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What’s new?
be inspired
why gil travel
Middle East
Western Europe
Eastern Europe
Latin America
Asia/ South Pacific/ Africa
North America
Oceana
From $7,450
OVERVIEW
In collaboration with Jewish Heritage Travel we are excited to offer this tour of Poland.
Before World War II, Poland was home to three million Jews—the largest community in Europe after the U.S.—and one of the most diverse and influential, including Hasidim, secular intellectuals, Yiddish writers, Zionists, and socialists. Today, Jewish culture in Poland is being rediscovered, revitalized, and rebuilt. On the site of the Warsaw Ghetto stands a world-class museum devoted to the thousand-year history of Polish Jewry. Jewish festivals draw international visitors and universities have established Judaic studies programs producing remarkable scholarship.
Our journey begins in Warsaw, where we will tour the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and visit memorial sites across the city, including the monument to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Mila 18, and the Umschlagplatz, where Jews were deported to Auschwitz and Treblinka. From there, we travel to Lublin to explore important Jewish landmarks, spanning the tragic to the revitalized.
In Łańcut, we will stay overnight and visit a beautifully restored synagogue, before moving on to historically rich Kraków, once home to a thriving Jewish community. In the district of Kazimierz, we’ll explore surviving synagogues, a pre-war Jewish cemetery, and the largest medieval market square in Europe. We will also tour two camps, Majdanek and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, with opportunities to reflect and discuss our experiences.
Throughout our travels, Jewish Heritage Travel scholar Lynne Feldman will offer lectures and on-site commentary, enriching our understanding of a land central to Jewish history. Day trips to Tarnów and Gliwice will allow us to meet local activists preserving Jewish heritage in smaller cities. Our itinerary will help us honor the tragedies that occurred, appreciate the vibrant Jewish life that flourished for centuries, and witness the renewed Jewish culture taking root today.
Departures
Duration
Highlights
Notes
Activity Level
Tailor Made
Itinerary
Program cost: $7,450* includes:
10 nights’ accommodations at deluxe hotels
Full breakfast daily; one lunch; four dinners
All group transportation via deluxe air-conditioned coach
*Per-person, double occupancy; single supplement: $1,950. Fees not included: gratuities: $275; museum membership for nonmembers.
Travel note: Plan to arrive in Warsaw on Monday, October 19 and depart from Kraków on Thursday, October 29.
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.
Abby Ashkenazi is a seasoned tour manager and accomplished facilitator in the world of Jewish education. A curious, history-loving traveler herself, as a guide, she collaborates closely with other travel professionals to create memorable experiences for tour participants. Abby is a graduate of Hebrew University in Jerusalem with degrees in Jewish History and African Studies and currently consults for the Consortium for Teaching Hebrew at Brandeis University. As the JCC Chicago Jewish Educator, Abby developed, designed and implemented Jewish-focused programming and travel. When not traveling, Abby splits her time between Chicago and Israel.
Evening: Our tour begins this evening with an orientation to meet and get to know one another, followed by a welcome dinner at the hotel. Then, we will hear a presentation by the tour scholar to help prepare us for all we will experience during our time together.
Meals Included: Dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Bristol, Warsaw
Morning: Our day begins with a presentation by the tour scholar. Afterwards, we visit the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery, the largest Jewish cemetery in the world. Many Jewish luminaries have been buried here over the years, and the cemetery comprises more than 200,000 marked graves, as well as the mass grave of victims of the Warsaw Ghetto. We will also stop at Janusz Korczak & Stepha Wilichenska’s orphanage.
Afternoon: We break for lunch on your own near the Jewish Historical Institute, followed by a guided tour of the institute. Here we encounter the Emanuel Ringelblum Archive, a unique collection of documents, diaries, letters, and testimonies that were hidden by the Jewish historian Emanuel Ringelblum and his colleagues during World War II. This archive provides vivid and personal accounts of the life and struggles of Warsaw’s Jewish community.
