The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will lead a mission to the Jewish community of Argentina in the fall. Beginning in Buenos Aires on Thursday, Oct. 15, the mission will include visits with Jewish community leaders and opportunities to see Federation’s Campaign dollars at work on the ground. The group will experience some of the services provided to the community by UJFT overseas partners: Jewish Agency for Israel (JFAI), American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and ORT.
But as with all Federation missions… it’s not going to be “just business!” The group will visit a variety of cultural and historic centers as it learns the unique history of Argentina, as well as of the Argentinian Jewish community. They’ll learn about the Jewish community’s relationship with various governments and with the world-famous Argentine Gauchos. Participants will stroll along the avenues and plazas of the country’s capitol, visiting history and art museums, and maybe even take a Tango lesson or two. But in the end, it will be the time spent with members of the Jewish community that sets this trip apart from any ordinary vacation or sight-seeing tour.
The mission will learn about the tragedies and triumphs this community has experienced during the past 20 years from community leaders at Club Hebraica; visit the JDC-run Baby Help Program, which provides special assistance to babies and mothers living below the poverty line; and enjoy a guided tour of the Jewish Museum at Libertad Synagogue. They’ll share a Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat dinner with members of the community at the Grand Synagogue of Buenos Aires. Visits are planned to the AMIA building (site of the 1994 terrorist bombings); JAFI-founded BAMA education center; and the country’s largest Jewish school, run by ORT. It promises to be an intense and exciting few days.
The mission will close with a short flight to the magnificent Iguazu Falls, which divide Argentina from its neighbor Brazil. On return from the Falls, the group will come together for a farewell dinner, as the mission draws to an end.
The mission is priced at $3780 per person. This price does NOT include airfare from the U.S. to Argentina. Participants are required to make their own air travel arrangements. The mission price does include all land transportation (including the short flight to and from Iguazu), guides, all hotel accommodations, most meals and admissions. Extensions are available at additional fees.
Because it is a Federation-sponsored mission, participants will also be asked for a gift to next year’s Annual Campaign.
by Amy Zelenka
UJFT Missions Director