Alhambra

Explore the cultural treasures of Jewish, Islamic and Christian Spain. Savor the cuisine and wines of a rich culinary heritage. Wander the winding paths of ancient neighborhoods and discover the modern wonders of its 21st-century cities. Highlights of our Espana adventure:

  • Madrid: We’ll discover the 18th-century Royal Palace and the El Prado Museum, containing one of the world’s finest collections of Spanish, Italian and Flemish paintings, as well as the Reina Sofia Museum, housing the Guernica work of Picasso. We’ll refresh at the magnificent fountains of Poseidon and Cibeles, and share Kabbalat Shabbat at Bet Yaakov.
  • Spain’s Jerusalem – Toledo: Exploring its rich Jewish heritage, we’ll tour the Sephardic Museum, El Transito and Ibn Shushan (now Santa Maria Church) Synagogues, and view El Greco masterworks.
  • Granada: We’ll wander through the Realejo, the former Jewish quarter, then move on to the Alhambra, the masterful Moorish palaces of the Al Nasrid dynasty. We’ll close with free time to stroll the shady, romantic paths of Granada’s Moorish neighborhood, the Albacyn.
  • Cordoba: We’ll see the Jewish Quarter, the Yehuda Halevi Square, and discover Maimonides’ home town with visits to the Maimonides Synagogue as well as Cordoba’s thousand-columned Cathedral-Mosque and finish the day with Casa de Sefarad, dedicated to the history of the Sephardic Jews living in Cordoba before the Inquisition.
  • Seville: Enjoy a walking tour of the Plaza España, the Garden of Maria Luisa and the fabled Alcazar Palace. After lunch, we’ll continue to the Santa Cruz neighborhood, formerly Seville’s Juderia, with its winding alleyways and remnants of Jewish life. We’ll end the day with the Great Cathedral, burial place of Christopher Columbus, and the 12th-century La Giralda Cathedral, whose bell tower became the city’s symbol.
  • Bullet Train to Barcelona: Start with a city tour, including the Montjuic (“Mountain of the Jews”). We’ll take a walking tour around the Barrio Gótico,Barcelona’s most historic neighborhood, including the Calle Marlet with ancient Hebrew inscriptions, followed by the artists’ colony at Las Ramblas promenade. We’ll welcome Shabbat with the Communidad Israelita de Barcelona. We’ll close ourSpain adventure with a tour of Nachmanides’Gerona, including the Jewish Quarter andHistoryMuseum.

Tour Leaders: Fred Rosenbaum, Ariel Goldstein and Dr. Jehon Grist

For more information, please contact Ariel Goldstein at agoldstein@jccsf.org or 415-276-1506.

The Lehrhaus Traveling Classroom is a partnership with the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.

Traveling Classroom tours are made possible by the Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation.