Jews have lived in Europe since the Roman Empire. As Europe’s cities began to grow and prosper at the end of the Dark Ages, they attracted new Jewish communities who contributed to their economic and cultural life. Jewish quarters became features of many cities, and the most famous thrived as centers of commerce and scholarship, producing luminaries like Rashi, the Maharal of Prague, and the Gaon of Vilna.
Europe’s old Jewish neighborhoods still contain many perfectly maintained cultural treasures; synagogues, schools and libraries and traditional Jewish quarter street markets. They are popular destinations for US Jews who want to explore their European Jewish heritage and give their children and grandchildren precious insights into their family history and cultural heritage. Jewish ghetto history is a fascinating part of the Jewish story. A customized Gil Travel tour of Europe to visit Jewish heritage sites is a wonderful educational adventure for every age group!
The Historical Significance of Jewish Quarters: A Personal Connection
The huge majority of American Jews can trace their recent ancestry back to the old Jewish neighborhoods of Europe and Russia. The distinctive cultures of the ghettos with their strong sense of community and shared values (often in the face of prejudice and oppression) have shaped modern Jewish identity. Our daily attitudes and outlooks are shaped by a cultural link – through previous generations – to the Jewish quarters in places as diverse as Prague, Krakow and Amsterdam.
The world is changing rapidly and it’s vital to preserve our Jewish cultural heritage – including our European Jewish heritage – for future generations. Gil Travel is at the forefront of the effort to protect this unique heritage and educate future generations about their origins and the treasures (and tragedies) of 2,000 years of European Jewish history. As part of its commitment to the preservation of Jewish ghetto history, Gil Travel can arrange private tours of archives and collections, as well as lectures and by historical experts. We can also arrange for local researchers to investigate your European family history, hopefully discovering your ancestors and key details about their lives.
Prague’s Jewish Quarter: VIP Access to Josefov’s Treasures
Prague is arguably Europe’s most beautiful city and one of its treasures is the traditional Jewish quarter known as the Josefov. Sadly, most of the Josefov’s winding medieval streets were demolished over a century ago as part of an urban renewal program. What remains is a valuable part of European Jewish heritage and is a wonderful place to explore as part of a private walking tour.
A Gil Travel tour of Prague can include private after-hours tours of the six famous Josefov synagogues, including the Old New Synagogue whose gothic architecture dates back to the 13th century. You can also enjoy a guided tour of Franz Kafka’s birthplace and visit the 18th century Jewish Town Hall and the ancient Jewish cemetery. If you opt for personalized genealogy research assistance, we may be able to locate your ancestors’ graves, or surviving buildings that were once part of their lives.
The Josefov is a small, but extremely atmospheric place. A guided tour can deliver a real insight into how generations of Czech Jews lived and worked and the daily world they knew. Gil Travel can make your trip to Prague even more memorable by arranging luxurious accommodation in restored historical buildings and exclusive kosher dining with local chefs. Kosher Czech food and drink is a gastronomical adventure!
Krakow’s Kazimierz: A Renaissance of Jewish Culture
Krakow is a historical jewel that rivals Prague for its beauty. The city of Krakow also has a 700 year old Jewish history and was once a thriving spiritual and cultural center of Polish Jewry. The actual Jewish neighborhood in Krakow is in the Kazimierz and its Old Synagogue dates back to the 1400s. Safety was always a consideration and the Jewish community obtained the right to enclose their community with walls known as Oppidum Judaeorum. Jewish Kazimierz came to be known as the Oppidum. The walls were demolished in 1822 and the community became more integrated into Krakow society.
By World War Two there were as many as 80,000 Jews in Krakow and over 100 synagogues. The Nazi occupiers instituted a new Krakow ghetto as the first stage of the Holocaust. Most of the city’s Jews were deported and murdered. Despite the Shoah and the ravages of war, the Kazimierz endures and there is still a Jewish community. There are 6 synagogues to explore and the beautiful Tempel Synagogue in Miodowa Street and the orthodox Remah Synagogue still welcome worshipers. The Tempel’s Reform congregation hosts concerts and community events, as well as the annual Krakow Jewish Cultural Festival.
Anybody who has seen Steven Spielberg’s compelling film Schindler’s List will recognise the Kazimierz. Spielberg felt that the district was ideal for portraying wartime Poland and filmed several scenes there. His 1993 production put Krakow on the travel map – and contributed to its preservation – just as Poland was emerging from the darkness of Communism.
Venice’s Ghetto: The World’s First Jewish Quarter
Venice is a spectacular city and UNESCO World Heritage Site built on 126 islands of the Venetian Lagoon and separated by waterways. In its heyday, Venice was a rich Renaissance city, a maritime power and a center of international trade and finance. Not surprisingly, Venice attracted a Jewish community – and contributed the word “ghetto” to the English language!
Like many European cities, Venice alternately tolerated and oppressed Jews. In 1516 the authorities compelled the Jews to live in the Geto district and strictly regulated their commercial and professional activities – and their freedom of movement. Ghetto became Getto and finally Ghetto. It was Napoleon who ended Jewish segregation in Venice in 1797.
