A group of faculty traveled to Spain and Morocco and toured Granada, Cordoba, Fez and Marrakech as part of the yearly Faculty Fellowship Trip. The Kutler Center sponsors this annual summer trip for school faculty and staff to travel to a culturally rich destination and explore different cultural landmarks and traditions.
The annual trips usually follow a specific cultural theme that is topical to the upcoming school year. This year, the theme was the historical relationship between Jewish heritage and Muslim heritage and how this coexistence was shown throughout Spain and Morocco even until the present day.
Trip coordinator and Interdisciplinary Studies Department Head Larry Klein said the trip allowed faculty to understand more about the interaction between Jewish and Muslim cultures.
“As the coordinator of this trip, I hoped that this journey was curated so that people understood the fullness of both Jewish heritage and Muslim heritage,” Klein said. “They could learn about the history, specifics behind them and learn how the interplay between the two heritages impacts our world today.”
Upper School Counselor and Dean Coordinator Camille da Santos said her favorite destination was the city of Fez because of its historical significance..
“Fez was the medieval capital of Morocco, so it has a ton of history,” da Santos said. “We were able to see and educate ourselves on Jewish history and Islamic history in the city.”
Upper School English teacher Jeremy Michaelson said he enjoyed touring the Sephardic Museum in the city of Granada
“It’s not a typical museum,” Michaelson said. “It’s actually the cramped first floor of an older couple’s house in a residential part of the city. They run the museum themselves as a way of keeping the history of Jews in Granada alive. Thousands of Jews lived in Granada before the Inquisition, but now there are fewer than 20.”
Michaelson said his experience made him eager to attend more Kutler Center summer trips.
“I really liked experiencing the culture, the history, the friendship, the food,” Michaelson said. “This won’t be my last Faculty Fellowship Trip.”
