port Royal will redevelop the small fishing town into a tourist destination served by cruise ships. It is going to capitalize on its heritage, with archaeological findings at the heart of the attractions. Tour Fort Charles Fort Charles is located in the small town of Port Royal, (Kingston) Jamaica. The town was founded on a natural harbor in which Fort Charles stands at the entrance to. According to Donny L. Hamilton, the fort was situated at the tip of the sand spit separating the Kingston Harbor for the Caribbean. The fort is almost completely surrounded by water. The fort was originally called Fort Cromwell but subsequently renamed. In 1667 it had 36 guns while in 1765 it had 104 guns and a garrison of 500 men. It was damaged by both the 1692 Jamaica earthquake and the 1907 Kingston earthquake which later resulted in the tilting of the Giddy House. Picnic Lunch Boat Ride to the Keys Swimming and Shabbat Rest Dinner in Port Royale Sunday, February 14, 2016 – Putting Values into Action Breakfast at Hotel Visit the Jewish Cemetery and Village Lane Tree planting for the synagogue and community Packed lunches Memorial Garden service project with Students at Hillel Academy Dinner in Kingston Traditional Jamaican dish - acke fruit and salt fish Monday, February 15, 2016 – Bringing it Home, Taking it Forward Breakfast at Hotel Visit to Devon House Welcome to Devon House Heritage Site, one of Jamaica’s leading national monuments and a symbol of the cultural diversity, which makes this island a unique choice for thousands of visitors.