Jewish Cuba: A Tapestry of Cultures
January 27 – February 2, 2025
(Itinerary subject to change) 

Day 1: Monday, January 27, 2025 

• Arrival and transfer to hotel (private transfers from the airport can be arranged for an additional charge). 
• Check into the hotel. 
• Panoramic view of Havana and dinner at a unique, private family-run Paladar. 

Overnight: Hotel Grand Aston la Habana, Havana  

Day 2: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Visit the Sephardic Hebrew Center and meet with a community leader followed by fellowship and interaction with members of the community. 
• Explore a local market. With help from your escort and guide, you will be able to interact with the vendors and shoppers and get a feel for real life in Cuba today.  
• Lunch at leisure. 
• Watch a rehearsal at the Compas Dance of Cuba. The group uses percussion, African rhythms, flamenco, and classical ballet creating a new and different Cuban beat. You will be able to talk to the dancers about their training and dreams for the future. 
• Visit the home and studio of José Rodriquez Fuster. Born in 1946, Fuster is a Cuban artist specializing in ceramics, painting, drawing, engraving and graphic design. This winner of many awards with collections in prominent museums, has made a major contribution over 10 years of rebuilding and decorating the fishing town of Jaimanitas on the outskirts of Havana, where he lives. Jaimanitas is now a unique work of public art where Fuster has decorated over 80 houses with ornate murals and domes to suit the personality of his neighbors. 
• Dinner at leisure. 

Overnight: Hotel Grand Aston la Habana, Havana  

Day 3: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Participate in an interactive discussion with a Cuban sociologist Dr. Marta Nunez Sarmiento will discuss gender roles in Cuban society today.  
• Join a walking tour of Old Havana and the Jewish Quarter. Old Havana has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO and will remind you of cities in Europe, with its beautiful architectural elements. During the walking tour of the two main squares: Plaza de Armas, Plaza de San Francisco, you will gain insight about the families that forged the Jewish Community of Cuba and the present members of that community. 
• Group lunch at a private restaurant. 
• Bring donations to Beth Shalom Temple and meet with a community leader. Built in 1952, the synagogue is located in the Vedado district of Havana that was once a center of Jewish activity. Today it contains the main community center and library with a nursery and educational activities to help bring back the youth into the Jewish community.  
• We proceed to the neighborhood of Lawton, where we visit Mureleando. Mureleando is a community project started by families living in and around Lawton. The objective is to introduce and teach the arts to children and adults through their workshops. 
• Dinner at leisure.  

Overnight: Hotel Grand Aston la Habana, Havana  

Day 4: Thursday, January 30, 2025 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Explore the National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana with a private curator, who will take you on a journey of the many facets of Cuban art. Founded in1913 and having made frequent moves, it was finally placed on the block once occupied by the old Colon Market. In 1954, the new Palacio de Bellas Artes was opened, designed by the architect Rodriguez Pichardo. The museum is dedicated exclusively to housing Cuban Art collections and has rooms dedicated to landscape, religious subjects and the Costumbrismo narrative scenes of Cuban life. 
• Community Service at Jewish Cemetery in Guanabacoa. We will clean up graves and help to restore graves in the children’s section. Those who are unable to do physical work may recite Kaddish at graves. A stop will be made at the Holocaust Memorial which is located inside the cemetery. 
• Lunch at leisure. 
• Visit a typical Cuban home where we will learn the story of this house and its residents, past and present. 
• Group dinner at a private restaurant. 

Overnight: Hotel Grand Aston la Habana, Havana  

Day 5: Friday, January 31, 2025 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Participate in an interactive discussion about U.S. and Cuban relations with Camilo Lopez Trigo, a former diplomat. 
• Visit the two main squares, Plaza Vieja and Plaza de la Catedral in the Old City. 
• Visit Hemingway’s House. In 1940, Hemingway, with his new wife Martha, purchased a home outside Havana, Cuba. He would live there for the next twenty years. The Hemingway’s named the site Finca Vigia, or “lookout farm.” He fished extensively aboard his boat, Pilar, and enjoyed the island lifestyle, hanging out in Havana, and entertaining guests at the Finca. View his home, with many original furnishings, hunting trophies, and personal artifacts. 
• Lunch at leisure. 
• Ride in Havana in vintage American convertibles. It’s a return to the 1950’s when there were about as many American convertibles in Havana as in New York. The cars will take you to the Forest of Havana and drive down the fabled 5th Avenue of Miramar and along the Malecon.  
• Kabbalat Shabbat Services at Beth Shalom, followed by a festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel.  

Overnight: Hotel Grand Aston la Habana, Havana  

Day 6: Saturday, February 1, 2025 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Morning meeting with Dr. Maritza Corrales, Jewish Historian. 
• Rest of day at leisure. 
• Motorcoach will be available to take passengers to the Old City and Craft Market.  
• Dinner at leisure. 

Overnight: Hotel Grand Aston la Habana, Havana  

Day 7: Sunday, February 2, 2025 

• Breakfast at the hotel. 
• Checkout from the hotel by 12:00 PM. 

The Melton tour to Cuba will be led by Miriam Levinson, who has led numerous trips to her native Cuba. Miriam's expertise in Jewish Latin America, particularly Cuba, adds a distinctive dimension to her portrayal of these communities.

