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Explore Jewish History in Santa Fe – 6 day Experience

From $3,990

OVERVIEW

In collaboration with Jewish Heritage Travel we are excited to offer this tour of New Mexico.

Discover the fascinating Jewish history of Santa Fe, from the early Spanish conversos to the 1846 arrival of Solomon Jacob Spiegelberg to today’s vibrant and varied expression of Jewish life. Spend time at the renowned pilgrimage site of El Santuario de Chimayo and take a walking tour of Taos Pueblo with a tribal member. Have lunch at Acoma Pueblo, which once had a non-Indian Tribal Governor, Jewish merchant, Solomon Bibo. On this journey, Jewish Heritage Scholar Dr. Ron Hart, Executive Director of the Institute for Tolerance Studies in Santa Fe, will share two fascinating lectures: “The Inquisition and Conversos” and “Santa Fe’s Historical Jewish Population.”

During this rich tapestry of an experience in the iconic American Southwest, you are immersed in the elegance of La Fonda, the only hotel on the Plaza, in the heart of Santa Fe.

Departures

June 12 – 17, 2025

Duration

6 days

Highlights

Santa Fe Plaza; Los Alamos historic district; Jewish History; Petroglyph National Monument; Opera House

Notes

Activity Level

Moderate

Tailor Made

Check out our Mexico Experience

Itinerary

Program Cost: $3,990* includes:

5 nights’ accommodations at a deluxe hotel

Full breakfast daily; two lunches; three dinners

All group transportation via deluxe air-conditioned coach

All lectures, guided tours, and museum and site entrance fees

 

*Per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $1,495. Fees not included: gratuities: $145.

Travel note: Plan to arrive in Santa Fe on Thursday, June 12, and depart from Santa Fe on Tuesday, June 17.

 

Each of our scholars are outstanding experts in their fields and play an active role in helping us design our journeys as well as accompanying us as we travel.

Dr. Ron Hart, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist with postdoctoral work in Jewish Studies and a career as a research director in South America, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Institute for Tolerance Studies in Santa Fe. Former President of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, Dr. Hart is author of many award-winning books, including Crypto-Jews: The Long Journey (2020) and Fractured Faiths: Spanish Judaism, the Inquisition and New World Identities. He has received awards from the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Fulbright among others.

Tamara Chavez has been guiding specialized tours in the four corner states, including New Mexico, since 2000 and Jewish group tours since 2016. She has served as a volunteer for the National Park Service at Chaco Canyon and at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center as a museum docent. As a tour guide, Tamara loves to showcase authentic local history, cuisine, scenic beauty, art, and culture.

Miriam Levinson’s passion for travel and history was inspired by listening to her father talk about those subjects from her earliest recollections. Since her teens, Miriam has traveled extensively, focusing on Jewish history and culture of different countries. Miriam has presented on Latin American Jewish migration to numerous audiences and organizations throughout the United States. For the past eighteen years, Miriam has designed, organized, and led hundreds of trips to her native land, Cuba. Her knowledge and understanding of Jewish Latin America and, primarily, Cuba add a truly distinctive dimension to her portrayal of these communities. Levinson’s unique personal knowledge and experiences of life in Cuba bring a new perspective. She is presently writing a book on her recollections of life in Cuba.

Day 1, Thursday June 12 - Santa Fe
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Arrive in New Mexico and make your way to Santa Fe.

Our program begins with a meet and greet in the late afternoon and dinner at the hotel, followed by an informative lecture by Dr. Ron Hart titled “Inquisition and Conversos.”

Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Dinner

Day 2, Friday June 13 - Santa Fe, Chimayo and Taos
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After breakfast at our hotel, we make our way to the charming Spanish village of Chimayo, home to weavers and carvers since the 1600s. We will visit El Santuario de Chimayo, an important Catholic pilgrimage site famous for its healing soil.

We then take a spectacularly scenic drive to Taos for lunch on your own at an authentic Mexican grill. Taos, established around 1615, is now a famed arts destination.
Accompanied by a tribal member, we will take an afternoon walking tour of the ancient Taos Pueblo, the first living UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of multi-storied residential complexes of reddish-brown adobe, built between 1000 and 1450.

