This tour takes you to where the ancestors of most American Jews lived for seven centuries. Here, Ashkenazi Judaism flowered and Yiddish flourished in a world that perished a half-century ago in a convulsion of torment and horror so unspeakable it could only be described as a Holocaust.
We'll take you to ancient synagogues and Jewish museums. You'll admire hamlets and castles that seem plucked from fairy tales. You'll marvel at the grandeur of great cities. You'll meet Europe's Jews, young and old, members of thriving reborn communities. You'll visit places called Auschwitz - Majadanek - Theresienstadt. Visits for which none of the books you've read, nor movies you've survived, nor museums where you cried, could adequately prepare you.
It's a journey you will never forget - and to lead you through the chapters of our history, is our celebrated Tour Manager/Guest Scholar - Jacob Shoshan - arguably, the only person qualified to bring you through this life-changing experience - to discover - to learn - to remember - and to never forget!
HIGHLIGHTS:
· 22 Meals including Buffet Breakfast daily, 4 lunches & 5 dinners including Shabbat & Farewell Dinners · Gratuities to local guides & drivers · Led by a Celebrated Tour Manager-Guest Lecturer · Briefings on Lithuanian, Polish, & Czech Jewry · Visit Auschwitz - Majdanek - Terezin · Walking tour of Old Prague · Theater Performance
ITINERARY - 16 Days / 14 Nights
WEDNESDAY DAY 1- EN ROUTE Late afternoon flight from the U.S. to Lithuania.
THURSDAY - DAY 2-VILNA
Morning arrival in Vilna. Meet your Tour Manager and transfer to your hotel. This afternoon's orientation tour includes Vilna's heart, the magnificent Medininkai Gate, Gediminas Square and Gediminas Castle Tower. Early evening briefing on your special program, followed by Welcome Dinner. D
FRIDAY DAY 3- VILNA
This morning's tour includes the Jewish Quarter with its synagogue and Jewish Museum. In the afternoon, drive to Ponary Forest where Vilna's Jews were massacred, then visit Traikai, home to Karaite Jews. Return to Vilna in time for Shabbat Dinner. BD
SATURDAY- DAY 4- VILNA
Leisure day. Continue your exploration of Jewish Vilna by foot with your tour manager. B
SUNDAY, DAY 5- VILNA
Visit Kovno, with its Holocaust Memorial and 9th Fort Martyrs' Museum, once fortress of the Czars. See the former ghetto and synagogue, the Slobodka Yeshiva and the former Japanese Consulate, where the benevolent Chiune Sugihara granted visas to thousands of Jews who journeyed to Shanghai, and survived the Holocaust. After lunch, return to Vilna. BL
MONDAY - DAY 6 - VILNA - WARSAW
Morning flight to Warsaw, Poland's capital. En route to your hotel, drive along the Royal Route; see Chopin Memorial, the President's Mansion, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and more. Stroll through Old Town, lovingly restored. B
TUESDAY - DAY 7- WARSAW
Today's touring includes the Warsaw Ghetto, with its Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Mila 18 and Umschlagplatz Memorials. Visit the Jewish Historical Institute and the centuries-old cemetery and the Yiddish Theatre. B
WEDNESDAY DAY 8 - WARSAW – LUBLIN
Drive through the Polish countryside to the ancient city of Lublin. On the outskirts of the city, visit Majdanek, the horrific Nazi death camp. After lunch, drive along Lubartovska Street to Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin and the ancient cemetery, whose graves date back from the 1300s. Overnight in Lublin. BL
THURSDAY DAY 9- LUBLIN – KRAKOW
Drive south to Krakow, once Poland's Royal capital. A beautiful city whose fairy-tale castle and centuries-old university are spread out like a living museum around the vast and colorful Market Square. Tour Kazimierz, once the thriving Jewish Quarter with its Museum of Jewish History, housed in the Alte Shul, Poland's oldest remaining synagogue from the 14th century, recently restored, and the ancient Remu Synagogue where Jews still worship today, and the nearby cemetery. Then, see Oskar Schindler's former factory, Plazow Concentration Camp and the former ghetto. Evening at leisure.B
FRIDAY, DAY 10 - KRAKOW
Early morning drive to Oswiecim, site of the vast Auschwitz and Birkenau camps; the retreating Germans blew up the Birkenau gas chambers as the Red Army approached, but the notorious platform, barracks, debris….and memories remain. Tonight, Shabbat Dinner together. BD
SATURDAY - DAY 11 KRAKOW
Today's walking tour includes a visit to Wawel Castle. Stroll the Old Town with its Renaissance-style Cloth Hall; its arcades lead to numerous shops, boutiques and lively restaurants. B
SUNDAY - DAY 12 KRAKOW-TREBIC – PRAGUE
Continue westward into the Czech Republic, stopping in the historic town of Trebic, declared a conservation area in 1990. See the Jewish Quarter, an exceptional testimony to the cultural traditions related to the Jewish diaspora in central Europe, and St.Procopius Basilica with its castle and gardens, built as part of the Benedictine Monastery in the 13th century. Lunch, then continue to Prague, the beautiful and medieval Czech capital.BL
MONDAY- DAY 13 - PRAGUE
Visit the four synagogues of the Jewish Museum, once Prague's ghetto, including the medieval Altneushul, Europe's oldest synagogue and the ancient cemetery, crammed with over 12,000 graves. This afternoon, walk past Franz Kaftka's House, as well as Rabbi Loew's Statue. and visit the Old Town Hall with its towers, turrets and astronomical clock. Tonight, a Cultural Performance. B
TUESDAY - DAY 14- PRAGUE
Full day excursion to Theresienstadt, the "model ghetto" to which elite Jews were deported. Visit the small fortress, museum and the Jewish cemetery with its impressive Menorah Sculpture surrounded by symbolic, nameless graves. After lunch, return to Prague. BL
WEDNESDAY - DAY 15- PRAGUE
Visit Castle Hill and the Strahov Monastery and the Loretto Treasury. On to St. Vitus Cathedral; stroll Golden Lane. Afternoon at leisure for some last minute shopping. Tonight's Farewell Dinner caps an extraordinary visit. BD
THURSDAY - DAY 16 - EN ROUTE
Transfer to the airport for your flight back to the U.S OR TO THE TRAIN STATION FOR YOUR EXTENSION TO BERLIN. B
This is a sample itinerary- distribution of sites & leisure time is subject to change. Meal Conditions: Buffet Breakfast, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
2011 dates:
Jun 15, Jun 30, Jul 13, Jul 28
rates to be advised
PRICES PER PERSON, LAND ONLY (Tour price includes local flight between Vilna and Warsaw)
INCLUDED: Local flight between Vilna and Warsaw. Gratuities to local guides and drivers, airport and hotel porters. Gratuities for included meals. Wine with welcome, farewell and Shabbat dinners.
NOT INCLUDED: Trans Talantic Air fares, U.S and local taxes, gratuities to hotel housekeeping staff.
