TEMPLE BETH AM MISSION TO with Cantor Rachelle Nelson December 1 to 5, 2016

Exploring Cuba, experiencing its culture, engaging with its people, exploring their history and Jewish influence and participating in the mitzvah of tikum olam .

Duration 5 days and 4 nights of learning, fun and friendship in Cuba

Dates Thursday December 1 to Monday December 5, 2016

Participants: 50

Accommodations

• Hotel Melia Cohiba, 5 stars,

Island transportation Luxury tour coach and full time chauffeur

DAY 1 – THURSDAY DECEMBER 1: ARRIVAL, HELLO CUBA (LUNCH AND DINNER)

• Arrival at Havana’s José Martí International Airport. Collect your bags and go through customs. You’re welcomed at the airport lobby by your Tour guide and professional bus chauffeur.

• Visit the Revolution Square.

• Lunch at El Aljibe restaurant, included.

• Visit Sephardic center in . Presentation by Professor and historian Martiza Corrales who will detail the history of the Jewish experience in Cuba. After, meet with Dra Mayra Levy, President of the Sephardic Center. Provide donations.

• Private transfer to your Hotel Melia Cohiba located in heart of Havana’s entertainment district.

• Private check-in with assistance from your guide.

• Free time to settle in and rest up at your hotel.

• This evening you’ll enjoy a group welcome dinner at La Casa private restaurant with your Cuban guide and tour mates, included. • APRÈS DINNER: Enjoy the musical performances and group dancing on stage after dinner at the Buena Vista Social Club next to the Melia Cohiba Hotel. (cover not included)

DAY 2 – FRIDAY DECEMBER 2: EXPLORING , OUR COMMON HERITAGE (BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER)

• Breakfast in hotel

• Followed by a walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture. This is a private tour led by our guide.

• Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture. the Catedral de San Cristóbal de la Habana was built by the Jesuit order.

* Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as:

* Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City.

• We continue onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter. The square is named after magnificent Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco de Asís dating from the 16th century. The basilica is a striking example of Cuba baroque architecture.

• And then on to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings, and is in contrast surrounded by opulent aristocratic 17th century residences. We’ll visit an important center for the visual arts.

• Lunch at Ivan Justo Chefs private restaurant, included.

• Tour of the most famous bar in Havana Old Town: the where Hemingway brought all his famous friends. Hemingway made a point to visit this bar almost every day.

• Take salsa lessons by dance group Arte Habana.

• Return to hotel to freshen up.

• Visit Patronato, the largest synagogue in Cuba and meet privately with President Adela Dworin. Hear her fascinating stories of current personal experiences in the Cuban Jewish community. Presentation of donations. Tour the pharmacy that provides free supplies to the Jewish Community and others in need and meet with the pharmacist Dr. Rosa Behar.

• Participate on Erev Shabbat services, a truly uplifting experience.

• Dinner at La California private restaurant (included) • EVENING HIGHLIGHT SUGGESTION: Enjoy at performance by Tropicana show, also known as , is a world-known cabaret and club in Havana, Cuba. It was launched in 1939 at Villa Mina, a six-acre (24,000 m²) suburban estate with lush tropical gardens in Havana's neighborhood (transfer and cover not included).

DAY 3 – SATURDAY DECEMBER 3: AFRO CUBA, JEWISH INFLUENCE (BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER)

• Breakfast in hotel

Saturday Minyan Service led by Cantor Rachelle Nelson following breakfast (location TBA)

• Visit Proyecto Cabildo Quisicuaba, a community project in Los Sitios, Central Havana. The project strives to preserve Afro-Cuban religious traditions of Santeria by holding art, music, and dance workshops.

• Afro-Cuban dance performance.

• Visit the Jewish Cemetery in , the first Holocaust Memorial in the Western Hemisphere

• Visit Proyecto Il Divino, a model farm with two community projects supported by proceeds from its amazing restaurant. Il Divino serves lunch to some 20 local elders who also enjoy a place of entertainment, socialization and recreation. Together for several hours a day from Tuesday to Sunday, they play games and engage with other groups of elders. Another project is a circle of interest called "La Rosa Blanca" that welcomes about 20 community kids aged 8 to 11 years. They take classes on ecology, environment, care and protection of land, and link their studies to Cuban culture and manners: to be men and women of good will in the not too distant future. This incredible Cuban project donates a portion of its meager proceeds to similar projects in Latin American, and holds a certificate of excellence from Trip Advisor.

• Lunch at restaurant Il Divino (included in costs)

• Visit Finca La Vigía (House and farm of Museum) We’ll visit to Finca Vigía [Lookout Farm] where North America's literary giant Ernest Hemingway spent twenty-one of his most important and productive years penning building blocks of English literature.

• Return to hotel to freshen up.

• Dinner at Los Mercaderes private restaurant, included.

• EVENING SUGGESTION: Casa de la Música de Miramar, (transportation and cover not included)

DAY 4 – SUNDAY DECEMBER 4: ARTS (BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER)

• Breakfast in hotel

• Visit the Museum of Fine Arts, the Cuban collection • We'll feast on a delicious lunch hosted by José Fúster, one of Cuba's most important ceramists and painters at his whimsical studio in Jaimanitas, just outside of Havana.

• In Hotel , a special presentation and dialogue: "Overview of Cuba and US relations" presentation by lawyer, economist, former ambassador to Rumania and eminent scholar Dr. Manuel Yepe.

• Visit the famous Coppelia Ice Cream parlor that seats 1000 guests.( ice cream not included).

• Visit the Centro Cultural Antiguos Almacenes de Depósito San José. This marvelous restoration of an old dock warehouse has resulted in a gigantic market exhibiting the wares of hundreds of Cuban artists and craftspersons

• Return to hotel to freshen up.

• Transfer in old American classic cars to Café del Oriente restaurant for farewell dinner, included.

• Special suggestion: Watch Parisian Cultural Dance Show at the National Hotel (transportation and cover not included).

DAY 5 – MONDAY DECEMBER 5: HAVANA, HOME (BREAKFAST)

• Breakfast in hotel

• Check-out of hotel.

• Visit Partagás Cigar Factory.

• Visit the Museum of Rum.

• Transfer to José Martí International Airport for flights home

Itinerary is subject to change pending flight confirmation and/or other circumstances beyond our control.

14421 SW 74th Street , FL 33183 (305) 403-7548 www.britolomtours.com [email protected]