English

Temple Or Rishon
Jewish Heritage Tour to Eastern Europe
Led by Rabbi Alan & Laura Rabishaw
August 24 - September 4, 2020

Tour Rates & Dates:

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*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
All rates above are in US Dollars, and are based on full payment by credit card unless otherwise noted.
If check payment discount is available for this tour, it can be selected after clicking "BOOK" above.
(Deposit can still be paid by credit card). Upgraded room categories may be available to book later in the booking process.
If Land & Air price is displayed, the air portion includes tax and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change until ticketed.

Group flights from San Francisco on Lufthansa at $919pp/$947pp (check/credit). Rates are only guaranteed for the first 25 seats booked.

Tour Overview:

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Jewish history in Europe neither begins nor ends with the Holocaust. Together we will explore 1,000 years of Jewish history. We'll confront the horrors of the past, experience the nascent Jewish renewal of the present and discuss the challenges that face a Jewish future in Europe.

INCLUDED:

2 nights Holiday Inn City Centre, Warsaw
3 nights Mercure Old Town Stare Miasto, Krakow
2 nights Radisson Blu Beke Hotel, Budapest
3 nights Majestic Plaza Hotel, Prague
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with expert English speaking guides
Breakfast daily
5 dinners, including Shabbat dinner in Krakow & Danube River Cruise in Budapest
Chopin concert in Warsaw
Train from Warsaw to Krakow
Internal flights from Krakow to Budapest to Prague
Transfer included if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Porterage

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Border taxes or visa fees
Tips to guides, drivers and dining room waiters ($18 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (group policy available)

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Monday, August 24, 2020: DEPARTURE

• We depart California on our overnight flight to Warsaw.

Day 2: Tuesday, August 25, 2020: ORIENTATION IN WARSAW

• Arrival in Warsaw, where we are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We begin with a panoramic bus tour of Warsaw, passing Chopin's Monument, Lazienki Park and the Royal Castle. We will walk through the Old Town Market Square, reconstructed post-war to its former glory.
• We check into our hotel and have a chance to relax and refresh.
• Tonight, we meet with members of Beit Polska, the center of progressive Judaism in Warsaw. We enjoy a welcome dinner and hospitality as we learn how Judaism lives on in today's Poland.

Overnight in Warsaw

Day 3: Wednesday, August 26, 2020: JEWISH WARSAW

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we visit the Nozyk Synagogue, Warsaw's only surviving synagogue from the pre-war days.
• We continue to the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto Wall before walking along the Memorial Route of Jewish Martyrdom and Struggle in the former ghetto.
• We finish by paying tribute at the powerful Rappaport Monument to the Ghetto Heroes.
• Later, we take a story-filled visit to the enormous Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, where the giants of Yiddish culture are buried near Talmudic masters and enlightenment-era intellectuals.
• After lunch (on own), we drive through the Warsaw Zoo to visit the Zookeeper's house where hundreds of Jews were saved during the Holocaust and now memorialized in the movie “The Zookeeper's Wife.”
• We enjoy the graceful and delicate music of a Chopin concert before time for dinner on own.

Overnight in Warsaw

Day 4: Thursday, August 27, 2020: TO KRAKOW

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we tour the landmark POLIN Museum, a national project that takes visitors on a multi-media journey through Poland's Jewish history, from the early Roman trade routes through the Holocaust and into today's reborn community.
• Mid-day, we board the train to Krakow.
• We check into our hotel and refresh before dinner together at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Krakow

Day 5: Friday, August 28, 2020: AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we travel to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous Nazi concentration camp, where over one million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. After our docent-led visit through the museum, we will travel to Birkenau and witness the ruins of its destructive machinery, spreading as far as the eye can see.
• We return to Krakow and have the remainder of the afternoon to reflect.
• As the sun begins to set on this emotionally intense day, we join members of the inspiring Krakow JCC, including its Executive Director, Jonathan Ornstein, for Shabbat and dinner. The Krakow JCC is a vibrant and growing community, serving Jews from pre-school through the elderly and hosting the annual Ride for the Living from Auschwitz to Krakow.

