Get off the beaten path and plan a luxury family tour of some of the world’s most unique and unusual Jewish heritage sites. Gil Travel can take you to the heart of hidden Jewish communities and design a tailored travel experience that will create lifelong memories for the entire family. Read on for a quick guide to some of the top exotic Jewish travel destinations and some useful tips for planning a luxury kosher travel adventure that goes far beyond the usual Jewish heritage sites in Israel and Europe.
Explore the Wider Diaspora and Make Jewish Travel an Adventure
Most American Jews who travel abroad to explore Jewish heritage tend to focus on Israel and the former Jewish cultural centers of Eastern Europe like Krakow and Vilnius. This is not surprising given their fundamental importance to collective Jewish heritage, particularly if you have ancestral links to these sites.
Although Europe and Israel play a key role in the 3,000 year old Jewish story, the diaspora grew to cover the planet with bold and enterprising Jewish travelers, merchants and explorers establishing communities as far afield as India, Japan, China, Central Asia and Latin America.
Exploring these exotic destinations greatly expands our understanding of the Jewish cultural mosaic and how Jewish identity and resilience developed around the world. If you create a luxury family tour that includes kids or grandkids, you’ll really broaden their horizons and knowledge of Judaism, as well as giving them a wonderful adventure in the process.
India
There have been Jews in India since ancient times and it’s likely that they facilitated trade with the Roman Empire. India had a multitude of religious beliefs and practices and the Jews were generally able to fit quietly into the background and live in peace.
American Jews who visit modern India will find private guided tours of Mumbai’s ornate synagogues fascinating and Cochin’s Paradesi Synagogue is also an important heritage destination. Gil Travel can introduce you to members of India’s small but thriving Jewish community and help you to explore the legacy of the Bene Israel community. A highpoint of a luxury trip to India is the chance to try kosher Indian food!
Ethiopia
The Jews of Ethiopia (known as Beta Israel) have a long history whose ancient roots are disputed. They were isolated from mainstream Judaism until comparatively recently. Ethiopian Jews were familiar with the Hebrew Bible but had no knowledge of the Talmud or Rabbinic Judaism. The community often faced discrimination and persecution by Ethiopian Christians, but refused to abandon kashrut, Shabbat observance and other core Jewish traditions.
Thousands of Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel in a series of rescue operations, but some remain in Ethiopia today. The village of Wolleka in the Amhara region was once a major Beta Israel center. Visitors can see a preserved synagogue made of mud and thatch and Gil Travel can arrange meetings with local Ethiopian Jews. The site is a convenient stopping off point for anybody exploring the Semien Mountains. Ethiopia is a seriously off-the-beaten-path destination for a Jewish heritage trip and is more demanding than the average Jewish heritage tour. Gil Travel can help you to meet the challenge and create a real African adventure for all age groups.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is home to some of the most famous cities on the old Silk Roads and is one of the most exotic and mysterious Jewish travel destinations. Places like Samarkhand, Bukhara and Khiva hosted camel trains and merchant convoys for centuries and also attracted Jewish traders and artisans. A walking tour of Bukhara’s Jewish quarter and its preserved synagogues and ornate wood carvings brings the past vividly to life.
Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent is a good base for exploring the country’s Jewish history. Gil Travel can help to arrange kosher-friendly hotels and kosher Uzbek food as well as private transport and English speaking guides with a specialist knowledge of Jewish Central Asian heritage.
Portugal
Portugal has a Jewish history that goes back at least to the time when the entire Iberian Peninsula was under Roman rule. There was a large, prosperous and self-confident Jewish community in Portugal throughout the medieval period until the cruel Decree of Alhambra in 1492 resulted in waves of forced conversions, mass expulsions and the atrocities of the inquisition. Many Portuguese Jews who remained adapted to the situation by becoming Crypto-Jews.
