Jewish Heritage Tour of Lithuania and Baltics

Jewish Travel
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Since 1993

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Below you find suggested itineraries for individuals and groups, prices are on request, please email number of people, hotels category choice (3* or 4* or deluxe), dates and we will provide you a quote.

Arrival in Vilnius. Visit to Ponar, a small settlement close to Vilnius that was the place of massacre of many thousands of Jews during the World War II. After paying a tribute to the victims of the Holocaust return to Vilnius. Visit the Jewish State museum and see its exhibitions of the Jewish life throughout the ages. A walk to the old Vilnius University founded in 1579. Afternoon departure for Ukmerge and Panevezys. A short tour of Ukmerge, once an active center of the Jewish life. Late afternoon arrival in Panevezys.

A morning tour of Panevezys (Ponevezh), including the building of the former world famous Ponevezh Yeshiva, Synagogue, the Jewish ghetto, common grave of the Holocaust victims in the outskirts of the city. Sightseeing tour of Siauliai (Shavli) and a meeting with the members of the Jewish community. Drive to Telsiai (Telz) with en route stop at the Hill of Crosses, a unique site of a Catholic pilgrimage. In Telsiai see the former renowned Yeshiva and other sites of the town. Afternoon departure for Palanga - a popular resort on the Baltic Sea, famous for its kilometer-long beaches and the beautiful Botanic Park with the Amber Museum. Sightseeing of the Old Town of Klaipeda (Memel) distinguished for its German influenced medieval architecture.

Morning drive to Nida on the Curonian Spit. En route stop at Juodkrante for a walk on the Hill of Witches, a vivid example of Lithuanian folk wooden sculptures. A visit to Nida, a lovely place with its 60 meter-high sand dunes, Thomas Mann summerhouse and the Amber Gallery. Departure for Kaunas (Kovna), the interim capital of pre-war Lithuania. A walk in the Old Town with its art galleries and cosy cafes. A. Mapu and L. Zamenhoff streets. The pre-war Jewish Real and Schvabe gymnasiums. Night Kaunas on Laisvės aleja, the boulevard for pedestrians, the main Kaunas street.

Morning tour to Slobodka (Vilijampole), a Jewish suburb of pre-war Kaunas and the site of the ghetto during WWII. The Great Action at Demokratu street. The Old Jewish cemetery. The Seventh and the Ninth Forts - the murder sites of thousands of Jews from Lithuania, France and Germany. The Holocaust museum and the Memorial of the Ninth Fort. The Synagogue and the Children’s Memorial in its courtyard. Afternoon visit to the Art Gallery of M. K. Ciurlionis, the outstanding Lithuanian artist and composer and to the Devil’s Museum with hundreds of statuettes of devils. In the evening a meeting with the members of the Jewish community.

Morning departure to the Rumsiskes Open Air Ethnographic Museum, where the visitors find themselves in the various villages of Lithuanian regions of the XIX c. Visit Alytus, a town on the river Nemunas. The Vidzgiris forest with an impressive memorial in honor of the victims of Nazism. A tour to Druskininkai, health resorts on the river Nemunas, a native town of the famous sculptor Jacques Lipshitz Return to Vilnius. En route visit the former partisan base in the Rudnicki forest, where Aba Kovner and other Vilna ghetto prisoners fought against the Nazis. Tonight, attend Friday services at Vilna Synagogue, followed by Kabalat Shabbat at Beit Chabad or at the Jewish Community Center.

City tour of Vilnius, including Gediminas castle with a wonderful panoramic view of the city, the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the jewels of 16-17 century Gothic and Baroque architecture. A walking tour in the medieval Jewish quarter, its lanes and courtyards, the history and the sad fate of the Great Vilna Synagogue, the personality of the Gaon of Vilna the greatest spiritual figure in the Jewish history, the site of the Strashun library. Building of the world famous Jewish printing house “Widow and Brothers Romm”. The Small and the Large Ghettos of the period of WWII, where more than forty thousand of Vilna Jews were concentrated, the building of the Judenrat on the Rudninku street, the activities of the F.P.O. - the United Partisan Organisation under the leadership of Itzik Vitenberg and Abba Kovner.

