What’s new?
be inspired
why gil travel
Middle East
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
Latin America
Asia/ South Pacific/ Africa
North America
Oceana
What’s new?
be inspired
why gil travel
Middle East
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
Latin America
Asia/ South Pacific/ Africa
North America
Oceana
From $7,995
OVERVIEW
In collaboration with Jewish Heritage Travel we are excited to offer this tour of Germany.
Ashkenazi Jewish life first blossomed in central Germany over a thousand years ago, taking root in the 10th century and flourishing through the medieval era. Extraordinary scholarship, distinctive traditions of education and leadership, and vibrant cultural and religious practices laid the groundwork for Jewish life across Europe — and far beyond.
Our journey traces this remarkable arc, from medieval centers of learning to modern sites of remembrance and renewal. Along the way, you’ll explore the enduring contributions of Ashkenazi Jews to Germany and to the world, encountering a living legacy of resilience, creativity, and faith.
We begin in Frankfurt, at the Judengasse Museum — which stands directly on the medieval Jewish quarter — before venturing to Mainz, Worms, Friedberg, and Erfurt, where centuries of scholarship and tradition come alive. In Leipzig, where we spend the night, we meet with members of the city’s thriving Jewish community, connecting past to present in personal conversation. A six-night stay in dynamic Berlin immerses us in history both tragic and triumphant, offering deep insight into the devastation of World War II and the extraordinary revival that has made Berlin home to Europe’s fastest-growing Jewish population.
Throughout, our accompanying scholar brings history vividly to life, guiding us through the great questions German Jews pioneered in confronting: modernity and secularization, denominations and Zionism, intermarriage and identity, and the harrowing story of German Jewry under Nazi rule. Together, we’ll discover a thousand years of struggle and achievement — and the vibrant pulse of Jewish life in Germany today.
Departures
Duration
Highlights
Notes
Activity Level
Tailor Made
Itinerary
Program Cost: $7,995* includes:
9 nights’ accommodations at deluxe hotels
Full breakfast daily; 3 lunches; 7 dinners
All group transportation via deluxe air-conditioned coach
All lectures, guided tours, museums and site entrance fees
*Per person, double occupancy; single supplement: $2,495. Fees not included: gratuities: $250; museum membership for nonmembers.
Travel note: Arrive on Monday May 11 in Frankfurt (FRA) and depart on Wednesday May 20 from Berlin (BER).
Each of our scholars are outstanding experts in their fields and play an active role in helping us design our journeys as well as accompanying us as we travel.
Dr. David I. Bernstein has led more than 60 Jewish heritage trips to Europe. He brings a wide-angle lens to the story of Jewish life in Europe by illuminating the big picture of European history, while zooming in to intimate stories of the dynamics of Jewish life. The son of refugees who came to the U.S. after the Second World War, he brings a personal sense of mission to his work as he shares the story of these famous Jewish communities. David earned a BA, MA, and PhD from New York University and was a visiting graduate fellow at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He served for more than a decade as the Director of Midreshet Lindenbaum and for 25 years as the Dean of the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, where he currently serves as Dean Emeritus.
Ariel Goldstein was born in Uruguay, studied Latin American history in Montevideo and tourism at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. CEO of Tiyul-Jewish Journeys, he has led more than 50 tours throughout Israel, Europe, Persian Gulf, Latin America, China, India, Africa, and the US. Ariel speaks Spanish, English, Hebrew, and Portuguese and is the author of From Moses to Moisesville (2024).
Arrive in Frankfurt and transfer on your own to the deluxe, five-star Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof hotel. Our program begins in the late afternoon, with welcome remarks by the scholar and the tour leader, followed by dinner together at the hotel.
Meals Included: Dinner
Accommodations: Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof, Frankfurt
Morning: We start off with a walking tour of Frankfurt’s Altstadt, or Old Town. While much of the Old Town was destroyed in WWII bombing, the Dom-Römer Project (finished in 2018) beautifully reconstructed key medieval buildings with a keen attention to detail, providing a sense of the beauty and character of the area in medieval times.
We then undertake a private guided visit of the nearby Judengasse Museum. In 1987, when construction was begun on a public building, workers uncovered the foundations of several houses from the former Jewish quarter, the Judengasse, literally “the Jewish Lane.” This unique museum sits on part of the original site and brings to light 300 years of everyday Jewish life.
Afternoon: We have lunch at the Jewish Museum of Frankfurt, followed by a private guided tour. Housed in the former “Rothschild Palais,” the museum showcases Jewish history and culture from 1800 onwards, emphasizing the contributions of Jewish individuals to Frankfurt’s cultural and economic development.