The evening is free for you to enjoy dinner on your own.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodations: Bristol Hotel
Morning: Our education continues with a featured lecture by the tour scholar. We then depart the hotel for a poignant visit to Umschlagplatz, where the Jews were gathered for deportation to Treblinka. We proceed on foot a short distance to see remnants of the Warsaw Ghetto Wall and the monument to Mila 18, which was the headquarters of the Jewish Fighting Organization (Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa, ZOB). The address became symbolic of the courageous resistance mounted by the Jewish community against Nazi occupation.
Afternoon: We continue our walk to the impressive Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, where you have lunch on your own at the museum’s cafeteria. We then tour the museum, which tells the story of a thousand years of Jewish life and culture in Poland. (Please note: Those who want to spend more time at the museum and explore exhibits of personal interest on their own may choose to take a taxi independently to return to the hotel.)
The evening is free for you to enjoy dinner on your own.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodations: Bristol Hotel
Morning: We depart Warsaw this morning for Lublin. Upon arrival, we tour the Grodzka Gate Museum and cultural center, which plays a robust role in preserving, celebrating, and educating on Jewish life and history in Lublin. We then go to the Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin. This former yeshiva played a central role in Jewish religious life in the city. Founded in 1930, it was one of the largest and most prestigious yeshivas in Europe before being destroyed during the Nazi occupation. The building has been partially reconstructed and now serves as a cultural and educational center.
Lunch is on your own with free time to explore Lublin’s beautiful Old Town, with cobblestone streets, medieval architecture, and a host of restaurants, cafés, and eateries.
Afternoon: Together, we visit Majdanek, a former Nazi concentration and extermination camp located on the outskirts of Lublin and one of the best-preserved Holocaust sites in Europe.
Afterwards, we continue on to Łańcut, where we check in and gather for a group dinner at the hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodations: Sokół Wellness and Spa Hotel
Morning: We start the day with a visit to the Łańcut Synagogue, one of the best-preserved synagogues in Poland, originally built in 1761 and a remarkable example of 18th-century Baroque synagogue architecture. After the war, the building underwent several renovations and since 1981, it has functioned as a Judaica museum.
Outside of Łańcut, we stop at the village of Markowa, which is best known for the tragic and heroic story of the Ulma family, Polish Christians who were executed by the Nazis in 1944 for sheltering eight Jews. In addition to exhibits and artifacts, the Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in World War II includes a memorial wall listing over 1,000 known Polish rescuers of Jews.
Afternoon: We travel on to Kraków and check in to our hotel, with some free time to rest or explore.
In the evening, we share a Shabbat dinner together.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodations: Sheraton Grand Kraków
Morning: You are free this morning, with the option to join the tour scholar for local Shabbat morning services.
Afternoon: We begin at the Galicia Jewish Museum, a prominent museum founded in 2004 and dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history, culture, and heritage of the Jewish community in the region of Galicia, which historically covered parts of present-day Poland and Ukraine.
Afterwards, we visit Kazimierz, the once-vibrant Jewish neighborhood, for a walking tour of its synagogues. This includes the Remuh (built in 1553), Isaac (founded in 1644), High (built in 1556), and Tempel (founded in 1862).
We then return to the hotel, and enjoy dinner and an evening on your own.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodations: Sheraton Grand Kraków
We spend today at Auschwitz-Birkenau, located 45 miles from Kraków. We begin with a guided tour of Birkenau, also known as Auschwitz II. It was the largest of the more than 40 camps and sub-camps that made up the Auschwitz complex. We next visit the Auschwitz Jewish Center, a short distance up the road, where we have lunch together and tour the center, which was opened in 2000 so that people could gather, learn, and remember the victims of the Holocaust. We then experience a guided tour of Auschwitz I, the first camp site, which today hosts exhibitions.
We return to our hotel, where you have free time for dinner and to process your experience at Auschwitz alone or with others.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodations: Sheraton Grand Kraków
Morning: Today we drive to the city of Tarnów, where we visit the Old Town, a charming historical area known for its beautiful architecture, and meet the people working to preserve its Jewish history and cemetery.
Lunch is on your own at the Rynek, with free time to explore this delightful part of Tarnov.
Afternoon: On our way back to Kraków, we stop at the Buczyna forest outside of Zbylitowska Góra The site of mass executions between 1942 and 1943, today it serves as a solemn memorial site, with monuments commemorating the victims. A place of reflection and remembrance, we take a final moment here at the end of our tour to honor those who lost their lives during this dark chapter of history.
