All Kosher Luxury Cruise Along The Douro River
“New Itinerary for 2024”
ALL-INCLUSIVE: Delicious Glatt Kosher cuisine, on-board synagogue with daily minyanim, engaging lectures and on-board programming, entertainment, and local tours throughout your cruise exploring the area’s history and Jewish heritage
Featuring Guest:
Lecturer Dr. Henry M. Abramson
Dean, Touro College
Culinary Experiences with Naomi Nachman
Schedule
- Day 1 (Tu): Porto to Entre-oe-Rios
- Day 2 (We): Entre-oe-Rios to Pocinho
- Day 3 (Th): Belmonte, Trancoso, Barca d’Alva
- Day 4 (Fr): Castelo Rodrigo, Pinhão
- Day 5 (Sa): Shabbat Pinhão
- Day 6 (Su): Mateus Palace, Vila Real, Requa
- Day 7 (Mo): Porto
- Day 8 (Tu): Porto – Disembark
The Journey: The Douro is one of the major rivers flowing through the Iberian Peninsula. This sun-kissed waterway starts its journey in northern-central Spain before passing through mainland Portugal to its final outlet in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Porto.
Once a great, conquering seafaring nation, Portugal has a history and culture as proud and as intrepid as any in Europe. Large tracts of it remain unchanged even today, almost like a land out of time, where beautiful traditions survive the ravages of progress. From rolling vineyards to grand historic structures, magic waterscapes to endlessly engaging vistas, Portugal’s lazy charm tends to seep into your consciousness, slowly seducing you without you realizing it. However, by the time you’ve fully explored its wondrous valleys and friendly village communities, you’ll find yourself thoroughly and hopelessly in love with this land.
Jewish Portugal: At the height of Jewish culture in Portugal there were more than 150 Jewish communities throughout the nation. Every major town, village and port had a Judiaria (Jewish quarter) with its own institutions and places of worship. With the banning of Judaism in 1496 during the Inquisition, these communities ended, as Jews were forced to convert to Christianity or leave Portugal.
While it is true that some Jews converted to Catholicism, becoming New-Christians, and that many left the country, many others stayed and maintained their faith in secret. From those days, symbolic features and engravings can still be seen in the old Jewish quarters throughout this region. Many walls, gates, carvings, and religious sites may have vanished in the last five centuries, but in most cases, the memory of those once-thriving Judiarias is recalled in place names, historic markers and subtle signs such as Mezuzot door slots, inscriptions, and local tales of the Jewish presence.
Our cruise highlights the magical sights and sounds as we journey along the mighty Douro and learn of Jewish Portugal. Our expert guides will bring to life over a thousand years of the region’s Jewish history and heritage as well as the current historical and cultural wonders of these cities and regions. Exciting touring, educational itineraries, riverboat cruising, and delicious Glatt kosher cuisine will make this the vacation of a lifetime!