We then move on to the serene Rat-Beil Cemetery, a poignant and historically rich site that offers a deep connection to the city’s Jewish heritage. Nearby, we visit the grand Westend Synagogue, the only one of the four major pre-war synagogues in Frankfurt to have survived the November 1938 pogroms and the World War II bombings.
Enjoy dinner on your own, followed by a lecture by our scholar at the hotel: The Beating Heart of Ashkenazic Jewry: The Medieval and Early Modern Period.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodations: Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof, Frankfurt
Morning: This morning we tour Mainz, just 45 minutes from Frankfurt and one of Europe’s foremost centers of rabbinic scholarship during the Middle Ages. We visit the new Mainz synagogue, an architectural gem whose ark contains three Torah scrolls that survived Kristallnacht. We also visit the Gutenberg Museum of Printing, which honors Johann Gutenberg, born in Mainz around 1400, and learn more about how his invention of the printing press changed the course of world history.
Afternoon: After lunch on your own in Mainz, we drive to Worms, known in the Middle Ages as the “Little Jerusalem on the Rhine.” Here we visit an 11th-century synagogue, one of the oldest in Europe, and the Rashi House, which honors the legacy of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105), author of the most important and comprehensive commentary on the Talmud and Torah. This is where the greatest of rabbinic commentators studied, and now houses the Jewish Museum Worms. We also view a towering statue of theologian Martin Luther. Built in 1868, it is the largest Reformation monument in Europe.
We have dinner together in Worms, then return to Frankfurt.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodations: Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof, Frankfurt
Morning: At the hotel, we are treated to a lecture by our scholar: Modern German Jewry: The World That Was. Afterwards, we drive to Friedberg, around 20 miles away, where we will view the oldest accessible mikvah (ritual bath) in Europe and the site of a synagogue. This remarkable 13th-century structure descends 75 steps and reflects the deep attachment to tradition of medieval Jewish communities.
Afternoon: We eat lunch before departing for Erfurt, where we see the remarkable “Erfurt Treasure,” a collection of medieval Jewish artifacts that were hidden in the wall of a cellar near an 11th-century synagogue just before the Erfurt pogrom of 1349 — and only discovered in 1998. The priceless treasure includes silver coins and ingots and gold and silver jewelry, including a gold wedding ring.
We end our day in Leipzig, which played a key role in the fall of communism in Germany. After arriving at our luxurious hotel and checking in, you are free to enjoy dinner on your own at the hotel or at a nearby restaurant.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodations: Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Handelshof, Leipzig
Morning: We take a walk through the Jewish cemetery of Leipzig, which is today a memorial site and part of a comprehensive digital archive documenting over 5,000 graves. We then visit Centrum Judaicum, the primary institution of the city’s 1,300 Jews, and the close-by Brody Synagogue, which survived the Nazi regime. Here we have the unique opportunity to meet Rabbi Zsolt Balla and Mrs. Klaudia Krenn to talk about Jewish life in Leipzig today.
Next, we go to the Runden Ecke Museum, dedicated to the history, structure, and working methods of the Stasi. The museum actively participates in social discourse on dictatorship and their consequences as well as on civil and human rights.
Afternoon: Lunch and free time to explore on your own. We then drive to Berlin, around 2 hours away, and check in to our hotel in the Mite district, Berlin’s most important Jewish neighborhood before World War II.
In the evening, we celebrate Shabbat at Centrum Judaicum (Masorti/Conservative) or Chabad and then have Shabbat dinner at the hotel.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodations: The Westin Grand, Berlin
Morning: Optional prayer with the local community (Orthodox or Masorti/Liberal) and a chance to meet with a local rabbi/community member(s) or free time to relax and explore.
Afternoon: After lunch on your own, we convene for a walking tour through the Mitte. We visit the sculpture at Rosenstrasse Memorial, which honors a successful protest against the Nazi regime in Berlin in February and March 1943 carried out by the non-Jewish wives and relatives of Jewish men who had been arrested for deportation. We also visit the grave of Moses Mendelssohn, the site of the home of Reform founder Rabbi Abraham Geiger, the modern Orthodox seminary of R. Azriel Hildesheimer, and other significant historical sites.
The evening is free for you to enjoy dinner on your own.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodations: The Westin Grand, Berlin
Morning: We begin our day in the historic heart of Berlin with a visit to Peter Eisenman’s memorial to the Six Million and continue with a tour of the museum housed below it. Next, we walk to the nearby Brandenburg Gate and ponder the glories and atrocities of Prussian/German history. We continue to Babelplatz with its memorial to the Nazi book burnings in 1935.
