Day 1: Sunday, March 12, 2023: DEPARTURE

• We depart the United States on our overnight flight to Buenos Aires.

Day 2: Monday, March 13, 2023: WELCOME TO ARGENTINA!

• Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, transfer to our hotel on own to check in.
• After a chance to refresh, we will meet this evening for our group welcome dinner. 

Overnight in Buenos Aires

Day 3: Tuesday, March 14, 2023: IGUAZU FALLS

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we transfer to the domestic airport to catch our flight to Iguazu Falls.
• Upon arrival in Iguazu, we explore the beauty of this wonder from the Brazilian Side of the falls! The falls consists of 275 different waterways that come together and fall 250 feet in a crescendo of astounding beauty. The Iguazu is wider than Victoria Falls, higher than Niagara Falls and more beautiful than both!
• We transfer to our hotel to check in and refresh. Enjoy our lovely hotel facilities and the natural beauty all around us.
• Free evening for dinner on own.

Overnight in Iguazu Falls 

Day 4: Wednesday, March 15, 2023: IGUAZU FALLS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We continue our discovery of Iguazu by viewing the falls from the Argentinean side. We arrive by gas propelled train to tour the “Upper Circuit” route, including a visit to the famous Devil's Throat, the most magnificent of the falls, where we view and photograph the thundering waters falling below.
• This afternoon, we see the “Lower Circuit”. The half-day tour to Iguazu Falls National Park is an exciting way to explore the hidden life of the Missionary Jungle.
• We depart in four-wheel vehicles towards Yacarea Path to the heart of the jungle until we reach Macuco Port. Here, we begin an unforgettable experience, sailing through the falls at high speed until we reach the point where the falls meet the riverbed.
• This evening, we enjoy dinner together at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Iguazu Falls 

Day 5: Thursday, March 16, 2023: DISCOVERING BUENOS AIRES

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we transfer to the airport for our return flight to Buenos Aires.
• Time permitting, we visit the Buenos Aires Shoah Museum, the only of its kind in Latin America, serving as a museum, memorial and moral reminder by telling the story of the Holocaust and its impact in Argentina and wider South America. We'll focus our time here on the Eichman extraction from Argentina.
• Early this evening, we enjoy a fascinating discussion, with guest Rabbi Ernesto Yattah, on the history and current state of Buenos Aires' Jewish community, followed by a private dinner together at kosher restaurant El Paisano.
• This evening, we're treated to a Yiddish Tango music program with Yale Strom, Elizabeth Schwartz and special local guests!

Overnight in Buenos Aires

Day 6: Friday, March 17, 2023: JEWISH BUENOS AIRES

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we travel to the Arlene-Fern Jewish Community School for an uplifting visit with students and teachers and gain a better appreciation for the school and its mission.
• Next, we proceed to Recoleta, one of the most sophisticated and desirable areas of Buenos Aires. The name comes from the Order of Discalced Carmelite Monks, who established their monastery there at the beginning of the 17th century. The Cemetery of Recoleta astounds visitors with its rich architecture and the social and political personalities of Argentina whose remains are there, such as Eva Peron.
• This afternoon, we visit the Libertad Synagogue and tour the Jewish Museum to learn the story of Argentina's immigrants and of the Jewish colonies and their ancient traditions through an interactive journey.
• We head back our hotel for time to refresh and relax before we join for Kabbalat Shabbat services, at Yesod Hadat Synagogue (also known as the Lavalle Temple), a Sephardic community founded by Jews from Allepo, Syria in 1920. We have the chance to discuss the life of the Argentinean Jewish community before we return to our hotel for Shabbat dinner.

