English

Cantor Gabrielle Clissold
Monmouth Reform Temple
Humanitarian Mission to Cuba
January 21 - 28, 2018

Tour Rates & Dates:

There are no Departure Dates available for this Package.
*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
All rates above are in US Dollars, and are based on full payment by credit card unless otherwise noted.
If check payment discount is available for this tour, it can be selected after clicking "BOOK" above.
(Deposit can still be paid by credit card). Upgraded room categories may be available to book later in the booking process.
If Land & Air price is displayed, the air portion includes tax and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change until ticketed.

Tour Overview:

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3 nights Melia Cohiba Hotel, Havana
2 nights Hotel Jagua, Cienfuegos
2 nights Melia Cohiba Hotel, Havana
Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Any border taxes or visas
All touring and sightseeing per an agreed upon itinerary in a deluxe
air-conditioned vehicle with an English speaking guide
Breakfast daily
5 lunches
7 dinners, including Shabbat dinner in Havana
Classic car ride
Transfers included if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Tips to guides, driver, and dining room waiters
Porterage
Cuban emergency medical insurance
Cuban Travel Visa

NOT INCLUDED - These prices do not include:

Any items of a personal nature
Travel Insurance (Highly recommended)
Gifts and Aid to synagogues or other institutions

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1 Sunday, January 21, 2018
• Depart Newark on our morning flight to Havana (Please be sure to pick up a lunch at the airport before departure to eat on the plane).
• Arrive at the Jose Marti Airport
• Meet your English speaking guide and driver
• Panoramic overview of the city. Stop at Revolution Square. The square is dominated by the José Martí Memorial. This famous square is where Fidel Castro delivered the majority of his lengthy political addresses. We pass by the Rosenberg Memorial, Lennon Park, and Havana University.
• Check into our hotel with time to relax and freshen up
• Welcome dinner at Café Laurent Paladar
Overnight in Havana
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Day 2 Monday, January 22, 2018
• Breakfast at the hotel
• We begin with a visit to Patronato, where we meet with Adela Dworin, the President of Beth Shalom. Tour the center and learn about the Pharmacy and Sunday school, with time to deliver our gifts and aid.
• Next we enjoy a walking tour of Old Havana (Havana Vieja), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Learn about the history of Havana as we visit highlights of the city and the colonial plazas. Visit Jewish points of interest such as the Raquel Hotel, a Jewish-themed hotel. Visit Adat Israel, the Orthodox Synagogue and meet with Jacob Berezniak to deliver our gifts to the community.
• Visit the hotel Conde de Villanueva. Learn about the history of tobacco and the tradition of cigar rolling in Cuba. Interact with roller and locals
• Lunch at El Aljibe restaurant
• Visit the Museum of the Revolution, where we gain an understanding of the momentous change that has occurred in Cuba due to the Revolution over 50 years ago.
• Return to our hotel
• Dinner at Café del Oriente
Overnight Havana
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Day 3 Tuesday, January 23, 2018
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Visit the Sephardic Center. Meet with Mayra Levy, president of the congregation, who discusses the role of Sephardic Jews in the resurgence of Jewish life in Cuba. Deliver aid to the community and interact with locals
• View the first exhibit displayed in Cuba about the Holocaust, located within the Sephardic Center
• We continue with a visit to the Jewish cemetery in Guanabacoa, including a special visit to the site of the Holocaust exhibit
• Lunch at Finca Yoandra / Il Divino. Take a glimpse into this organic urban farm and community project with a private restaurant in the outskirts of Havana
• Continue to Finca Vigia, the villa that Hemingway called home for 21 years. His home is now a museum with many of his personal belongings. Learn how Cuba influenced his writing
• Return to hotel
• Dinner together this evening at La Casa paladar
Overnight Havana
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Day 4 Wednesday, January 24, 2018
• Breakfast at the hotel and check out
• Depart for Santa Clara, an important city founded in the 1600's. Here, in late December 1958, Che Guevara and his troops won a crucial battle in securing victory for the Cuban Revolution.
• Stop at the Che Guevara memorial for a photo opportunity in the square and visit the Che Museum underneath.
• Lunch together at Santa Rosalia.
• Meet with David Tacher, a leading representative of the Santa Clara Jewish Community, where we will learn about the local community and deliver our gifts
• Continue to the beautiful port city of Cienfuegos, Cuba's “Pearl of the South"
• Check into Jagua hotel
• Dinner at Villa Lagarto
Overnight in Cienfuegos
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Day 5 Thursday, January 25, 2018
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Depart to the beautiful colonial town of Trinidad, a charming city settled in 1514 which is a UNESCO heritage site since 1988. Arrive in Trinidad.
• Enjoy a walking tour of historic Trinidad which is a 500 year old city with Spanish colonial architecture. Only a few square blocks in size, historic Trinidad is famous for its lovely cobblestone streets, pastel houses with wrought iron grills, as well as beautiful palaces and plazas. You'll learn about the efforts to preserve the city's heritage
• Meet with the famous family Santander, well-known local potters. Visit their workshop and gallery. These artists have been making handmade pottery for over 100 years
• Lunch at El Dorado paladar
• Meet with Rebecca Langus and learn about the local Jewish community with time to deliver gifts
• Enjoy a performance by Cantores de Cienfuegos at Museo Provincial de Cienfuegos
• Dinner at Los Laureles.
• Return to hotel
Overnight in Cienfuegos
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Day 6 Friday, January 26, 2018
• Breakfast at the hotel and check out
• This morning we tour Cienfuegos including Parque Marti and the Thomas Terry Theater. Learn about this UNESCO World Heritage Site, founded by French immigrants in 1819
• Depart for Havana city.
• Lunch on the way (on our own)
• Arrive in Havana
• Stop at the impressive Fuster house/studio to see this unique mosaic masterpiece. Learn about the artist's project to beautify and help the community he lives in
• Check into your hotel and get ready for Shabbat
• Shabbat services and dinner at the Sephardic Synagogue with community members
Overnight in Havana
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Day 7 Saturday, January 27, 2018
• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning we stop at Almacenes de San Jose market, where we stroll through the stalls of arts and crafts made by the locals.
• Lunch at a local paladar.
• Visit the Cuban Art Collection at the Fine Arts Museum
• We enjoy a classic car ride from our hotel to our farewell dinner at La California paladar as we recall all that we have experienced together.
Overnight Havana
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Day 8 Sunday, January 28, 2018
• Breakfast and check out of hotel
• Transfer to the airport for our flight back to Newark


The Memories Last Forever!
*Itinerary subject to change