Our journey continues with a crossing of the breathtaking Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, a noted destination for views and photos. A few miles from the Gorge, we will take a tour of Earthship Biotecture, a unique style of autonomously self-sufficient housing set on a mesa.

Our day concludes with a Shabbat dinner, if possible at the Santa Fe Jewish Center, with the opportunity to meet local Jewish residents.

Accommodations: La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast and dinner

Day 3, Saturday June 14 - Jewish History
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We’ll take breakfast at our hotel, then stroll through the Santa Fe Plaza and nearby hidden plazuelas during a walking tour filled with Jewish history. As we will discover, many of the stores here were once Jewish-owned. Nearby Staab Street is named for an early Jewish pioneer as is Polaco Street, for Polish-born Joseph Hersch (“El Polaco”), who came to Santa Fe in 1846 and was eventually considered the wealthiest man in New Mexico.

This afternoon, you are free to explore on your own. With guidance from the tour director, you might choose to visit one of the five museums located right on the Plaza or spend time exploring the nooks and crannies of this unique city and its art galleries, shops and boutiques, and Native American vendors. Dinner on your own, with numerous superb culinary options to choose from.

Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4, Sunday June 15 - Albuquerque & Acoma
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After breakfast at our hotel, we visit Petroglyph National Monument west of Albuquerque, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks 400 to 700 years ago. Home to an estimated 24,000 petroglyph images, the monument evokes a sacred history of culture and belief by Native Americans and later Spanish settlers

We then drive one hour through expansive southwest geography to Acoma Pueblo, where a welcome lunch is included upon our arrival, followed by a mesa-top tour led by a tribal member. Pueblo is the Spanish word for “village” or “small town” and
“the People.” Located atop a mesa, Acoma is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States and Acoma Pueblo is the only pueblo to ever have had a non-Indian Tribal Governor, Jewish merchant, Solomon Bibo.

On our way back to Santa Fe, we travel parts of Historic 66. After dinner on your own, we have the pleasure of an evening lecture by Dr. Hart on “Santa Fe’s Historical Jewish Population.”

Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5, Monday June 16 - Los Alamos
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We’ll take breakfast at our hotel, then be treated to a backstage tour of the famous Santa Fe Opera, renowned worldwide for its contribution to the living art form of opera.

We then travel to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for lunch on your own at Otowi Cafeteria, the only LANL building accessible to the public, where we dine among some of the smartest scientists in the country. We will tour the site with a guest guide and local historian and learn about the many Jewish scientists who have worked at Los Alamos National Laboratories, as well as visit the History Museum and Fuller Lodge, the first laboratory headquarters.

We round out our final day with a shared meal in Santa Fe.

Accommodations La Fonda on the Plaza
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 6, Tuesday June 17 - Depart
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After breakfast and check out from the hotel, this morning concludes our shared trip.
Meals: Breakfast

Program Terms
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Payment Reserve your space with a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 per person. Final balance is due 120 days prior to departure.

Membership Participation on these tours is a benefit for active members of JHT museum partners. During the registration process, you will be asked about your membership status with your affiliated museum. If you are not a current member, you will have a chance to activate your membership.

Participation Tour sizes are limited to 28 participants unless otherwise noted. Trips entail considerable walking including over uneven terrain. Participants need to be in good health, be able to keep up with the group, be able to experience group and cultural differences with grace. Please let us know if you have any physical conditions that may require special attention while on tour.

Cancellations All cancellations must be received by Gil Travel in writing. Cancellations received 120 days or more prior to departure: full refund less nonrefundable deposits, per person; 119–90 days prior to departure: 50% refund per person after nonrefundable deposits. 89–0 days before departure: no refund.

Trip Cancellation Insurance Gil Travel Travel strongly urges all participants to purchase travel insurance for coverage of losses necessitated by having to cancel due to illness or accident. For your convenience, we are providing a link to RoamRight, which many past participants have used. When purchasing insurance, please consider the plans carefully to familiarize yourself with what is covered. In this context, do take note that most insurance companies generally will waive exclusion for preexisting conditions only if your application is received by them within 14 days from the date of your program registration. If you have a preexisting medical condition and are interested in taking trip insurance, you should do so either with Roamright or through your own insurance agent within 14 days of registration.