Dinner is on your own.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodations: Sheraton Grand Kraków
Morning: Our last lecture by the tour scholar starts off our morning, rounding out our formal education. We then set off for a tour of the UNESCO-listed Old Town Square in the heart of Kraków, with its royal past and vibrant merchant history. We visit the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) and stroll along cobblestone streets, stopping at several iconic landmarks.
After lunch on our own, we gather to tour Wawel Castle, the seat of Polish monarchs until 1596, and visit the Wawel Cathedral and Dragon’s Cave.
Meals Included: Breakfast
Accommodations: Sheraton Grand Kraków
Morning: We spend time this morning at the Remah Cemetery, one of the oldest and most historically significant Jewish cemeteries in Poland. It is named after Rabbi Moses Isserles (c. 1525–1572), known by the Hebrew acronym “Remah,” who was a renowned Talmudist and a central figure in Jewish scholarship. His tombstone is one of the few that remained intact during the Nazi occupation.
We then visit the poignant memorial at Ghetto Heroes Square, which features a haunting installation of 68 empty bronze chairs, symbolizing the absence left by the thousands of Jews who perished during the war. Each chair represents 1,000 victims. We end the morning with a stop by the Schindler Factory.
Afternoon: This afternoon, we have the enjoyable opportunity to stop by the Kraków JCC, which was founded with the aim of revitalizing Jewish life in Kraków and providing a welcoming space for the local Jewish community. JCC Kraków is one of the main organizers of the annual Kraków Jewish Festival, which celebrates Jewish music, food, culture, and history and draws thousands of visitors from around the world.
We gather for a farewell dinner at the hotel.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodations: Sheraton Grand Kraków
Individual departures to the airport for flights home.
Meals Included: Breakfast
*Please Note: Daily schedule may be modified, subject to weather or unanticipated changes.
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
Situated on the celebrated Royal Route, next to the Presidential Palace and just a short stroll from the Old Town, Royal Castle, National Theater and Opera House. Hotel Bristol has served as a city landmark and distinguished destination since 1901. A captivating union of history and modernity, the Art Nouveau masterpiece enchants with exceptional interiors. The iconic Café Bristol, Marconi Restaurant, two bars and the enchanting rooftop offer singular epicurean indulgence while our Bristol spa combines a scenic relaxation area, indoor pool, gym, sauna, and a steam room. Our luxury hotel rooms and suites blend classical style and modern finesse. Unrivaled stay experience with outstanding views, timeless decorations and unsurpassed comfort. The Paderewski Suite is an exquisite gem in Bristol’s crown, boasting pure beauty and luxury. Original antiques from the beginning of the 20th century recall the historic spirit of the place. Our 5-star hotel is pet friendly and welcomes trained pets for a fee.
A 5-star experience providing guests with Krakow’s best views. Located at the foot of The Royal Wawel Castle, on the banks of the Wisla River, Sheraton Grand Krakow is steps away from Krakow Cathedral, Main Market Square and Kazimierz district, but also close to the shopping areas and Krakow’s conference center. Fully renovated Lobby and Atrium will inspire you and the recently opened Anima Restaurant will deliver extraordinary Italian culinary experience. Sport fans can enjoy live transmissions in our SomePlace Else sports bar. Our famous Roof Top Terrace with amazing views is the best place to enjoy refreshing cocktails. Our 232 airy, fully renovated family guest rooms and suites connect with what you love the most: smart TV with a wide range of channels, in-room dining, High-Speed Internet, and the unique comfort of the Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience bed. Swim laps in our heated indoor pool or workout at our Sheraton Fitness. Our hotel is pet friendly and welcomes pets for a fee.
This modern 4-star luxury hotel sits in the heart of Łańcut. Offering a blend of comfort and elegance, the Sokół Wellness and Spa Hotel features well-appointed rooms, an indoor pool, restaurant with local and international cuisine, fitness center, and comprehensive spa facility. In addition to WiFi, guests can expect air conditioning, electric kettles, refrigerators, and toiletries.
*Star rating standards vary from country to country.
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