The hidden Jewish communities were ostensibly practicing Catholics but secretly maintained their Jewish faith and traditions. The town of Belmonte had one of the most enduring of all the hidden Jewish communities, and it’s possible to meet their descendents today. The stories of how they evaded the Inquisition and secretly preserved their heritage are compelling. Portugal offers one of the world’s most interesting Jewish cultural travel experiences.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is a tourist destination that most Americans have probably never heard of, let alone in a Jewish context. The oil-rich Caucasus state is home to the Mountain Jews, originally Persian Jews who settled in the region’s mountains and formed their own distinct culture. The Mountain Jew’s community of Qırmızı Qəsəbə (the Red Village) is one of the world’s only all-Jewish towns outside Israel.
Azerbaijan (a former Soviet republic) is officially a Muslim state but is a close ally of Israel and welcomes US Jews. Apart from the heritage sites associated with the Mountain Jews, the capital Baku has an imposing Ashkenazi synagogue and Georgian Jewish heritage sites. If you’re looking for unusual and rewarding Jewish cultural travel experiences, Gil Travel will work with you to organize an unforgettable kosher tour of Azerbaijan.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, is Central America’s top luxury travel destination. The country also has a surprising Jewish history. The colonial capital of Cartago was home to a number of Marranos or Conversos who fled the Inquisition and established an early Jewish presence in the New World. There are modern Costa Ricans descended from the first Sephardi immigrants who are sadly completely unaware of their own Jewish ancestry.
Additional waves of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews arrived in the 19th and 20th centuries, each bringing their own traditions which blended over time with local culture. San José’s Jewish community is welcoming and friendly and there are some superb kosher eateries where you can enjoy a range of Ashkenazi and Sephardi food with a unique South American flavor.
Colombia
Colombia has a Jewish history that goes back to its earliest days as a Spanish colony. The small community of (secretly practicing) Crypto Jews was augmented over the centuries by the arrival of Sephardi Jews from neighbouring countries and Caribbean islands and Ashkenazi Jews (including many Germans). The modern community is only a few thousand strong but successfully endured the economic and social problems that plagued Columbia in the 1990s.
The capital Bogota, set high in the Andes, currently has four synagogues including the oldest Sephardic synagogue the Sinagoga Maguen Ovadia. The Sinagoga Asociación Israelita Montefiore serves Jews of German heritage. There are also smaller Jewish communities in the cities of Cali, Barranquilla, and Medellin with their own unique stories. Gil Travel can arrange a safe and luxurious Jewish travel experience in Colombia – one of South America’s most beautiful countries.
Argentina
Argentina was a popular destination for Jews who were willing to cross the Atlantic in search of a better life. The large and rapidly growing country seemed like the promised land to Russian and Eastern European Jews fleeing pogroms and persecution. Some even became farmers, known as Gauchos Judíos or Jewish Cowboys. Other Jews arrived from Turkey and the decaying Ottoman Empire bringing ancient Sephardic and Levantine traditions to the New World.
A trip to Buenos Aires is a highly stimulating Jewish cultural travel experience. Not only is there a large modern community and some outstanding kosher eateries (a tasty blend of Ashkenazi, Syrian, Turkish and South American cuisine) the city’s extensive Jewish history and heritage is readily accessible. The old garment district of Once contains historic synagogues, including the famous Templo Libertad and the associated Jewish museum. A private guided tour can take in the AMIA bombing memorial and other Jewish sites.
Plan a Family or Group Tour of an Exotic Jewish Travel Destination
If you’re looking for an adventure, and want to explore some of the more unusual aspects of the collective Jewish identity, Gil Travel can help you to plan a luxury tour of one of the world’s more exotic locations. As well as building an itinerary of heritage sites, Gil Travel can advise on the optimal travel times to enjoy beautiful weather, any necessary vaccinations, and how to keep kosher in an exotic foreign country.
Talk to us today about planning a safe and luxurious trip with age appropriate activities for all the family, and a chance to delve deeply into less well-known strands of Jewish history and culture.