Modern Venice is an amazing place to visit as part of a Jewish Heritage Tour to Italy. Private tours of the city’s unique Jewish architecture and synagogues (Scole) take you back to the heart of Jewish ghetto history. Venice was a Jewish melting pot and the synagogues were built by various Ashkenazi communities and their Levantine, Sephardic and Italian counterparts. The modern Venetian Ghetto is a vibrant and lively place with a lot to see. Gil Travel can arrange a private tour of the Renato Maestro Library and Archives (containing more than 8,000 volumes) and of the Jewish Museum of Venice.
Amsterdam’s Jewish Quarter: A Testament to Resilience
Many Americans are surprised to learn that Amsterdam’s first major Jewish community originated in Spain and Portugal. They fled the savagery of the Inquisitions to build a better life in the rapidly growing mercantile port. The Sephardic Jews built the spectacular Portuguese Synagogue or Esnoga at the heart of the Jodenbuurt or Jewish quarter. The famous Ets Haim Library (Livraria Montezinos) is located next to the Esnoga and contains at least 25,000 books and manuscripts. Although the library isn’t open to casual visitors, Gil Travel can organize special private tours and lectures.
Amsterdam is famous for the story of Anne Frank, the Jewish teen who hid from the Nazis in a secret annex until she and her family were betrayed and deported to Auschwitz. Anne died of typhus in the camps, but her diary was published after the war and remains an international bestseller. The Anne Frank House was preserved and is a major tourist attraction. A customized tour of Amsterdam will also include the Jewish Historical Museum and the Jewish Children’s Museum.
Amsterdam is a sophisticated city that is easy to get around and explore on foot or by bicycle. Gil Travel can tailor a tour that matches the weather and your personal appetite for exertion. If you visit in winter, or you prefer to drive, you can explore the city with private transport and an English speaking guide. Gil Travel can create an itinerary that includes stays in the city’s most luxurious hotels – including kosher hotels and kosher dining.
Budapest’s Jewish Quarter: A Blend of Past and Present
Budapest is an ancient city and river port that straddles the majestic Danube. At its best, Budapest has an almost magical quality. A thousand years of Jewish history left their architectural and cultural mark on Budapest and one of the most impressive sites is the Great Synagogue on Dohany Square. Built in 1859, the Great Synagogue is famous for its rose windows and silverware. Today, it is home to the Hungarian Jewish Museum.
The modern Jewish quarter in Budapest dates back to the late 1700s and is part of the city’s District 7. It’s a popular place today with dozens of top quality food and craft coffee venues, and a world famous ruin bar (romkocsma) scene. Eating and drinking aside, a guided tour of the Jewish quarter will include the Dohany, Kazinczy and Rumbach synagogues and the opportunity to check out street art, bookstores and the distinctive architecture of the district.
Hungarian Jews suffered horrifically in World War Two and there are several museums and memorials to the victims of the Shoah and Hungarian fascism. Gil Travel has extensive contacts in Budapest and can create customized guided tours focusing on World War II history. The Holocaust Memorial Center is a modern and strikingly designed museum. A private tour will usually also include a trip to the House of Terror museum and to the banks of the Danube and the iconic Shoes Memorial.
Rome’s Jewish Ghetto: Ancient Roots and Modern Vibrancy
The city of Rome was the heart of the empire that brought destruction and tragedy to ancient Israel, but was still home to a Jewish community (beginning with Maccabean envoys in 161 BCE). 2,200 years later there is still a community of 20,000 Jews in Rome. The city’s Jewish Ghetto (Ghetto di Roma) was established in 1555. For most of its history, the Ghetto was controlled by the papacy and Jews endured primitive conditions, oppression and poverty.
The modern district that once housed the Ghetto is a pleasant neighborhood to explore on foot. A section of the Ghetto wall remains and the area is home to the stunning Great Synagogue of Rome. In the synagogue’s basement is the Jewish Museum with famous collections of silverware and religious artifacts and historical artwork. Talk to Gil Travel about a private tour of the Great Synagogue, the adjacent Spanish Synagogue and the museum.
If you like Italian food, you’re in for a real treat when you explore traditional Roman-Jewish cuisine. Cucina ebraica romana is a mixture of Mediterranean and Levantine influences and includes fried artichokes, grilled meats, fried fish, and sticky sweets with honey and nuts. A private walking tour of Jewish Rome can call in at some of the city’s best kosher eateries and can be tailored to focus on any special historical or cultural interests, revealing hidden gems that most tourists will simply never see.
Plan a Tailored Tour of Europe’s Jewish Quarters
World UNESCO Heritage Sites like Venice and the beautiful cities of Prague, Amsterdam and Krakow are home to some of the most important European Jewish heritage sites and historical Jewish quarters. If you want to teach your children or grandchildren about their own heritage and family history, or wider Jewish history, nothing beats actually visiting places like the Josefov and the Kazimierz and exploring them on foot with a professional guide.
Talk to Gil Travel today about arranging a luxury tailored tour, either for a small family group or for a synagogue congregation or specialist group tour. Gil Travel will work closely with you to create the perfect itinerary and a trip that goes way beyond the average tourist visit for cultural insight, historical experience and sheer range of interest!