A visit to the Jewish cemetery of Vilnius.The graves of the Gaon of Vilna, Hayim-Oyzer Grodzenski, a spiritual leader of Vilna Jewry before the war, Shmuel Yosef Finn - famous historian, author of “Kiryah Neemanah” the first book of the history of Vilna Jews, and many others. Visit to the “Cheap Houses” built in 1898 by baron Hirsch for the poor Jewish families that lost their dwellings after the great flood. A tour of Trakai, the ancient capital and the residence of Grand Dukes of Lithuania, located 28 km from Vilnius, famous for its 14th century insular castle with a museum of Lithuanian history. The Karaite museum and the story of this small ethnic group (confessing Judaism) brought by Vytautas the Great from Crimea 600 years ago. Transfer to the airport for the return flight.

Arrival to Vilnius. Meeting, assistance and transfer to the hotel. Getting acquainted with the city in an orientation tour after checking in at hotel.

Day 2. Vilnius

Morning tour of the historical center of Vilnius (Vilna). Gediminas Castle and Cathedral Square; the history of the Lithuanian Capital. The President's Palace and the historical events connected to that place. The Old Vilnius University. The old Jewish quarter: narrow streets and courtyards of the middle-age Ghetto; the Great Vilna Synagogue and the shulhoyf; Vilna Gaon - the great Jewish scholar; Vilna - a center of the struggle between mitnagdim and hasidim; the famous Jewish sculptor Mordekhai Antokolski; the world-renowned Strashun library, that numbered over 6000 volumes at the end of the 19^th century; the territory of the Large Ghetto; the courtyard of the Judenrat; the fight of the Ghetto prisoners against the Nazis.Visit to the Jewish State museum. The present and the past of the Jewish cemeteries, the grave of the Vilna Gaon. The "Cheap Houses" – big dwelling houses built by baron Hirsch for Jewish poor people after the great flood. Building of the world famous printing-house "Widow and Brothers Romm".

Day 3. Vilnius-Trakai-Vilnius

Visit to the only functioning Vilna Synagogue "Taharat Hakodesh” built by the “enlightened” Jews of Vilna in 1902. Continue for Ponar Memorial, near Vilnius, where the Nazis and their local accomplices murdered in the pits many thousands of the Jews of Lithuania and other countries. A tour of Trakai, the ancient capital and the residence of Grand Dukes of Lithuania, famous for the lakes and sights of the area. The 14th century insular castle with a museum of Lithuanian history. The Karaite museum and the story of this small ethnic group (confessing Judaism), brought by Vytautas the Great from Crimea as war prisoners about 600 years ago.

Day 4. Vilnius-Rumsiskes-Kaunas

Departure for Kaunas (Kovna), the second large city, an interim capital of pre-war Lithuania. En route a stop at Zezmariai (Zhezhmer), where a remarkable Jewish community settled before the war with its surviving wooden Synagogue building. Visit to the Open Air Ethnographic museum in Rumsiskes representing the major Lithuanian regions of the 18-19 century, the way of life of the peasants, architecture, traditions and crafts. After check in at the hotel an evening walk in the Old Town of Kaunas with its Gothic and Baroque churches and houses, narrow streets and cobbled squares, art galleries and cosy cafes.

Day 5. Kaunas

Full day tour of Kaunas, including Slobodka, a Jewish suburb of Kaunas and ghetto during World War II, the Old Jewish cemetery. The Great Action at Demokratu square. The Seventh and the Ninth Forts - death sites of thousands of Jews from Lithuania and other countries. The Holocaust museum and the Memorial in the Ninth Fort. The Synagogue and the Children’s Memorial in its courtyard. The house where Leah Goldberg, the prominent Israeli poetess, lived. The Art Gallery of M. K. Ciurlionis, the outstanding Lithuanian artist and composer, the Devil’s Museum with hundreds statuettes of devils. A. Mapu and L. Zamenhoff streets. The pre-war Jewish Real and Shvabe gymnasiums. A walk along the main street, Laisves aleja, boulevard, with its 2-3 storey buildings, restaurants, shops, as they looked before the war.

Departure for Siauliai. En route a short visit to Kedainiai (Keidan), a citadel of Radziwil family, one of the most powerful nobility in Lithuania and also a town where the Vilna Gaon lived and worked. The buldings of three synagogues have remained in Keidan. City tour of Siauliai (Shavli), including Hayim Frenkel’s Synagogue, tannery and residence given to the Hebrew school, the former “Trakai” and “Caucasus” ghettoes in Siauliai. Exposition “The Jewish life of Shavli”. In the evening: a meeting with the members of the local Jewish community.

Day 7. Siauliai-Joniskis-Rundale-Bauska-Riga

Morning departure for Latvia via the Hill of Crosses near Siauliai, a symbol of Lithuanians’ resistance against foreign rule, with more than 50.000 crosses. A short visit to Joniskis – an example of a pre-war shtettle in Lithuania. Drive to Riga through Bauska (Boisk), the place where Rav Cook comes from. Another stop is at Baroque Rundale Palace with an excellent museum in the former Courland Dukes’ palace, built by Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Late afternoon arrival in Riga.

Day 8. Riga

A tour of Jewish Riga including the Jewish quarter, a memorial for the burnt Great Synagogue of Riga, the Jewish school founded in the XIX c. by Rav Dr. Max Liliental, the Synagogue, the museum “Jews in Latvia”, the Jewish community center, the sites of Shimon Dubnov in Riga. Visit to Rumbula and Bikierniki Memorials, where Nazis murdered many thousands of Jews from Latvia, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Salaspils - the memorial site of a concentration camp. In the afternoon a tour of the Old Town, including the Castle of Riga, the Dome Cathedral, the Swedish gate and the former Swedish barracks, the Great and Small Guilds, Cat’s house, the “Three Brothers”, the House of the “Blackheads” and St. Peter church to view the city from the tower.

Day 9. Riga

Morning visit to the only functioning Synagogue of Riga. Next the biggest gallery of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture by Russian-Jewish architect Mikhail Eisenstein. The Central market of Riga. Time for leisure. Departure from Riga.

Arrival in Vilnius. City tour of Vilnius, including Gediminas Castle, the Cathedral, St. Anne’s Church, St. Peter and Paul Church, the Gate of Dawn, the Old University, the medieval Jewish Quarter, the Ghetto during WWII, the Synagogue, the Jewish cemetery and the grave of the Gaon of Vilna. Visit to Ponar Memorial. The Jewish State Museum and its exhibitions.

A tour of Trakai, the ancient capital and the residence of Grand Dukes of Lithuania with its 14th century insular castle and the museum of Lithuanian history. Visit to the Karaite museum and the story of this small ethnic group, brought by Vytautas the Great from Crimea 600 years ago. Sightseeing of the Trakai National Park, where one can admire the scenery of this place. Afternoon at leisure.

Drive to Kaunas, the second large city of the country. The Jewish tour of the city includes Slobodka, a Jewish suburb of pre-war Kaunas and the ghetto during WWII, the Old Jewish cemetery. The Seventh and the Ninth Forts - death sites of thousands of Jews from Lithuania and other countries. The Holocaust museum and the Memorial in the Ninth Fort. The Synagogue and the Children’s Memorial in its court. The house where Leah Goldberg, the prominent Israeli poetess, lived. A walk in the Old Town with its Catholic churches, narrow streets and cobbled squares, cosy cafes and art galleries. Continue the walk along the main street, Laisves aleja, boulevard, with its 2-3 storey buildings, restaurants, shops, as they looked before the war.

Departure for Riga. A short visit to Kedainiai, a citadel of Radziwil family, one of the most powerful nobility in Lithuania and also a town where the Vilna Gaon lived and worked. En route stop at the Hill of Crosses near Siauliai, a symbol of Lithuanians’ resistance against foreign rule, with more than 50.000 crosses. Another stop at the wonderful Baroque Rundale Palace, built by the famous Italian architect B. Rastrelli. Arrival to the capital of Latvia - Riga.

