Jewish City Tour in La Havana

Description

Jewish Tour in La Havana - Cuba

FACE TO FACE TOURS SUSPENDED FOR THE MOMENT, DUE TO THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
WE OFFER YOU "VIRTUAL TOURS" - ZOOM TOURS, ORGANIZED FOR INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS.
More information in this link: Zoom Jewish Tours

Make your travel meaningful, and enjoy the Jewish Heritage!

By this tour, travelers can learn and know how it was started and how is developed the Jewish

Our hallmark is that all our guides are ACTIVE MEMBERS of the Local Community, and that our tours are organized hand by hand with local institutions.
community life in Cuba.
It´s important for you to know, that this is the official visit run by YOUNG members of the community.

You can see Facebook reviews from other passengers here
and you can also see the responses of the satisfaction survey of our passenegers here

What are we going to visit on this Jewish City Tour?
During the tour, travelers will visit and know the places, streets, buildings, landscapes, the great history of politics, society, lifestyle, and some stories of people who were and are protagonists of the Jewish experience in Cuba:

* The Orthodox Synagogue Adath Israel
* The small Holocaust square.
* Sephardic Hebrew Center
* The Cuban Holocaust exhibit
* The Beth Shalom Synagogue
* The Patronato (Jewish Center), and learn about the "Community School" where children learn Hebrew and study Jewish culture every Sunday.
* Old Havana
* The old Jewish quarter of Havana
* The Acosta street
* The Wall Street
* The Hotel Raquel, an amazing hotel, whose architecture shows the Jewish-Cuban
culture.

Only from Monday to Friday.
* On Sundays, we offer a different option, only from 12.30 to 2.30 PM
** No Jewish Tour on SATURDAYS because of Shabbat.

Duration: 3.30 hours.
** It takes, at least, 5 working days to book the service prior to the date of the tour.

It includes:
* Bilingual guide (Spanish / English) - A member of the local Jewish community.
* Entry to the sites visited
* Transportation by taxi or van, depending on amount of passengers
*** A % of the tour price is a collaboration to the local Jewish community.

Not include:
* Extra donation to Jewish places visited.

The tour starts in a Jewish institution, that will be notifed when booking.
** If you choose to be pick up at the cruise dock, it has an extra charge.

Optionals:
* Visit the Jewish Cementery in Guanabacoa.
** We collaborate in the reservation for a Shabbat dinner in the community.
*** We also offer other Local Tours with private guide, to know the most traditional attractions of the city of Havana.

Important: The photos of the promotional flyer are for reference and the places to visit during the tour are subject to availability and personalized organization of the itinerary, according to the interests of each passenger.

More information about the places we visit in the tour

Patronato de la Casa de la Comunidad Hebrea de Cuba Beth Shalom Synagogue

Denomination: Conservative. In 1951 construction for the first home of the Jewish community in Cuba started in Vedado. Its design, created by known architect Aquiles Capablanca, stands out as a result of thorough research from the a...

Sephardic Hebrew Center - Iehuda Halevi Synagogue

Denomination: Conservative. Sepharad is the Hebrew word for 'Spain', which is why Jews of Spanish origin are referred to as Sephardi. Little or nothing is known about Jewish life in colonial times. The origins of the current Jewish ...

Adath Israel Synagogue

Adath Israel is the only orthodox synagogue in Cuba. Schedule: Shacharit 8am (every day except for Shabbat), Mincha and Maariv 6.30pm (every day except for Sundays) Kabalat Shabbat 6.30pm Shabat Shacharit 9am Seuda Shelishit...

Raquel Hotel

Hotel Raquel is a hotel built at the beginning of the 20th century, on the corner of the streets of Amargura and San Ignacio, in Old Havana, nowadays a World Heritage Site. It´s name is in honor of the matriarch of the Judaism, "Raquel". ...

The Holocaust Square

History of Jewish immigration

Some Jews arrived with Christopher Columbus in 1492, they were called conversos, Marranos or Criptojudíos that were expelled from Spain by the decree of Kings Católicos. The most famous of all was Luis de Torres.

The year 1906 is taken as the date of founding of the Hebrew Community of Cuba, because the first synagogue was founded in Cuba, was called "United Hebrew Congregation" and was reformist. Also in that year is founded the first Jewish cemetery in the east of Havana, Guanabacoa.

The Sephardim arrived in the country in the period 1908-1924, and in 1914 they founded the "Shevet Ahim" synagogue in Old Havana.

The Ashkenazi population came mainly from Poland, in addition to Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Germany among other Eastern European countries.

At the triumph of the revolution, the Jewish population in Cuba was estimated at more than 15,000 people, most of them left the country because of the economic laws taken by the new government that affected their businesses and goods.

Starting in 1990 there is a resurgence of Jewish life in Cuba and many people take the path of Aliyah to Israel.

Today, around 1.200 Jews live in Cuba along almost all of the island and attend five synagogues, three of them in Havana, being the Patronato of the Hebrew Community of Cuba with its temple "Beth Shalom " the main seat.

A little about the country

The Republic of Cuba is a country in an archipelago of the Caribbean Sea.

Its main island, known as "Island of Cuba" is the largest of the Greater Antilles.

It has an area of 110,860 square kilometers and according to the 2002 census, 11,177,743 inhabitants.

Cuba political system has been a popular democracy that is a typical socialist state.

The country is divided into 15 provinces and one special municipality, counting thereafter with 168 municipalities.

The subtropical climate is moderate, usually with high temperatures.

There are about 300 natural beaches of fine white sand and clear waters.

The currency is the Cuban Peso.