Overnight in Buenos Aires

Day 7: Saturday, March 18, 2023: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we have the option to attend Shabbat services at Templo Libertad.
• Kosher Shabbat boxed lunch will be provided.
• Enjoy the afternoon to relax or further explore this inviting city on own.
• Optional docent-led tour of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, home to works of art by famed artists such as Goya, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Rodin, Manet, Chagall and many more.
• This afternoon, we meet with Javier Sinay, a Buenos Aires-based journalist and the author of three books including, most recently The Murders of Moisés Ville in February of 2022. We'll discuss his book and the amazing story of Moisés Ville itself.
• This evening, we enjoy private tango lessons at a famous tango club, followed by dinner and a live tango show at El Viejo Almacen.

Overnight in Buenos Aires

Day 8: Sunday, March 19, 2023: TIGRE

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a visit to the colorful La Boca neighborhood with its European flair due to many of its early settlers being from Genoa, Italy.
• Our next stop is in the San Telmo neighborhood, one of the oldest in the city.
• This afternoon, we take a half day Tigre tour with Parana River Delta cruise through the elegant riverside suburbs of Olivos, San Isidro and San Fernando on the way to Tigre, one of the most elegant areas in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Tigre is a charming village with many rowing and yacht clubs, summer residences, and restaurants by the riverside. We have time for a short visit to the Museum del Mate (Argentina's national drink), as well as a chance to visit the Bohemian neighborhood of Boulevard de Tigre with all of it cafes, art, crafts, street murals and musicians.
• We enjoy a one-hour cruise along the channels of the Paraná River, showcasing the unique delta that ends at the Rio de la Plata, the widest river in the world.
• We return to Buenos Aires for time to refresh before a lovely group dinner at a local gourmet restaurant.
• Later this evening, Yale Strom and Elizabeth Schwartz once again present a lovely musical program!

Overnight in Buenos Aires

Day 9: Monday, March 20, 2023: ONCE & ABASTO

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we pass through the Jewish neighborhoods of Once and Abasto, where there are several synagogues, two major Jewish clubs (Hebraica and Macabi), schools, kosher stores, pizzerias, restaurants and bars. We stop for an inside visit at the Great Temple Paso. Founded in 1930, it is one of the oldest synagogues in Buenos Aires, still in use by a welcoming modern Orthodox community.
• Next, we visit the headquarters of AMIA (Mutual Israelite Argentine Association), founded in 1894. The new building replaces the old one, which was destroyed during a terrorist attack in 1994 and includes a beautiful Agam sculpture in the welcome courtyard. (Passport required for entrance!)
• Along the way today, we'll have a chance to ride the subway, the first in South America.
• We stop for lunch at McDonald's - this is the only Kosher McDonald's outside of Israel!
• We continue to the Israeli Embassy Square & Memorial, dedicated to the community members that perished in the terrorist attack.
• This afternoon, we set out on a city tour, covering much of the regal architecture, including the Government House and National Congress.
• Our next stop is at Plaza de Mayo, scene of countless political demonstrations throughout the years. We learn about the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo as our guide gives us a brief history of Argentinian politics.
• Time permitting, we'll stop by El Atendeo Grand Splendid near our hotel, one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world!
• This evening, we enjoy a festive farewell dinner together.
• Those departing this evening are transferred to the airport for their overnight flights home, landing tomorrow morning.

Join our extension to
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

Overnight Flight or Overnight in Buenos Aires 

Day 10: Tuesday, March 21, 2023: MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we transfer to the port and depart by boat across the Rio de la Plata to Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. Montevideo is strategically located in the estuary of the River Plate and looks towards the South Atlantic. The city is lined by small beaches, creeks and rocky points, where people peacefully stroll along the promenade, fish or drink “mate”.
• Upon arrival, we set out on a city tour encompassing the “Old City”, Constitution Square, with its Cathedral Town Hall, and pass by the Solis Theatre, Independence Square with the Artigas monument and the mausoleum, then continue to the commercial street “18 de Julio” to the Congress Building.
• We gain insight into Jewish life in Uruguay with visits to Jewish heritage sites. We travel through the Old City, where Jewish immigrants began to settle at the end of the 19th century. We pass by Golda Meir Square and the Hebraica Maccabi Sports Center, as well as the Sephardic and Ashkenazi synagogues.
• Next, we visit the Jewish Community Center and see their synagogue as well as the different working areas of the community.
• We continue to the Goes area to view the colorful housing projects built in the early 1920s by real estate developer Emilio Reus, as well as the Old Synagogue.
• Later this afternoon, we check into our hotel and have time to refresh.
• This evening, we enjoy dinner together in an area restaurant, followed by a lovely mini-concert with Yale Strom and Elizabeth Schwartz joined by local klezmer musicians!

