ABOUT THE TRIP
The result of years of research and fresh investigation, At The Borders of Memory has been conceived as an immersive route at the intersection of history and memory across one millennium
of Jewish presence in this corner of the Mediterranean.
A heritage route unlike any other in Spain today, on this 6 night, 7 day journey guests will be delighted by expert led tours, panels & presentations of original investigative materials & exclusive events.
From countryside to city, food to festivity, exile to belonging, the project celebrates the rich Sephardic legacy of Catalonia’s medieval empire while re-examining the relationship to its 20th Century Ashkenazi past and
addressing the future of Jewish cultural life in contemporary Spain.
The week is anchored in Casa Adret, a 12th century building in the heart of Barcelona’s
medieval Jewish Quarter and hub of music, memory & exchange.
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TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
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Expert led tour of Barcelona's medieval Jewish Quarter
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Presentation of Barcelona's 14th century Illuminated Haggadot by expert medievalist
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Private tour & meeting with the Director of The Jewish History Museum of Girona
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Visit to Besalú's medieval mikveh, among the only preserved in Spain
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Presentation of Persecuted & Saved, historian Josep Calvet's breakthrough work re-tracing in situ the story of Central European Jews who crossed the Pyrenees during World War II
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Private tour with Manu Valentín, expert on 20th Century Jewish Barcelona and author of Voices Fallen from Heaven
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Recite Kaddish with members of the Jewish community at Barcelona's Holocaust Memorial
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Intimate Shabbat dinner in Casa Adret hosted by Toldot, a project bridging Sephardic & Ashkenazi culinary traditions, followed by concert of traditional Sephardic music
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Expert led tour highlighting the masterpieces of Modernist architect Antoni Gaudí
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Final evening concert at Barcelona's Palau de la Música
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4 & 5 Star Luxury Accommodation, Fine Dining & Transportation
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Most meals & all gratuities included
« The beauty of this route is its multi-disciplinary celebration across the richness of Jewish heritage - its songs, laments & memory »
— Jonathan Lerner
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TRAVEL WITH TAILORED TOURS
Expert Guides
Authors, historians, cultural experts, museum directors, musicians & chefs join us throughout the week
Insider Access
Guests are granted privileged access to houses, concerts & dinners otherwise closed to the public in addition to private tours, visits & panels
Intimate Touring
Limited to 25 guests to ensure thoughtful, engaging experiences
ITINERARY
Welcome to Spain
- Day 1 -
Meet at Casa Adret for Welcome Reception led by:
Jonathan Lerner, Director of At the borders of memory &
Founder of Tailored Tours Barcelona
Victor Sorensson, President of Mozaika
Manu Valentín, Author of Voices Fallen from Heaven
Fine Mediterranean dining following reception in
Barcelona’s medieval Gothic Quarter
The Golden Age of Sepharad
Join an expert for a fascinating walk through 10th-14th century streets in what was once Catalonia’s most important medieval Jewish community.
Following lunch we will meet at Casa Adret for a presentation of the Illuminated Haggadot of 14th century Catalonia, its impressive thematic variety
a testament to the great legacy of Catalan Jewry.
Sunset drink with 360 degree view of Barcelona.
- Day 2 -
Girona & Besalú
– The Soul of Catalan Jewry –
- Day 3 -
Following breakfast we visit medieval Girona, the cradle of Kabbalah in Spain and home to some of the most relevant Jewish sites in Catalonia. We meet with Assumpció Hosta, Director of the Jewish Museum of Girona, to gain insight into how the city deals with its Jewish legacy 500 years after expulsion. An expert led tour hints at the prestige & piety of Girona’s medieval community.
Lunch in nearby Besalú, once a thriving medieval center of trade whose imposing 11th century Romanesque bridge still straddles the Fluvià river. We will visit the exceptionally preserved mikveh, one of the only remaining in Spain.
In the afternoon we depart for Sort, a small village in the Pyrenees, to sleep at the same family-run hotel that housed Jewish exiles, and enjoy a traditional Catalan dinner.
Persecuted & Saved
– A Harrowing Saga –
- Day 4 -
We will be joined by Josep Calvet, historian & author of the breakthrough 2014 work entitled Persecuted & Saved. In his highly original research Mr Calvet recounts the epic tale of the thousands of Central European Jews who clandestinely trekked over the Pyrenees and into Spain on the eve of World War II.
Departing from Sort we reach Alós d’Isil by 4x4 vehicle, stopping to contemplate magnificent mountain landscapes and sites of poignant historical memory.