A city tour of Riga, including the Old Town, the Dome Cathedral, the Old Guilds houses, the Swedish gate, St. Peter church to view the city from the tower, the streets built in Art Nouveau style, the Jewish quarter, the Synagogue, the museum “Jews in Latvia”. Afternoon visit to Rumbula and Bikierniki Memorials, where Nazis murdered many thousands of Jewish people. Salaspils - the memorial site of a concentration camp. In the evening: a concert or a theatre performance.

Drive along the Baltic Sea coast to Tallinn. En route visit of Sigulda the “Switzerland of Latvia” on the riverside of the Gauja river with its medieval castles and caves. A short visit to Parnu a resort in Estonia. Late afternoon arrival in the capital of Estonia - Tallinn.

A city tour of Tallinn, including the the Old Town with its Town Hall Square, Town fortifications, the Toompea Castle, Dominican Monastery, Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Kiek in de Kok, Convent of St.Bridget. Visit to the Kadriorg Park and Palace and to “Rocca al Mare” ethnographic museum. Afternoon at leisure. In the evening: a meeting in the Jewish Community Center.

Morning transfer to the airport for return flight or continue on an extension to St. Petersburg or to Helsinki or Stockholm by ferry.

Arrival to Minsk. General sightseeing of Minsk. “Yama” – a memorial for the Jews perished in Minsk during the Nazi occupation. The obelisk was built on the exact spot where five thousand Jews were slaughtered. Visit Minsk Synagogue. A walk in the small part of the Old Town the only one survived of the pre-war Minsk. The site of the Minsk ghetto. Examples of Jewish architecture, including a building with an ornate wooden door that still has the imprint of a large mezuzah. In the evening: a ballet performance.

Morning departure for Volozhyn to see the renowned yeshiva established by Rav Hayim Volozhiner, a disciple of the Vilna Gaon in 1803 (it existed until 1942, when the Nazis killed the last sixty-four students). See the Jewish cemetery with the tomb of the great Hayim Volozhiner. Next stop is Vishnevo, the former possession of several Polish/Lithuanian magnates and also a native country of Shimon Peres. Another little town is Holshany, where the whole streets of a Jewish shtettle of the 19^th century have been preserved. A short visit to Kreva. Here next to the ruins of Kreva castle, where the Union between Lithuania and Poland was signed, there is a Synagogue in a modern style of the beginning of the 20^th century. Return to Minsk. Dinner at the Belorussian folk restaurant.

Drive to Mir. Here a world-renowned yeshiva that numbered about five hundred students from around the world was established in 1815. One can see in the same area the buildings of the yeshiva and of three synagogues. The old Jewish cemetery in Mir. An impressive memorial erected in memory of the Jewish inhabitants murdered during WWII. Visit to the medieval Dukes’ Radziwill castle of Mir built in 1495. Next stop is the Novogrudok – once the centre of the Great Duchy of Lithuania. The ruins of the ancient castle could be seen up to date. Visit to the area of the Jewish ghetto and the places of the mass murder. Visit the Museum of Adam Mitskevich. En route visit Lida, where in 1905 Rabbi Reines established the Yeshiva of Lida. The founding conference of the Mizrachi movement was held in Lida in 1902. Late evening arrival to Grodno.

Sightseeing of Grodno, once a residence of Great Duke of Lithuania Vytautas. Here in 1389 he issued a "Permit of Residence" that regarded with favour the arrival of Jews into Lithuania. Walking tour in the old part of Grodno, including the medieval castle, the brilliant example of Baroque architecture – the Roman-Catholic Cathedral, the streets of the Jewish quarter before the war, buildings of the various Jewish public institutions, the Great Synagogue of Grodno, the territory of the Jewish Ghetto, the old Jewish cemetery. A meeting with the members of the local Jewish community. Departure for Vilna. En route visit Radin, where Chafetz Chayim founded the Yeshivah of Radin in 1869. One can see the impressive building of the Synagogue. Visit the Jewish cemetery with the matzevah of Chafetz Chayim and the memorial for the Jews murdered in the WWII. Arrival in Vilnius.