Overnight in Montevideo

Day 11: Wednesday, March 22, 2023: FURTHER EXPLORATION

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we catch a glimpse of present-day life in the Pocitos residential area, passing by Jewish schools and stopping at the Holocaust memorial, the only one of its kind in South America.
• Back in the city, we stop at Gurvich Museum to study the works of Uruguay's famous painter, José Gurvich. Born in Lithuania, Gurvich immigrated to Uruguay in 1933. All his paintings register elements of Jewish religious iconography.
• We continue to the Prado with its famous rose garden and the monument “La Diligencia” (Stage Coach), then to Montevideo Hill for a panoramic view of the Montevideo Bay and the “Old Colonial Fortress”. We also visit Battle and Ordonez Park, passing by the Obelisk and see the La Carreta (Covered Wagon) monument and the soccer stadium, a major part of life down here, as well as the residential area of Carrasco and the city's chain of beaches.
• Enjoy the balance of the afternoon and evening at leisure in this lovely city.

Overnight in Montevideo 

Day 12: Thursday, March 23, 2023: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast, check out of our hotel and store luggage by noon.
• Transfer on own to the airport (based on your personal departure time) for your flight back to the United States.

THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*Itinerary subject to change

ABOUT PROF. STROM: Professor Yale Strom is an acclaimed violinist, composer, filmmaker, writer, photographer, playwright and a pioneer among revivalists in conducting extensive field research in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans among the Jewish and Romani communities. Initially, his work focused primarily on the use and performance of klezmer music among these two groups. Gradually, his focus increased to examining all aspects of their culture, from post-World War II to the present. For more than 3 decades and 75 such research expeditions, Strom has become the world's leading ethnographer-artist of klezmer music and history. In addition to his klezmer research Strom has researched, composed and played Jewish music that was influenced by various Arab cultures. This influence can be heard even in klezmer music. Strom will have his thirteenth book published (Shloyml Boyml and His Purim Adventure) in spring 2023. It will be a children's illustrated book (English/Yiddish) based upon his ethnographic research he did in Romania. Strom has lectured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and taught at NYU for 4 years, where he created the course “Artist Ethnographer Expeditions”. At present he is a professor in the Music Dept. at San Diego State.

ABOUT ELIZABETH SCHWARTZ: Elizabeth Schwartz has been called “The Edith Piaf of Yiddish” and “a revelation” with a superb mastery of klezmer ornamentations. As the vocalist for Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi and as a soloist, she has performed at festivals, synagogues and concert halls throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Her myriad acclaimed recordings of Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew and English have been released on the Naxos World, Arc Music UK and Transcontinental Music record labels. On March 18, 2012, Schwartz was invited to become the first woman in history to sing at the 125-year-old Eldridge Street Synagogue in Manhattan, effectively breaking the ban of kol isha in this landmark cultural venue. Schwartz is the subject of the Romanian documentary film, "Searching for Schwartz", by Radu Gabrea (z”l). As a writer, Schwartz co-created the award-winning audio dramas “The Witches of Lublin” and “Debs in Canton” for Suemedia Productions. She contributed a chapter on klezmer vocal technique to “Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer” (Scarecrow Press). Her recipes of Jewish food can be found on www.theweiserkitchen.com, “A Wandering Feast: A Journey Through the Jewish Culture of Eastern Europe” (Jossey-Bass), “Zydzi Od Kuchni” (Austeria) and “It's Always About the Food” (Harper Collins).