Following lunch we visit El Camí de la Llibertat [Freedom’s Path] a prison-turned-museum where intercepted refugees were arrested. A moving homage and the only preserved memorial space in Spain related to this historical episode.
We return to Barcelona for a free evening.
Jewish Life in
20th Century Barcelona
- Day 5 -
In the morning we are joined by Manu Valentín, historian & author of the recently published Voces Caídas del Cielo [Fallen Voices from Heaven], a brand new corpus of research documenting the short lived community of Central European Jewish exiles who settled in Barcelona in the mid 1930s. Based on interviews of refugees and their descendants, Mr Valentín rescues the memory of the protagonists and elevates their personal experiences to the degree of historical events.
His work deftly encourages debate on issues rarely addressed in Spain's history, such as the covert persecution of Jews and the undoubtedly timely topic of antisemitism in Western Europe today.
Guests are invited to Casa Adret for an intimate Shabbat dinner hosted by Toldot. The dinner will be followed by a concert of traditional Sephardic music performed by
Ofer Ronen in the patio.
In the morning we visit Fossar de la Pedrera, the city's only public Holocaust memorial, to recite Kaddish alongside members of the Barcelona Jewish community.
Following lunch we explore the genius of Antoni Gaudí on an expert led tour across the city's magnificent collection of Modernist houses. With 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites to his name in Barcelona alone, Gaudí’s avant-garde style epitomize all that modern Barcelona connotes.
Evening concert at El Palau de la Música, The Catalan Palace of Music, Lluís Domènec’s 1907 Modernist masterpiece and UNESCO Site.
Music & Architecture
Barcelona's Modernist Gems
- Day 6 -
Breakfast & Farewells
- Day 7 -
Guests join on the rooftop for breakfast & farewells.
EXPERTS
Jonathan Lerner
Director, At the borders of memory
Founder, Tailored Tours Barcelona
In 2016 Jonathan Lerner founded Tailored Tours Barcelona, a creative travel studio specialized in curating unique cultural & gastronomic experiences across Europe. His projects reside at the intersection of the arts and storytelling, having consulted for and hosted foundations, lifestyle brands & media companies across Spain, Italy, France & Belgium.
Victor Sorenssen
President, Mozaika
Director, AEPJ
Former Director of the Jewish Community of Barcelona and founding member of Mozaika, a trailblazing Jewish cultural platform based in Barcelona. With a background in Political Science and Hebrew Philology, Victor is current Director of AEPJ, The European Association for the Promotion & Development of Jewish Heritage and Culture in Europe.
Manu Valentin
Historian & Author
Director of Communication, AEPJ
Author of several books, most recently Voces Caídas del Cielo: Historia del Exilio Judío en Barcelona, de 1881 a 1954 (Comanegra, 2019) [Fallen Voices from Heaven: The Story of Jewish Exile in Barcelona from 1881 to 1954], Manu has dedicated much of his research to the study of Jewish exile towards the Spanish state in the 20th century. He is currently a member of Mozaika.
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PARTNERS
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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
THE TRIP
KEY DATES
INCLUSIONS
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Itinerary: 7 days, 6 nights
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Activity Level: Easy
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Cost: From $5,499 per person
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Deposit: $500 per person
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Full Payment Due: Date TBD
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Arrival Date: Date TBD
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Departure Date: Date TBD
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4 & 5 Star Luxury Accommodations in Barcelona
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Family-run Rural Lodging in Sort
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Local ground transportation
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All tours, concerts & museum entrances
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All Breakfasts
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4 dinners, 4 lunches
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Gratuities to hotel staff & drivers
"Jonathan's tour of Barcelona's Jewish Quarter was fascinating."
Richard Eilers, Travel Writer at The Guardian
"Humble, thoughtful & extremely knowledgeable about the culture, architecture and food scene.
The tour was exceptionally orchestrated,
down to every detail."
Nadia Gavrinko
"An exceptional cultural, intellectual &
social experience."
Matt Montekio
At the borders of memory
1,000 Years of Jewish Cultural Heritage in Catalunya
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RESERVE
Reserve your place with a $500 deposit per person. For queries, press & reservations contact
The Fine Print: Tour price of $5,499 is based on double room occupancy. The price for single room occupancy is $5,899. There are a limited number of single occupancy rooms available for this trip. Tour price includes the deposit. Local transportation in Spain does not include personally booked travel between airports, hotels, or other payments not arranged by Tailored Tours Barcelona. Travel insurance and other personal expenses are not included in the price of this trip. We reserve the right to change the itinerary in case of unforeseeable circumstances. Final payment is due by March 1, 2020.
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