Sightseeing tour of Old Town of Vilnius. Gediminas Castle and Cathedral square - the historical center of Vilnius; the history of Lithuanian Capital. The President's Palace and the historical events, connected to that place. Vilnius University ensemble. A walking tour to the Jewish quarter of the “Lithuanian Jerusalem”: narrow streets and courtyards of the middle-age Ghetto; the Great Vilna Synagogue and the shulhoyf; Vilna Gaon - the great Jewish scholar; Vilna - a center of the struggle between mitnagdim and hasidim; the famous Jewish sculptor Mordekhai Antokolski; the territory of the Large Ghetto; the courtyard of the Judenrat; the fight of the Ghetto prisoners against the Nazis. Visit Ponar Forest near Vilnius, where more than 100.000 people, mostly Jewish were murdered by the Nazis. Visit to the Jewish State museum. Chabad Liubavitch Center in Lithuania.

Day 6. Vilnius

Visit to the only functioning Vilna Synagogue. Meeting at the Jewish Community Center located in the former Hebrew “Tarbut” school. The Jewish cemeteries of Vilna, their past and present; the grave of the Vilna Gaon and of other prominent Jewish figures. Visit to the Jewish Sholom-Aleichem secondary school. The "Cheap Houses" – big dwelling houses built by baron Hirsch for Jewish poor people after the great flood. Building of the world famous printing house "Widow and Brothers Romm". Afternoon tour of the Christian places in Vilnius: the Cathedral, St. Peter and Paul’s Church, St. Anne’s Church, the Gate of Dawn, the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit. Dinner in the country-style Lithuanian restaurant.

Full day tour of Kaunas (Kovna), the second large city, the interim capital of pre-war Lithuania includes Slobodka, a Jewish suburb of Kaunas and the ghetto during WWII, the Old Jewish cemetery. The Seventh and the Ninth Forts - death sites of thousands of Jews from Lithuania and other countries. The Holocaust museum and the Memorial in the Ninth Fort. The Synagogue and the Children’s Memorial in its court. The house where Leah Goldberg, the prominent Israeli poetess, lived. On the way back to Vilnius visit the country life open-air museum in Rumsiskes representing Lithuania’s major ethnographic regions’ 18-19 century way of life, architecture, traditions and crafts.

A tour of Trakai, the ancient Lithuanian capital and the residence of Grand Dukes of Lithuania, located 28 km from Vilnius, famous for the lakes and sights of the area. There is a 14th century red brick insular castle with a museum of Lithuanian history and the mode of life of different estates and different ethnic groups. Visit the Karaite museum and the story of this small ethnic group confessing Judaism, brought by Vytautas the Great from Crimea 600 years ago. Trakai National Park with its beautiful sights. On the way back to Vilnius visit the former partisan base in the Roudnicki forest, where the Jewish fighters and those Vilna ghetto prisoners that succeeded to escape, among them Aba Kovner, fought against the Nazis. Departure from Vilnius.

The trip was great. We looked forward to everyday and were never disappointed. Yulik was amazing. He made the trip a journey of a lifetime for all of us. His passion for guiding and sharing is something that was contagious. He is extremely resourceful and truly loves what he does. We were very fortunate to have him with us for this trip.

We had a wonderful trip. The guide is Vilna was not who you had assigned but it was a lovely woman name Tamar, she was great and it was a fantastic experience. Thank you for all your help. Esther

The trip went better than expected. It is impossible to describe the last two weeks in a short email. But, let me start by saying that we were completely satisfied with our guides. Yulik, in particular, is a real find. He is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in Baltic Jewish history and culture. All of the arrangements went very smoothly. All of the accommodations were satisfactory.

I hesitate getting into the content of the trip, because we saw and learned so much. I don't know quite where to begin. We did find the general location of my grandparents place of birth, which was very important to my mother. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks again for all of your contacts & arrangements.

Diana and Gary G. from MD, family of 5, June 2004 , Jewish Heritage trip to Vilna

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