IN SEARCH OF THE CRYPTO-JEWS OF PORTUGAL
May 30 to June 6, 2024
May 30 to June 6, 2024, luxury all kosher river cruise along Portugal’s famous UNESCO Douro River Valley. “New Itinerary for 2024” in search of the Crypto-Jews of Portugal.
All Kosher Luxury Cruise Along the Douro River
“New Itinerary for 2024”: Porto, Belmonte, Trancoso, Regua, Pocinho, Castelo Rodrigo, Barca d'Alva, Pinhão, Vila Real
All-Kosher + All-Inclusive: Entire Ship Kosher
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 plus so much more!
Featuring
Onboard Historian: Dr. Henry M. Abramson - Dean, Touro College
Culinary Experiences with Naomi Nachman
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!
SCHEDULE
Our all-inclusive river cruise vacation includes daily tours at each of our ports of call.
Cruise Tour
- Day 1: (Th): Porto – Welcome Aboard – Bem-vindo!
- Day 2: (Fr): Castelo Rodrigo, Pinhão
- Day 3: (Shabbat): Shabbat in Pinhão
- Day 4: (Su): Belmonte
- Day 5: (Mo): Trancoso
- Day 6: (Tu): Mateus, Vila Real
- Day 7: (We): Porto
- Day 8: (Th): Porto – Disembark
Your Ship – THE DOURO SERENITY
Kosher River Cruises is pleased to offer another spectacular luxury river expedition on Portugal’s most spectacular waterway operated on the brand new, state of the art vessel, the magnificent five-star MS Douro Serenity. This world class vessel is without doubt one of the most exceptional ships afloat on any European river.
If cruising is an art, then this ship has truly mastered it; constructed with the very latest technology and a strong environmental ethic in mind, yet simultaneously retaining a classic, refined elegance reminiscent of cruising from a bygone era, this five-star, fully-air-conditioned river cruiser has been purpose built to fit the unique size limitations of the Douro’s five locks and features all the facilities you would expect in a top-class hotel and more so your cruise will be as relaxing as possible and your stay on board will be a uniquely memorable one.
Accommodating just 126 guests in the most exquisite of surroundings, the ship’s spectacular design and high specification ensures this vessel feels exceptionally light and airy. The generous ratio of 2:1 guests per crew member ensures a first-class personal service plus the friendly ‘small ship’ feel so beloved of Kosher River Cruise aficionados, enables the ever-attentive crew to revel in taking care of all those little things – leaving you to simply sit back, relax and enjoy every minute of your sensational river cruise experience.