DAY 1: Sunday, March 22, 2020: DEPARTURE

• We depart the United States on our overnight flight to Warsaw.

DAY 2: Monday, March 23, 2020: WELCOME TO POLAND!

• We arrive in Warsaw, where we are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• This afternoon, we check into our hotel and have time to refresh.
• Tonight, we meet with a representative of Beit Polska, at the forefront of the Progressive Jewish re-birth in Poland today.
• We enjoy dinner and hospitality together at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Warsaw

DAY 3: Tuesday, March 24, 2020: JEWISH WARSAW

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we enjoy a panoramic tour of the city, including Old Town Square and Lazienki Park.
• Next, we visit the Warsaw Zoo, where we see the zookeeper's house owned by Jan and Antonina Zabinski, whose bold actions to save Jews during the Holocaust were memorialized in the book and movie “The Zookeeper's Wife”.
• After time for lunch, our walking tour begins at the Nathan Rapoport's Monument to the Ghetto Heroes, just outside the POLIN museum. We walk to the Jewish Resistance Bunker at Mila 18 and the Stawski Street buildings (where the SS had their headquarters), continuing to the Umschlagplatz where thousands of Warsaw Jews were gathered for final transport to Treblinka.
• Along the way, we stop to admire the Warsaw home created by Israeli writer and artist, Etgar Keret, the skinniest house in the world, and see the place of the infamous and iconic Warsaw Ghetto Bridge.
• Next, visit the Nozyk Synagogue, the only surviving synagogue in Warsaw, founded in 1900.
• After time to refresh, this evening we enjoy a special Chopin concert (optional), followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Warsaw

DAY 4: Wednesday, March 25, 2020: TO KRAKOW

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We spend the morning at the astonishing, newly constructed POLIN Museum (The New Museum of the History of the Polish Jews) located on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The museum provides a unique learning environment with a wide range of media, documents and artifacts. We will see the amazing architecture of the ancient synagogue in the main hall and hear from their excellent docents. Not even a full day is enough at this incredible venue!
• This afternoon, we board the train from Warsaw to Krakow (our luggage is transferred by truck).
• Upon arrival, we begin a special Jewish heritage tour, and a special stop at the Under the Eagle pharmacy, the only gentile owned business allowed to operate within the Krakow ghetto and a crucial help during the war. Owner Tadeusz Pankiewicz was later named as righteous among the nations. We also visit the monument to the Krakow Ghetto.
• We continue to the Krakow Market Square with the Renaissance Cloth Hall.
• Dinner together at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Krakow

DAY 5: Thursday, March 26, 2020: THE HORRORS OF AUSCHWITZ

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we drive to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous Nazi concentration camp, where
over a million Jews and others perished in World War II. Here, we see the Museum and pay tribute to the victims.
• On our way back to Krakow, we take part in an engaging discussion and have a chance to reflect.
• Dinner on own.

Overnight in Krakow

DAY 6: Friday, March 27, 2020: THE LIFE OF KRAKOW

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Our tour includes the Old Jewish District known as Kazimierz, where we see the Old Synagogue (a massive fortress-like building erected in the 15th and 16th centuries), the “Temple” and the Remuh Synagogue.
• As the sun sets, we participate in Shabbat services, followed by Shabbat dinner together Jonathan Ornstein and members of the innovative and growing Krakow JCC.

Overnight in Krakow

DAY 7: Saturday, March 28, 2020: SHABBAT OF A LIFETIME

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We enjoy this morning at leisure or choose to attend Shabbat services (options will be provided).
• This afternoon, we enjoy a city tour, where we view Wawel Castle, St. Mary's Church and other ancient landmarks.

OR

• Optional: We travel outside the city center to explore the fun and fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Wieliczka Salt Mines, which are over 700 years old. It is one of the largest and oldest working salt mines in Europe and is on the UNESCO list of the 12 most priceless monuments in the world.
• Dinner on own.

Overnight in Krakow

DAY 8: Sunday, March 29, 2020: KRAKOW TO PRAGUE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we depart Krakow and travel to Prague.
• We stop in the small Czech town of Trebic, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to see the former Jewish quarter and the Synagogue.
• Box lunch on the bus.
• Upon our arrival in Prague, we check into our hotel and refresh before an evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Prague

DAY 9: Monday, March 30, 2020: TEREZIN

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we depart for Terezin, the “model” Nazi concentration camp, where we visit the fortress, Jewish cemetery, museum, the hidden synagogues and memorial monument.
• We return to Prague and meet with leaders at Bejt Simcha, Prague's Progressive Jewish community.
• Remainder of day at leisure and dinner on own in this magical city.
• Optional: Attend a classical music concert at one of Prague's majestic concert halls (details & cost TBD).

Overnight in Prague

DAY 10: Tuesday, March 31, 2020: JEWISH PRAGUE

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we begin a tour of Jewish interest sites, with a visit to the Old City of Josefov, Prague's Jewish town, with its Old Town Hall, the Alt-Neu Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, the Maisel Synagogue, the Jewish cemetery and the State Jewish Museum, and hear the interesting story of why the site of the former Jewish Ghetto of Prague was saved from destruction.
• After time for lunch on own, we enjoy a sightseeing tour through Prague in a restored vintage car.
• Free time for last minute shopping and exploration on own.
• This evening, we join together for a festive farewell dinner as we recount all we have learned and experienced together.

Overnight in Prague

DAY 11: Wednesday, April 1, 2020: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport for our flight back to the United States, landing later today.

OR
JOIN US ON AN EXCITING EXTENSION TO BUDAPEST

DAY 11: Wednesday, April 1, 2020: TO BUDAPEST

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport for our flight to Budapest. Situated on the opposite banks of the Danube River, the former cities of Buda and Pest are linked by a series of graceful bridges.
• Upon our arrival this afternoon, we see the Parliament, the largest parliamentary building
in the world situated at Pest's riverbank and the symbol of Hungary's independence. We also see the Royal Palace, the Castle Hill area and Fisherman's Bastion.
• We check into our hotel, then join together for dinner with spiritual leader Rabbi Ferenc Raj (pending confirmation), or a representative from Bet Orim, who will discuss the challenges of Jewish life in Budapest amidst the Nationalist resurgence in Hungary.

Overnight in Budapest

DAY 12: Thursday, April 2, 2020: JUDAISM IN BUDAPEST

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at the Raoul Wallenberg memorial statue and then visit the Dohany Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Europe.
• We continue to the Jewish cemetery and museum, the Holocaust memorial and the Shoes on the Danube River memorial. We also view the suitcase memorial; the Jewish community's answer to the new and controversial memorial installed by the Hungarian government many believe seeks to absolve the state from their involvement in WWII.
• Our last stop is a visit to the Israel Institute, a place helping connect the young Jewish people to their roots thru teaching of Israel (pending confirmation).
• We conclude our day with a two-hour cruise on the Danube River, including dinner on board.

Overnight in Budapest

DAY 13: Friday, April 3, 2020: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we transfer to the airport for our flights back to the United States, landing later today. L'hitraot!