DAY 1: Sunday, October 22, 2017: DEPARTURE

• We depart the United States on our overnight flight to Prague

DAY 2: Monday, October 23, 2017: WELCOME TO PRAGUE!

• We arrive in Prague, the Czech capital, also known as "the City of One Thousand Spires" with its Baroque churches, promenades, parks and ancient city walls. We are met by our local host and begin our tour.
• Stroll the Charles Bridge and see the nearby John Lennon Wall, as well as the famous Astronomical Clock.
• Time to check-in and refresh.
• We enjoy a welcome dinner together at a local vegetarian restaurant, joined by a representative from Prague's Bejt Simcha, for an introduction to the Prague community.

Overnight in Prague

DAY 3: Tuesday, October 24, 2017: TEREZIN

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Jewish interest sites, with a visit to the Old City to view the 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.
• We depart for Terezin, the former "model" Nazi concentration camp.
• We visit the Fortress, Jewish Cemetery Museum, the hidden synagogue, and the Memorial Monument.
• Return to Prague for free time in this magical city.
• Optional classical music concert at one of Prague's beautiful and ornate concert halls (TBD).

Overnight in Prague

DAY 4: Wednesday, October 25, 2017: EXPLORING BUDAPEST

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Today we'll visit the 1,000 year-old Royal Castle of Hradcany and St. Vitus Cathedral, the biggest and most important church in the Czech Republic.
• Transfer to the airport for our short flight to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Situated on the opposite banks of the Danube River, the former cities of Buda and Pest are linked by a series of graceful bridges.
• We transfer from the Budapest airport to check in to our hotel.
• This afternoon, we view the Parliament, the largest parliamentary building in the world situated at Pest's riverbank and the symbol of Hungary's independence.
• Continue past the Royal Palace to the Castle Hill area, and Fisherman's Bastion, for some of the most spectacular views in all of Hungary.
• We conclude our day with a one hour cruise on the Danube River, followed by a group dinner at a local kosher restaurant.

Overnight in Budapest

DAY 5: Thursday, October 26, 2017: JEWISH HISTORY IN BUDAPEST

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at the Raul Wallenberg Memorial Statue and then visit the Dohany Synagogue, the 2nd largest synagogue in Europe.
• We continue to the Jewish Cemetery and Museum, the Holocaust Memorial and the moving Shoes on the Danube Memorial.
• Enjoy a walk in the Jewish district of Budapest.
• This evening we'll hear from Rabbi Ferenc Raj of Beit Orim about the challenges of Jewish life in Budapest amidst the Nationalist resurgence today.

Overnight in Budapest

DAY 6: Friday, October 27, 2017: TRAVELING TO KRAKOW

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning we journey to Krakow, driving through the lovely hills and countryside of Slovakia, past the Tatras and into the Great Plains of Poland. During our drive, Manny Mandel will share stories of his pre-Holocaust youth in Hungary.
• Check into our hotel with time to refresh.
• This evening we enjoy Shabbat dinner together with the local Jewish Community at the Krakow JCC.

Overnight in Krakow

DAY 7: Saturday, October 28, 2017: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We have the option to attend Shabbat services this morning at the traditional Isaac Synagogue.
• We enjoy Shabbat home hospitality lunch this afternoon hosted by members of the local community. (Pending confirmation)
• Enjoy a walking city tour including Wawel Castle, St. Mary's Church, the Renaissance Cloth Hall and other notable landmarks.
• We delight in a free evening and have dinner on our own as Shabbat comes to a close.

Overnight in Krakow

DAY 8: Sunday, October 29, 2017: AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We travel to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous Nazi concentration camps where many Jews and others perished in WWII. We see the museum and pay tribute to the victims.
• We return to our hotel in Krakow with time to refresh.
• We participate in a processing session led by Rabbi Raskin.
• We enjoy dinner together later this evening at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Krakow

DAY 9: Monday, October 30, 2017: REACHING OUT IN KRAKOW

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we meet with Jonathan Ornstein, Executive Director of the Krakow JCC for first-hand insight into the struggles and successes of the growing Jewish community in Krakow.
• We volunteer through Forum For Dialogue Among Nations.
• We embark on a Jewish Heritage tour, including stops at the Old Jewish District, Kazimierez, where we see the Old Synagogue (a massive fortress-like building erected in the 15th and 16th Centuries), the Temple and the Remuh Synagogue. Time permitting, we may stop in briefly at the Pharmacy Under the Eagle, which was a key information source for the Jews of the Krakow Ghetto.
• We wander through Schindler's Factory outside Krakow.
• In the late afternoon, we board the train to Warsaw.
• Upon arrival, we check in to our hotel and enjoy a free evening and dinner on our own.

Overnight in Warsaw

DAY 10: Tuesday, October 31, 2017: DISCOVERING WARSAW

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we enjoy a sightseeing tour encompassing the Warsaw Ghetto, the Jewish Resistance Bunker at Mila 18, the Stawski Street buildings (where the SS had their headquarters), and the Gensa Cemetery (established in 1806, containing the graves of about 250,000 people and known as the largest cemetery in Poland). We stop at the Monument to the Ghetto Fighters and stop to marvel at the Keret house, the thinnest house in the world, designed by famed Israeli author, and Polish descendent, Etgar Keret.
• This afternoon, we will walk through the completely reconstructed Old Town. We suggest a stop for a traditional pierogi lunch nearby (on own).
• We stroll through the Old Market Square, which was leveled and rebuilt brick by brick. We view the Mermaid statue, the legendary protectress of Old Market Square and walk by the Royal Castle.
• We have a free evening for dinner on our own.

Overnight in Warsaw

DAY 11: Wednesday, November 1, 2017: JEWISH WARSAW

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We spend the entire morning at the newly constructed POLIN Museum (The Museum of the History of the Polish Jews), now opened 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 in the main hall and hear from their excellent docents.
• We continue to the only surviving synagogue from WWII in Warsaw, the storied Nozyk Synagogue, founded in 1900.
• We enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.
• Tonight we delight in a farewell dinner with members of Beit Warszawa, the Progressive Jewish Congregation leading the Jewish re-birth in Poland today.

Overnight in Warsaw

DAY 12: Thursday, November 2, 2017: WELCOME HOME!

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


The Memories Last Forever!
*Itinerary subject to change