Overnight in Krakow

Day 6: Saturday, August 29, 2020: JEWISH KRAKOW THEN AND NOW

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today we visit Krakow's famous Wawel Castle to hear the legend of the dragon's defeat, walk through the Renaissance Cloth Hall and stop by St. Mary's Church.
• We continue with a visit to the “Under the Eagle” Pharmacy, where the pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz smuggled information and medicine in the ghetto.
• We pass by Oskar Schindler's Factory, now a museum, on the way to the memorial site of the former Plaszow Concentration Camp, both recreated in the movie Schindler's List.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Krakow

Day 7: Sunday, August 30, 2020: KRAKOW TO BUDAPEST

• Breakfast at our hotel and check-out and store our luggage.
• Today, our discovery of Kazimierz, Krakow's old Jewish district, begins at the Altshul, the fortress-like “Old Synagogue” erected in the 15th century. We will stop by the bastion of the Reformer community, the grand and luxurious Temple, and visit the Remuh Synagogue and cemetery, dedicated to the great Talmudist Moshe Isserles and his contemporaries.
• This afternoon, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Situated on opposite banks of the Danube River, the former cities of Buda and Pest are linked by a series of graceful bridges.
• Upon arrival, we enjoy a panoramic tour of the city.
• We check into our hotel and enjoy a relaxing evening and dinner on own.

Overnight in Budapest

Day 8: Monday, August 31, 2020: BEAUTIFUL BUDAPEST

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we stop by Parliament, the Royal Palace, Coronation Church, and Hero's Square to better understand Hungary's long history.
• This afternoon, we continue with visits to Gellert Hill, the Castle Hill area and the spectacular view from the Fisherman's Bastion.
• We also visit the Raoul Wallenberg memorial statue and hear the story of his heroic acts to save thousands of Jews in the Holocaust.
• We return to our hotel to refresh.
• This evening, we set sail on the Danube River for a scenic dinner cruise.

Overnight in Budapest

Day 9: Tuesday, September 1, 2020: JEWISH BUDAPEST

• Breakfast at our hotel and check-out and store our luggage.
• Today, we visit the Dohany Synagogue, the Moorish masterpiece of architecture and largest synagogue in Europe. Within its gates are the Jewish Cemetery and Museum and The Holocaust Tree of Life Memorial.
• We later stand riverside at the simple, yet emotionally charged Shoes on the Danube Memorial, commemorating the vicious reign of the Nazi-allied Arrow Cross.
• We transfer to the airport for our flight to Prague, the Czech capital, also known as “the City of One Thousand Spires,” with its Baroque churches, promenades, parks and ancient city walls.
• We check into our hotel upon arrival and have dinner on our own.

Overnight in Prague

Day 10: Wednesday, September 2, 2020: PRAGUE

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a visit to Josefov, Prague's legendary Jewish quarter with its Old Town Hall, the Alt-Neu Synagogue, the Pinkas Synagogue, the Maisel Synagogue, the Spanish Synagogue and the Jewish cemetery.
• This afternoon, we enjoy a tour of Golden Prague, including the 1,000-year-old Hradcany Castle and St. Vitus' Cathedral, a walk across the Charles Bridge and a view of the Astronomical Clock.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Prague

Day 11: Thursday, September 3, 2020: TEREZIN

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we travel to Terezin, the former "model" Nazi concentration camp. We visit the prison fortress and the Jewish cemetery, the hidden synagogue and the museum filled with the artwork of former prisoners. We stop by the memorial monument and pass through the town itself. We'll also hear stories and see photos of some of the great rabbis imprisoned here, including Leo Baeck and Regina Jonas, the first woman ordained a rabbi.
• We return to Prague and enjoy a farewell dinner, as we recount all we have experienced together.

Overnight in Prague

Day 12: Friday, September 4, 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.



The Memories Last Forever!!
*Itinerary subject to change