OUR JOURNEY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018
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Arrive at Warsaw
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Tour begins at 1 p.m. in the Lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel
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Introduction and welcome ceremony at the Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street
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Visit the fascinating ancient Jewish cemetery outside the Ghetto, which documents 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland. Some of the famous sites within the cemetery include Janusz Korczak and important Ghetto Rabbis.
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Explore the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto and learn about the Jewish community’s famous revolt along the Route of Heroes and at Rappaport Memorial
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Evening: Welcome dinner at the Warsaw JCC joined by members of the community
OVERNIGHT: Intercontinental Hotel, Warsaw
MEALS INCLUDED: Lunch & Dinner (breakfast if arriving earlier)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018
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Depart from Warsaw and travel to Lublin (about 2.5 hours)
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Visit Majdanek concentration camp originally set up in July 1941 for prisoners of war but soon turned into a camp for Jews and Poles (packed lunch provided en route)
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Drive from Majdanek to Zbylitowska Góra (about 3 hours)
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Zbylitowska Góra - ‘Children’s forest’ the place where 800 children were brutally murdered by Nazi soldiers. Check in and dinner at Krakow hotel (about 1 hour drive to Krakow)
OVERNIGHT: Grand Hotel, Krakow
ALL MEALS INCLUDED
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018
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Travel to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the infamous Nazi concentration camps where many Jews and others perished during WWII. Here we will see the museum and pay tribute to the victims. (packed lunch provided en route)
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Return to Krakow in the late afternoon, stopping to view the historic Schindler Factory, which functioned under the five-year Nazi occupation and where approximately 1,200 Jewish prisoners survived the Holocaust
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Walking tour of Jewish Quarter of Kazmierz, the historic center of Jewish Krakow including meeting with locals at JCC
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Evening: Explore Krakow’s Old Town and the grounds of Wawel Castle, built at the behest of King Casimir III the Great- Dinner on own
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Connect to LOT flight #3922 leaving Krakow to Warsaw at 9:10 p.m.
OVERNIGHT: En route to Israel
MEALS INCLUDED: Breakfast & Lunch
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2018
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Arrive at Ben Gurion with Flight #151 at 3:45 a.m.
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VIP greeting at Ben Gurion Airport where we will meet our Israeli staff team and be escorted to our awaiting coach transportation.
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Ascend to Jerusalem stopping at the Kotel for an intimate opening ceremony
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Visit the Jewish Agency’s Alma Pre-Army Academy. Meet with the participants to understand how Alma expands opportunities for young Israeli women from challenging backgrounds by offering a shorter-term, lower-cost experience that provides an empowering learning environment and prepares these promising young women for meaningful army service.
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Enjoy free time to relax and explore Jerusalem on your own or participate in optional walking tours
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Enter the Old City to experience Kabbalat Shabbat at the Western Wall followed by dinner in the Jewish Quarter at the historic Sephardic Center joined by a Lone Soldier in the IDF (private room)
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Walk back to our hotel and experience the quiet of Shabbat in Jerusalem
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Evening: Optional walking tour led by guide
OVERNIGHT: Herbert Samuel Hotel, Jerusalem
MEALS INCLUDED: Breakfast & Dinner
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2018
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Morning options: Shabbat services, run/yoga activities or relaxation time
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Shabbat lunch is included at the hotel followed by a meeting with Elisheva Mazya, the founder of Ruach Hadasha, an organization dedicated to ensuring Jerusalem remains a pluralistic and culturally vibrant city
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Afternoon walking tour of Yemin Moshe and Rehavia: In the footsteps of the great Zionist leaders’ walking tour of Yemin Moshe. Yemin Moshe was the first Jewish neighborhood to be established in the modern era outside the walls of the Old City. The picturesque 19th century area, founded by Moshe Montefiore, has seen quite its share of the city’s tumultuous modern history; it sits on the seam between East and West.
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Havdallah ceremony overlooking the Old City Walls - Celebrate the start of a new week
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Free evening to explore Jerusalem on own or attend a performance at the Jerusalem Theatre (extra)
OVERNIGHT: Herbert Samuel Hotel, Jerusalem
MEALS INCLUDED: Breakfast & Lunch
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2018
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Journey to the Galilee -- Spend the morning and enjoy a delicious falafel lunch in Afula, New Haven’s Partnership2Gether region located in the Jezreel Valley.
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Tour a spice farm in Beit Lechem HaGlilit that has been growing herbs and spices for over 50 years and explore this restored Templar Colony village
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Tasting, tour, and dinner at the historic Carmel Winery, founded in 1882 by Edmond James de Rothschild in Zichron Yaakov
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Travel to Tel Aviv and check in to our hotel along the coast -- Shalom to our guide and driver!