Polin: 700-hundred years of Jewish communities in Poland - (9/10 days)
For 700-years Poland was a shelter for thousands of Jews escaping from persecution in Western Europe. For seven centuries Jews developed centres that shaped culture, religious tradition and economy on Polish lands. 6 years of the Second World War led to almost complete destrution of that splendid tradition. The tour will show you important places for the Jewish history in its glorious and the most traginc moments. From Cracow Jewish quarter through small shetles to extermination camps
 Places of Jewish life included:Cracow-Kazimierz, Warsaw, Dzialoszyce, Pinczow, Chmielnik,Szydlow, Sandomierz, Leczna, Wlodawa, Lodz
Places of the Holocaust:
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sobibor. Majdanek, Treblinka, Chelmno, Radegast
Details
1st Day WARSAW
Warsaw-capital of Poland, a city with the largest Jewish community in Europe before Second World War.
09:00--13:00-after breakfast, meeting with the tour guide and morning visit in search for relicts of the prewar Warsaw: Nozyka synagogue, Prozna street, Jewish Institute, Janusz Korczak's orphanage house and the Warsaw Kirkut
13:00-14:30- Lunch break
14:30-17:00-Afternoon visit of the area of the Ghetto- remains of the Ghetto wall, Chlodna street, Monument of the Heroes of the Ghetto, site of the Mordechaj Anielewicz bunker and th Umschlagplatz monument.
17:00-19:00-Late afternon visit of the Old City with the Castle square.
20:00-Dinner and (according to season) Jewish Theatre performance
2nd Day LODZ
Lodz-called Polish Manchester, once great industrial centre of textile, where great fortunes were born. The largest kirkut of Europe is preserved here.
09:00-departure for Lodz.
11:00-13:00 Visit of the city: Piotrkowska street with Arthur Rubinstein monument, Poznanski palace, Wolf Reicher synagogue, Kirkut
13:00-14:30-Lunch break
14:30-17:00-Afternoon visit of Baluty quarter, former Litzmanstadt ghetto and Radegast Station Memorial, return to Warsaw
20:00-Dinner
3rd day TREBLINKA-TYKOCIN-BIALYSTOK
Treblinka-main extermination camp for Jews from Warsaw, Memorial created on the site
Tykocin (Tiktin)-one of typical small shtetls inhabited with 44% Jewish inhabitnants beore the War, with one of the most beautiful and well preserved synagogues in Poland
Bialystok(Bialistok)-a town with 100 synagogues, inhabited in 70 % by Jews in 1913, birth place of Ludwik Zamenhof – esperanto language creator.
08:00-departure for Treblinka -
10:00-11:00-visit of the Memorial created on the place of the former exterminaton camp, departure for Tykocin
13:00-14:30-Lunch break in Tykocin
14:30:15:30-Visit of Tykocin: the Great Synagogue ( 17th century) and short walk of the centre,
15:30-departure for Bialystok.
16:00-18:00-Visit of Bialystok -Sienny Square, Warszawska street, Piaskower and Cytron Beth ha Midrashes, Ludwik Zamenhof birthplace.
20:00-Dinner
4th day KOCK-KAZIMIERZ DOLNY
Kock-one of shetls with important Chasidim community famous for support to Polish 19th century independence uprisings.
Kazimierz Dolny( Kuzmir)-one of the most pictoresque towns along the Vistula river. With relicts of the Jewish quarter
08:00-departure from Bialystok, trip across Podlasie to Kock.
12:30-13:15-Visit of Kock--tsadik Morgenstern house and his ohel. Berek Joselevich tomb.
13:15-14:30-Lunch break
14:30-Departure for Kazimierz Dolny .
16:00-18:00-Visit of Kazimierz Dolny-the Main Square, the Synagogue, butcher house, Old Granaries and Kirkut,
18:00-departure for Lublin
20:00-Dinner
5th day LUBLIN-MAJDANEK-LECZNA-WLODAWA
Lublin-city of the one of the most important Jewisj communities in Poland. Place of one first jeshivas, the city of Isaac Bashevis Singer and rebbies Maharshaland Shalom Shahna
Majdanek-partially preserved extermination camp
Leczna(Lentshni)-one of chasidim shetls with very well preserved synagogue
Wlodawa (Vladova)-small town with a complex of preserved synagogues.
09:00-10:30 visit of Lublin- Old City, former Jeshivah, Chevra Nosim beth ha midrash, Old Kirkut with Iakov Icchak ha-Lewi Horovitz tomb.
10:30-12:30-Transfer to Majdanek -visit of the camp
13:00-14:30-Lunch break
14:30-Departure for Leczna
15:00-16:00-visit of Leczna- the 17th century synagogue and the Museum, trip continued to Wlodawa
17:00-18:00-visits of the Great and Small Synagogues from the 18th century with the Museum, return to Lublin
20:00-Dinner
6th day KRASNIK-LEZAJSK-LANCUT-RZESZOW
Krasnik (Krashnik)-small village with abandoned synagogues waiting for better times
Lezajsk (Lizansk)-still active centre of Chasidim in Poland with the ohel of famous Elimelekh
Lancut (Lancut)-small town with a beautiful castle whose owners founded one of the most splendid synagogues of Poland
Rzeszow (Raishe)-a city with once big Jewish community of talented craftsmen and merchants.