Afternoon: We visit the New Synagogue and the Centrum Judaicum. We then spend time at the Berlin Wall Memorial, dedicated to preserving the memory of the Berlin Wall, which divided the city from 1963 to 1989, and the people affected by its division.
Our final destination is the award-winning Berlin Jewish Museum, where we have lunch, followed by a self-guided visit of the museum, dedicated to exploring the rich and complex history of Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages to the present day.
After dinner together, our evening features a lecture at the hotel by our scholar: Kristallnacht and American Jewish Reaction.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: The Westin Grand, Berlin
Morning: Today, we embark on a daylong trip to the lakeside suburb of Wannsee, famous for its role in Holocaust history. Our stops include the Glienicke Bridge, also known as the “Bridge of Spies,” an iconic Cold War landmark where spy exchanges between the United States and the Soviet Union took place during the war. At the Wannsee House, now an impressive Holocaust study center, we see the actual room in which the Final Solution was plotted by Nazi leaders.
Afternoon: After lunch on your own, we visit the museum located in the house of the great Impressionist painter Max Liebermann, a pioneer of artistic freedom. On our drive back to the city, we stop at the Memorial of Platform 17, one of the former deportation train stations in Berlin.
The rest of the day, including dinner, is at your leisure.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodations: The Westin Grand, Berlin
Morning: We begin our day at the Topography of Terror, a museum located on the site of the Gestapo and the SS headquarters, which tells the story of the Nazi regime and its crimes. We then visit “Checkpoint Charlie” nearby, the most famous border crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.
Lunch is on your own, with a large selection of restaurants to choose from.
Afternoon: We stop at the German Historical Museum, opened in 1987 on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the founding of Berlin. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure for individual activities. Options include a boat trip, shopping on the fashionable Unter den Linden, a museum visit (there are many to choose from), time to relax by the hotel pool, or anything else you might like to do.
At night, we celebrate the end of the tour with a farewell dinner together.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodations: The Westin Grand, Berlin
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer on your own to the Berlin airport for flights home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Payment Reserve your space with a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 per person. Final balance is due 120 days prior to departure.
Membership Participation on these tours is a benefit for active members of JHT museum partners. During the registration process, you will be asked about your membership status with your affiliated museum. If you are not a current member, you will have a chance to activate your membership.
Participation Tour sizes are limited to 28 participants unless otherwise noted. Trips entail considerable walking including over uneven terrain. Participants need to be in good health, be able to keep up with the group, be able to experience group and cultural differences with grace. Please let us know if you have any physical conditions that may require special attention while on tour.
Cancellations All cancellations must be received by Gil Travel in writing. Cancellations received 120 days or more prior to departure: full refund less nonrefundable deposits, per person; 119–90 days prior to departure: 50% refund per person after nonrefundable deposits. 89–0 days before departure: no refund.
Trip Cancellation Insurance Gil Travel Travel strongly urges all participants to purchase travel insurance for coverage of losses necessitated by having to cancel due to illness or accident. For your convenience, we are providing a link to RoamRight, which many past participants have used. When purchasing insurance, please consider the plans carefully to familiarize yourself with what is covered. In this context, do take note that most insurance companies generally will waive exclusion for preexisting conditions only if your application is received by them within 14 days from the date of your program registration. If you have a preexisting medical condition and are interested in taking trip insurance, you should do so either with Roamright or through your own insurance agent within 14 days of registration.
Changes All rights are reserved by Gil Travel and Jewish Heritage Travel to make scholar substitutions and/or to modify the itinerary (including hotels) as needed. Every reasonable effort will be made to operate the program as planned; however, should unforeseen world events and conditions require the itinerary to be altered, Jewish Heritage Travel reserves the right to do so for the safety and best interest of the group. Any extra expenses incurred in this situation are the responsibility of the participant.
Disclaimer of Responsibility By registering for this program, participant specifically waives any and all claims of action against Gil Travel or the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs for damages, loss, injury, accident, or death incurred by any person in connection with this tour. Gil Travel, The Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs assume no responsibility or liability in connection with the service of any train, vessel, carriage, aircraft, or other conveyance that may be used wholly or in part in the performance of their duty to the passengers. Neither will Gil Travel, the Museum of Jewish Heritage or the Jewish Heritage Travel office or their staffs be responsible for any injury, death, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity through neglect or default of any company or person engaged in carrying out the purposes for which tickets, vouchers, or coupons are issued. No responsibility is accepted for losses or expenses due to sickness, viruses, weather, strikes, wars, and other causes. In the event it becomes necessary or advisable for any reason whatsoever to alter the itinerary or arrangements, including hotels or scholars, such alterations may be made without penalty. All rights reserved to require any participant to withdraw from the tour at his/her own expense when such an action is determined by the tour staff to be in the best interest of the participant’s health and safety and that of the group in general. Prices subject to change. Cost in effect at time of registration will be honored.
