This July, our LJY-Netzer members in school years 11 and 12 went on their summer tour, Kayitz Sepharad.

This nine-day journey took the group across the south of Spain – Granada, Cordoba, Seville and Cadiz – to learn about the history, heritage and culture of Sephardic Jews.

Kicking off in sunny Granada, our Kayitz Sepharad group headed straight to Torremolinos beach for a swim and a picnic on their first day. After meeting their Spanish tour guide, Alex, they went on a walking tour around the city of Granada and went out for a lovely tapas dinner.

The second day of the trip included a visit to the iconic Alhambra palace where the group learned all about its history and Islamic architectural style. After the Alhambra, Kayitz went to the Sacromonte Caves Museum where they went inside preserved caves that showed them all about the lives and traditions of the gitano (Romani) community in Andalusia.

The group’s stint in Granada ended with a trip to the Science Park Museum, featuring a turtle pool, a planetarium and over 20,000 square metres of gardens!

Kayitz continued their Andalusian journey and drove up to Cordoba. They got to know the city on a walking tour, had a picnic and a lovely swim in the swimming pool of their hotel. In the evening, in true LJY fashion, they befriended two Spanish guitarists busking and spent the night dancing and singing along with them in a plaza.

On the group’s second day in Cordoba they visited the Mezquita, a UNESCO world heritage site that is a church within a mosque within a church! Much like the Alhambra, this building and its architecture taught the group about the multiple histories of Andalusia, in particular the different communities that inhabited (and continue to inhabit) the region.

After this the group visited Casa de Sefarad, the Jewish museum of Cordoba, where they learned about the Spanish Inquisition and the role of music in the journey of Jews from Spain to Istanbul. Kayitz continued learning about the Jewish history of Cordoba as they ended the day with a visit to Cordoba synagogue.

back at their hotel the group had a session discussing Jewish life in Spain and multiculturalism with Jacob, the Kayitz educator. After a day full of learning the group relaxed and had a swim in the pool before tapas in the food market!

Kayitz hopped back on the coach for another drive down to Seville, just in time for Shabbat. The group arrived and had a picnic in the Plaza de España, followed by an educational session based around LJY’s theme of the year ‘Tradition and Renewal’, in which they looked at the origins and traditions of Liberal Judaism.

After a quick dip in the pool they got ready for Shabbat and had a lovely Kabbalat Shabbat service ran by the leaders, followed by Friday night dinner all together in the hostel. Kayitz departed from Seville the next day for a day trip to nearby Cadiz, where they swam on the beach, visited markets and a Roman amphitheatre. After a jam-packed day Kayitz headed back to Seville and got some rest before they went to Isla Mágica theme park and had lots of fun going on all the rides. Their time in Seville ended with looking at some more architecture and history: the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, the Seville Cathedral and the Jewish quarter Barrio Santa Cruz. Back at the hotel the group reflected on the lives of Jews living in mediaeval Spain and what life was like after the Inquisition for those who stayed. They also looked at the stories of those who fled Spain and the different paths of migration that were taken. After an amazing nine days, the group finally flew back to London!

We want to say a huge thank you to the incredible Kayitz team: leaders Lily, Tali and Ruben; the amazing educator Jacob and last (but not least) the Spanish tour guide Alex. Their hard work and dedication made the trip so special and memorable for everyone!