09:00-departure from Lublin to Krasnik.
10:00-11:00-short visit of Krasnik- two synagogues from 18th and 19th centures, mykveh and kirkut, then trip to Lezajsk
13:00-14:00-lunch break in Lezajsk
14:00-15:00-visit of Lezajsk -Elimelekh ohel, remains of synagogue and jeshivah, mykveh.
15:00-depature for Lancut
15:30-17:00-visit of the 18t century synagogue, short break in the Castle Park (optional visit of the Castle), then trip continued to Rzeszow.
17:30-18:30-short visit of Rzeszow- Old City with the Old and New City Synagogues including Institute of Jewish History.
20:00-Dinner
7th Day RYMANOW-DUKLA-BIECZ-BOBOWA-TARNOW
Rymanow-one of the oldest Jewish communites in the south eastern Poland. One of chasidim centres.
Dukla-another former shetl of Western Carpathia
Biecz-small medieval town along the trade road towards Black Sea
Bobowa-still active chasidim place, one of family nests for Halberstams
Tarnow -town of one of the oldest Jewish communities whose members traded once with grain and wine. Tragic and very symbolical relics of the Old Synagogue preserved
09:00-departure from Rzeszow for Rymanow
10:00-10:40-visit of Rymanow: the 16th century synagogue and kirkut, then trip to Dukla
11:00-11:30-visit of Dukla-the remains of the synagogue and kirkut; then trip to Biecz
12:30-13:15-short visit Biecz-the Old Town with the synagouge from 20th century and remains of kirkut
13:15-14:30-Lunch break
14:30-departure for Bobowa
15:30-16:15-visit of Bobowa-visit of the 18th century partially wooden synagogue,kirkut with famous cadik Halberstam family tombs, then trip to Tarnow.
17:15-18:15-visit of Tarnow -tour of the Old Town, Jewish street, bimah from the Old Synagogue, Mykveh and kirkut. After the visit transfer to Krakow
20:30-dinner in the hotel
8th day CRACOW
Cracow (Kroke) – UNESCO World Heritage monument- former capital of Poland, great university centre and Kazimierz one of the most important centres for Jewish communities of central and eastern Europe-very well prserved entire quarter with seven synagogues, former schools, mykveh, butcher house, two kirkuts with tombs of grat rebbies like Mose Isserles and many beth ha midrashes.
09:00-16:00- visit of Kazimierz: Old Synagogue, Remuh Synagogue with the kirkut, Isaac's Synagogue, Galicia Museum, then the ghetto: the Deportation square with the memorial, Tadeusz Pankiewicz Museum, wall of the ghetto, former factories Optima and Oskar Schindler's DEF, short visit of the site of the Plaszow concentration camp.
13:00-14:30-lunch break
16:00-19:00-Leisure time-or optionally visit of the Old City-the Royal Castle, the Jagiellonian Univeristy.
20:00-Evening klezmer concert with dinner at Kazimierz
9th day AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU-OSWIECIM
Oswiecim (Oshvitzin)-small medieval town with large Jewish community renamed by Germans Auschwitz
09:00-departure for full day (6 hours) tour of the main extermination camp. After the camp- a short visit of the Oswiecim town centre with the Museum of the Jewish Community in the Chevra Lomdei Mishnaiot synagogue.
17:00-Return to Krakow
20:00-Dinner
10th Day
VERSION A
Breakfast, transfer to the airport, farewell with the tour guide.End of service
VERSION B -DZIALOSZYCE-PINCZOW-CHMIELNIK-SZYDLOW-CHECINY
Dzialoszyce- small shtetl from central Poland, relicts of the synagogue and beth ha midrash with Memorial of the Holocaust victims
Pinczow-one of the most famous Jewish communities of this part of Poland. Very precious 17th century synagogue restored with remains of kirkut
Chmielnik-once very busy shtetl with the 17th century synagogue slowly restored by local community trying to preserve what is left from the disappeared community.
Szydlow-small town with medieval walls and 16th century synagogue with defensive features.
Checiny-small shtetl on the footsteps of the castle, the synagogue and one of the most beutifully located kirkuts.
09:00-departure for Dzialoszyce-
10:30-11:00-short visit of Dzialoszyce-ruins of two buildings-synagogue and beth ha midrash, Memorial to the Holocaust victims. Trip to Pinczow
11:30-12:00-visit of Pinczow- the synagogue then trip to Chmielnik
12:30-13:15-visit of Chmielnik- the synagogue and small regional museum, remains of the kirkut
13:15-14:15-Lunch break in Chmielnik, then trip to Szydlow
14:45-15:30-visit of Szydlow- the synagogue with the museum and then trip to Checiny
16:30-17:40-visit of Checiny- the former synagogue and walk to the kirkut located on the slopes of the Castle Hill.Return to Cracow
20:30-Dinner
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