Buenos Aires Melton Travel Seminar

This seminar is open to adults who enjoy in-depth Jewish educational travel, including all Melton students and graduates.  

For more information about this seminar, please click the tab headings in this section or the ≡ icon on mobile devices.

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Tour Includes

• Accommodations: 7 nights
• Meals: Daily breakfast and 12 communal meals. (Vegetarian and fish options available.)
• Educational Programming: All entrance fees and programs as per the Melton itinerary.

Monday, Day 1:
The Spiritual Art of Travel: Tourists, Pilgrims and Seekers. Who are you?

• Check in to hotel in Puerto Madero.
• 1 p.m. - Welcome lunch and introductions.
• Walking tour of Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires' newest, trendy barrio. Home to shiny skyscrapers and converted brick warehouses that are now some of the city’s most exclusive lofts, offices, hotels and restaurants, Puerto Madero’s cobbled waterside promenades are a pleasure to walk, and open green spaces provide room to breathe and take in the unique spirit of the city.
• Intimate Opening Dinner & Conversation with our local guide and Jewish community leader, “Encountering Argentina”.

Tuesday: Day 2:
“Whoever does not see God everywhere does not see God anywhere.” (Kotzker Rebbe)

• Buenos Aires,“Paris of the South”, Barrio by Barrio:
  • La Boca, the old port neighborhood where most immigrants arrived, known for its open arts fair, outdoor tango dancing, and iconic, colorful Caminito Street.
  • San Telmo, the best kept historical neighborhood and oldest district of Buenos Aires showcases Plaza Dorrego, the local antique market, and a cool bohemian vibe.
  • Microcentral, where history and politics live, with its famous Obelisco Monument, Avenida 9 de Julio, Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada (Government House), the Metropolitan Cathedral (with Shoah Memorial and San Martin Mausoleum), and Florida Street, a world-famous outdoor pedestrian shopping boulevard.
• Private tour of Museo Fortabat exploring Argentina through various artistic lenses.
• Dine on your own or with new friends at local restaurants (suggestions to be provided).

Wednesday. Day 3:
HaMakom: The Architecture of the Holy and the Divine as Sacred Space

• Exploring Jewish Buenos Aires:
  • Once District, the main Jewish neighborhood, concentrates several Jewish institutions in Buenos Aires, including the Hebraica JCC, numerous synagogues, Jewish theatres, schools and shops.
  • Paso Synagogue, one of the oldest in Argentina which even has its own Tango orchestra.
  • AMIA Community Center, the city’s hub of Jewish cultural life and the site of a devastating terror attack in 1994.
  • Former Israeli Embassy Memorial, the site of the 1992 bombing which is now a tranquil outdoor space for contemplation.
  • Marshall T. Meyer Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, the only Jewish center in Ibero-America dedicated to both academic and spiritual Jewish education, is named for Rabbi Meyer who uniquely blended Jewish spirituality with social activism and human rights, leaving an indelible imprint on Argentinian life within and beyond the Jewish community.
• Group Dinner and Tango!

Thursday, Day 4:
Emunah and Omanut / Belief and Art: The Nexus Between Faith, Creativity and Expression

• Guided tour of Teatro Colon. Considered one of the best opera houses in the world, it’s renowned for its acoustics and architecture.
• Guided tour of Templo Libertad. The first synagogue built in Buenos Aires and a National Historical Monument, it also houses the city’s Jewish Museum.
• Art and Identity: an afternoon in the studio of a local Jewish artist.
• Dinner and private concert.

Friday, Day 5:
Kehilla, Hevra, Mishpaha: The Building Blocks of Community for this World and the Next

• Private tour of Museo Evita: The life of Eva Perón through films, photographs & a collection of personal items.
• Walking tour of Recoleta, known as Buenos Aires’ most glamorous and cultured neighborhood with its elegant boutiques, excellent restaurants, the beautiful old Spanish style Church “Nuestra Señora del Pilar”, and its famous cemetery where Eva Perón is buried.
• Prepare for Shabbat.
• Kabbalat Shabbat at Comunidad Lamroth Hakol.
• Shabbat dinner with vegetarian and fish options.

Shabbat, Day 6:
Separation and Unification: Shabbat as the Sign of a World, and a Life, Redeemed

• Shabbat morning services at a local shul (optional).
• Shabbat lunch and conversation at the home of a local community leader.
• Free late afternoon.
• Havdalah reflection and ritual.
• Dine on your own or with new friends at local restaurants (suggestions to be provided).

Sunday, Day 7:
Taste and See How Good is the Source of Life (Psalm 34:8)
Spirituality and Mindfulness through Food, Wine and Nature

• Escape the city bustle to experience life on an estancia in Argentina. Visit with the owner of a polo horse ranch who will open his home to us and share another side to Argentine tradition along with sumptuous food and drink. A day of indulgence for body and soul.
• Dinner on your own or with friends (if you’re actually still hungry) after a glass of champagne together to toast our last night!

Monday, Day 8:
Return again, return again, return to the land of your soul. Return to who you are. Return to what you are. Return to where you are born and reborn again. (Neshama Carlebach)

• Check out of hotel.
• Concluding Session and Closing Lunch: The Journey Begins. (Program will finish at 2 p.m.)
• Airport departures.

Accommodations

7 nights at the Hilton Puerto Madero

Note: We will do our best to assist you with extensions both before and after the seminar.

Flight Arrangements

We will be pleased to assist you in any and all flight arrangements, including additional travel plans, through our partners at Gil Travel. Please contact Fred Bomze (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 215-568-6655 x 244) with your flight requests.

Need to Know

• Group rates are per person based on double occupancy 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, and the services of local guides, drivers, and the tour guide/educator are included.
• A non-refundable sum of $500 is required for registration. This sum will be put towards the overall cost of the seminar. If the seminar is cancelled, the registration fee will be refunded.
• Hotel Accommodations: The tour price includes hotel rooms with private bathrooms. Our standard is to provide the best available hotels while considering value.
• Meals are included as indicated in the itinerary. Please note that vegetarian and fish options will be provided throughout.
• The trip is conducted with a member of the Melton staff who remains with the group throughout the tour.
• Gratuities Included: All gratuities for restaurant staff are included.
• Baggage: The Travel Agent and/or Tour Operator, shall not be held responsible for any damage to or loss of luggage/personal items. All damage/loss must be reported at time of incident and documented in writing by local authorities for submission to the insurance company. With regard to airline baggage allowance, different carriers have different regulations for business and coach, please check with your individual carrier with regard to permitted number of pieces, weights and dimensions. The tour operator is not responsible for fees levied by any air carrier for the transport of personal belongings of any kind.

Not Included

• Flights and personal insurance are not included.
• Transfers from / to the airport.
• Personal Expenses, including meals not mentioned above or drinks during meals, unless specified above, or room service.
• Travel and health Insurance.

Additional Information

• Airline Security Measures: In the U.S., you must provide identification in the form of a passport at the time of airport check-in for travel to international destinations. Your passport 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 is 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 the many religious, state and local holidays observed in the destinations being visited.
• Photography During Seminars: We will occasionally use photographs taken by fellow guests or your trip director for promotional purposes. If you prefer that your photo not be used in any marketing activities, please notify us at the start of your seminar.

We strongly recommend that comprehensive health coverage and trip cancellation insurance be purchased.

Gil Travel recommends RoamRight Travel Insurance. Consider travel protection for:

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

For more information on the available plans or to enroll, visit RoamRight Travel Insurance or contact RoamRight at 1-866-891-6614 and reference Gil Travel.

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.