Changes All rights are reserved by Gil Travel and Jewish Heritage Travel to make scholar substitutions and/or to modify the itinerary (including hotels) as needed. Every reasonable effort will be made to operate the program as planned; however, should unforeseen world events and conditions require the itinerary to be altered, Jewish Heritage Travel reserves the right to do so for the safety and best interest of the group. Any extra expenses incurred in this situation are the responsibility of the participant.

Disclaimer of Responsibility By registering for this program, participant specifically waives any and all claims of action against Gil Travel or the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs for damages, loss, injury, accident, or death incurred by any person in connection with this tour. Gil Travel, The Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs assume no responsibility or liability in connection with the service of any train, vessel, carriage, aircraft, or other conveyance that may be used wholly or in part in the performance of their duty to the passengers. Neither will Gil Travel, the Museum of Jewish Heritage or the Jewish Heritage Travel office or their staffs be responsible for any injury, death, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity through neglect or default of any company or person engaged in carrying out the purposes for which tickets, vouchers, or coupons are issued. No responsibility is accepted for losses or expenses due to sickness, viruses, weather, strikes, wars, and other causes. In the event it becomes necessary or advisable for any reason whatsoever to alter the itinerary or arrangements, including hotels or scholars, such alterations may be made without penalty. All rights reserved to require any participant to withdraw from the tour at his/her own expense when such an action is determined by the tour staff to be in the best interest of the participant’s health and safety and that of the group in general. Prices subject to change. Cost in effect at time of registration will be honored.

 

FAQ
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Are Kosher meals available?

While we do not offer Kosher food, we offer fish and/or vegetarian options at every meal included in the trip.

How many people will be on the trip?

On average about 24 people.

What is the age group?

55+

What is the makeup of the participants?

A good mix of singles and couples.

How fit do I need to be? How much walking is there?

You should be able to walk about two miles in a day, though not all at once. Please see the itinerary of the trip(s) you are interested in to get a sense of the schedule for each day. When there is free time, some choose to stay active, others to rest.

If you prefer more activity, many of the hotels we stay in have pools and fitness facilities, and some of our trips do offer the opportunity for more physical activity.

Are the trips accessible for people with canes, walkers, or wheelchairs?

People who use a cane to aid their walking have found our trips accessible. You still need to be able to walk about two miles in a day, though not all at once. Unfortunately, accessibility can be limited in the places we travel, making it too difficult for people in wheelchairs or walkers to participate in our trips.

Is the trip Shabbat Observant?

We normally have a Shabbat dinner together be it at a hotel or restaurant and sometimes at a synagogue.  We do not have programming on Saturday other than perhaps a meeting with the scholar. In some destinations we offer walking tours on Saturday. You can refer to the itinerary of your chosen trip for specifics.

When does the program actually begin?

The Itinerary and Program Details section of the trip you are interested in will indicate when to plan to arrive and depart, as well as when the program begins and ends. Every trip includes a welcome session to get oriented and meet each other, the guides, and scholars and a farewell event to celebrate, reflect, and say good-bye to our fellow travelers.

Are airport transfers included?

Airport transfers are not included. Taxis, and often other transportation options, are available from all airports.

Are meals included?

The Itinerary of the trip you are interested in will indicate which meals are included on each day. For meals on your own, suggestions are available from the concierge at the hotels we are staying in. We encourage you to explore the diversity of local and international cuisines in the places we visit.

Are the trips only for Jewish people?

While the majority of our travelers are Jewish, our trips are for anyone interested in exploring the Jewish heritage of the destinations we take you to.

I’d like to explore my genealogy at one of the places you are going to. Is that possible?

Our trips are not designed for genealogical research. If you want to undertake genealogical work, it is necessary to do this on your own and would be best to plan for an extra few days before or after one of our trips.

How much free time will I have?

Please see the itinerary of the trip(s) you are interested in for information on when free time is scheduled for exploring on your own, resting in your room, engaging in conversation with new friends, etc.

Is there Wi-Fi everywhere?

While WiFi is available in most of the world, there are regions or locations where it is not as accessible. Most of the hotels we stay at offer free WiFi.

Accommodation

*Star rating standards vary from country to country.

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