Overview
Jewish heritage walking tours, upon request by Gigi Scheper. Since 1982, the year that the Synagogue celebrated their 250th anniversary, Gigi began helping out by giving tours. In 1997, she started working for Curacao’s only tour operator offering a Jewish Heritage Tour to the Holland America’s cruise ships. She said the experience gave her an enhanced appreciation for her Jewish background and the religion in general. Gigi was actually born in Amsterdam. Her father worked for the Royal Dutch Shell Company and was stationed in Holland for training at the time of her birth. The family returned to Curacao from Holland when she was 8 1/2 years old. On her tour you will be visiting the Jewish Historical Cultural Museum, which is adjacent to the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue. Gigi will tell you interesting facts about the artefacts on display. The tour will also take you to the Beth Haim Cemetery. Consecrated in 1659, it is the oldest Caucasian cemetery on the island and in the Western Hemisphere, the site is also a Curacao National Monument. Gigi will explain all about the symbols on the tombs. Another stop on the tour is a visit to the plantation house “Rooi Catootje”. It dates to about 1820 and was originally known as “Rust en Vrede,” which translates as “Rest and Peace.” The house has been the property of the Maduro family since 1853, when S.E.L. Maduro brought it as a gift to his wife Rebecca Curiel from her parent’s estate. The house has now been preserved as a museum. The tour takes about 3 hours and costs $55 per person.