Melton Travel is open to adults of all ages. While Melton oversees the educational aspects of our tours, it's important to note that we are not a travel agency. For the logistics of this trip, our local travel partners will be responsible.

Please note that Melton is not liable for any financial loss due to reasons beyond our control, such as health-related cancellations. We highly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance covering trip cancellation and health-related issues, including COVID, within a few weeks of paying your nonrefundable deposit.

Thank you for your interest in travelling with Melton. We eagerly await the opportunity to learn and explore together with you.

The Melton Travel Team

Register online today >

Reservations and Cancellations:  

Group rates are per person and a minimum of 15 fully paying participants. Should the number of participants drop below the minimum listed above, we may adjust the cost of the trip to reflect the additional expense of operating the program.

Tour prices are per person in U.S. dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, special dinners, sightseeing, admissions, luggage handling and the services of local guides, drivers, and the tour guide/educator are included.

A nonrefundable deposit of $750 per person is due upon registration. If the trip is cancelled, the registration fee will be refunded. Final balance will be due 60 days prior to trip start date on 11/28/2024. No refunds will be given for unused services. 

Program Cancellation due to insufficient registration:

The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, its management, staff, officers, and representatives reserve the right to cancel any program for lack of sufficient registration and 100% of all monies collected by MELTON will be returned to the registered participants.  

Program Cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances: 

As you may know, Melton provides the educational content for its tours, but is not a travel agency. Great Time Tours, LTD is the travel logistics provider for this tour. Neither Great Time Tours, LTD nor Melton is responsible for any financial loss associated with a cancellation of this seminar for reasons beyond their control, including COVID. Each traveler is urged to attain Trip Cancellation and Travel insurance. 

What is not included: Travel insurance, international flights, incidental hotel charges such as telephone calls, housekeeping tips and room service, sightseeing attractions listed as optional, meals not listed, items of a personal nature and tips for services other than those listed for each specific itinerary.

Ability to Travel:

Participant(s) hereby certify that they do not have any physical, emotional, psychological, or other condition or disability that would interfere with their enjoyment of the program, hinder the experience of others, or pose a hazard to themselves or others.

Travelers Needing Special Assistance:

Melton cannot determine your fitness to travel or guarantee your ability to successfully manage a tour. If in doubt, please consult your doctor. Persons needing individual assistance for walking, dining, or other personal needs must be accompanied by an able companion and must notify us in writing at the time of booking. Certain trips and features may not be wheelchair accessible. In international destinations, we cannot guarantee wheelchair accessibility.

Liability:

All itineraries are subject to change without prior notice. Participant waives any and all claims of action against the GREAT TIME TOURS, LTD. for damages, loss, injury, accident or death incurred by any person in connection with this program. In making arrangements for accommodations, meals, transportation, and other services included in the program, GREAT TIME TOURS, LTD. are acting only as an agent for the following suppliers of travel services, i.e. airlines, hotels, ground handlers, transfer companies, restaurants, bus companies, and other suppliers, and is not liable for any accident, injury, damage, loss, delay or other irregularity which may be caused by the defect of any vehicle, or the negligence or default of any company or person(s) engaged in conveying the passengers or carrying out the arrangements of the program. No responsibility is accepted for losses or expenses due to sickness, weather, strike, wars and other causes. 

Travel Documents:

Participants will receive program documents approximately 10-14 days prior to trip departure provided full payment has been received. Documents may include program itinerary, airline and hotel information, clothing suggestions, bag tags and any other helpful hints. 

Luggage Handling:

Luggage handling and porterage is included for a maximum of one piece of luggage per person at hotels. Carry-on luggage is the traveler’s own responsibility. 

 Not Included:

• Flights and personal insurance 
• Personal expenses, including meals or drinks not mentioned in the itinerary, unless specified

Melton Travel recommends Forbes Advisor for the most up-to-date travel insurance comparisons. Consider travel protection for:

• Trip Cancellation
• Trip Interruption
• Emergency Medical Expenses
• Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation of Remains
• Trip Delay
• Baggage & Personal Effects
• Baggage Delay
  
  

Please Note: To be eligible for the waiver of pre-existing medical condition exclusion, the protection plan must be purchased within 21 days from the time you make your initial trip deposit, the entire non-refundable amount of the trip must be insured, and you must be medically able to travel at the time the premium is paid. However, the travel protection plan itself can be purchased any time prior to departure.

Additional Information

• Airline Security Measures: Your name must match the name on your tour reservation and airline ticket, or you may be denied boarding. If you are traveling from an airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S., you will need to determine what travel documentation and identification are required for that particular airport.
  
  
• Due to heightened security regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette lighter or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and recommended airport check-in times. You may also wish to visit the Transportation Security Administration website at www.tsa.gov to obtain more information on acceptable identity documentation and prohibited luggage items.
  
  
• Holidays and Museum Closures - Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or state and local holidays observed in the destinations being visited.
  
  
• Photography During Tours: We will occasionally use photographs taken by fellow guests or your trip director for promotional purposes. If you prefer your photo not used in any marketing activities, please notify us at the start of your tour.

For more information about this tour, please write to us here.

Or, call 1–646–921–0747, Ext. 4