Are Kosher meals available?
While we do not offer Kosher food, we offer fish and/or vegetarian options at every meal included in the trip.
How many people will be on the trip?
On average about 24 people.
What is the age group?
55+
What is the makeup of the participants?
A good mix of singles and couples.
How fit do I need to be? How much walking is there?
You should be able to walk about two miles in a day, though not all at once. Please see the itinerary of the trip(s) you are interested in to get a sense of the schedule for each day. When there is free time, some choose to stay active, others to rest.
If you prefer more activity, many of the hotels we stay in have pools and fitness facilities, and some of our trips do offer the opportunity for more physical activity.
Are the trips accessible for people with canes, walkers, or wheelchairs?
People who use a cane to aid their walking have found our trips accessible. You still need to be able to walk about two miles in a day, though not all at once. Unfortunately, accessibility can be limited in the places we travel, making it too difficult for people in wheelchairs or walkers to participate in our trips.
Is the trip Shabbat Observant?
We normally have a Shabbat dinner together be it at a hotel or restaurant and sometimes at a synagogue. We do not have programming on Saturday other than perhaps a meeting with the scholar. In some destinations we offer walking tours on Saturday. You can refer to the itinerary of your chosen trip for specifics.
When does the program actually begin?
The Itinerary and Program Details section of the trip you are interested in will indicate when to plan to arrive and depart, as well as when the program begins and ends. Every trip includes a welcome session to get oriented and meet each other, the guides, and scholars and a farewell event to celebrate, reflect, and say good-bye to our fellow travelers.
Are airport transfers included?
Airport transfers are not included. Taxis, and often other transportation options, are available from all airports.
Are meals included?
The Itinerary of the trip you are interested in will indicate which meals are included on each day. For meals on your own, suggestions are available from the concierge at the hotels we are staying in. We encourage you to explore the diversity of local and international cuisines in the places we visit.
Are the trips only for Jewish people?
While the majority of our travelers are Jewish, our trips are for anyone interested in exploring the Jewish heritage of the destinations we take you to.
I’d like to explore my genealogy at one of the places you are going to. Is that possible?
Our trips are not designed for genealogical research. If you want to undertake genealogical work, it is necessary to do this on your own and would be best to plan for an extra few days before or after one of our trips.
How much free time will I have?
Please see the itinerary of the trip(s) you are interested in for information on when free time is scheduled for exploring on your own, resting in your room, engaging in conversation with new friends, etc.
Is there Wi-Fi everywhere?
While WiFi is available in most of the world, there are regions or locations where it is not as accessible. Most of the hotels we stay at offer free WiFi.
What Museum Memberships Qualify?
Museum of Jewish Heritage New York: $54
Holocaust Museum LA: $100
Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center – Nassau County: $54
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History: $54
*Membership # will need to be provided upon registration
Accommodation
Since 1876, the distinguished Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof has welcomed luxury travelers from Queen Victoria to Elton John. Offering refined design, a serene ambiance, and first-class service, the 5-star hotel features spacious rooms and upscale amenities as well as a full-service spa, a bar, and a brasserie, right in the heart of Frankfurt’s historical city center.
Providing luxurious comfort and historical elegance in a prime location at the center of Leipzig, the prestigious Steigenberger Grandhotel Handelshof features elegant decor, spacious rooms, an array of modern amenities, and a restaurant with French and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. All the rooms are air-conditioned, soundproofed, and comfortably equipped with a flat-screen TV, desk, safe, and coffee- and tea-making facilities.
From its location in the historic center of Berlin to its renowned lobby with a grand staircase and atrium, the Westin Grand Berlin hotel provides modern luxury for the discerning traveler. Elegant guest rooms feature comfortable beds, modern bathrooms, and a full range of amenities, including bathrobes and slippers. The hotel also offers a restaurant, spa, and fitness center.
*Star rating standards vary from country to country.
Start your adventure here
GIL TRAVEL NEWSLETTER
Receive inspiration
in your inbox
Copyright © 2024 Gil Travel Inc. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Website by Tabuzzco
Search for something…
Contact us by sending a message
We always aim to reply within 1 business day.
