If you’re an American Jew, the chances are that at least some of your ancestors came to the US from Europe or Russia. It can be a wonderful – and often poignant – experience to visit the neighborhoods, streets and synagogues that our forebears knew. Customized Jewish heritage tours in Europe are also vitally important for the next generation. Guided tours of Poland, Hungary, France, Holland and other European countries can help our teens to develop a strong and positive Jewish identity!
Jewish Heritage Tours in Europe: Exploring Poland
Krakow: The Historical Jewel of Polish Jewry
Poland is hugely significant for Jews. It’s arguably the country that witnessed both the zenith and the nadir of Jewish history in Europe. Warsaw and Krakow are two of the best Jewish travel destinations in Europe. The beauty and past glories of Krakow’s Kazimierz (Jewish district), with the beautiful Old Synagogue and 16th century Remuh Synagogue, give a profound insight into the depth and richness of Polish Jewish culture.
Jews first moved to Krakow in the 13th century and the city thrived during the Golden Age of Polish Jewry (c. 1500-1648). Krakow was home to famous scholars and rabbis like Joel Sirkes and Moses Isserles.
A 30 mile drive to the west, along the modern Highway 44, offers a pleasant view of the flat Polish farmland and picturesque villages. It looks entirely innocuous – until you come to the signs for the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp museum and memorial. At least 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were murdered at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Many US Jews lost relatives during those terrible years and a visit to the Auschwitz museum and memorial can be both a challenging and deeply moving experience.
Today, Krakow has a Jewish community of over 25,000 people and the city’s Jewish heritage is well preserved. It’s also a great place to sample kosher Polish and traditional Ashkenazi food. We recommend exploring the city – certainly the Kazimierz – as part of a guided walking tour. There is so much history, and so many human stories and anecdotes, that you really need an English speaking guide to get the most out of your visit.
Warsaw: Tragedy and Heroism
Warsaw is the capital of Poland and it is a modern and sophisticated European city and one of the top luxury travel destinations in Europe. In a sense, Warsaw was also the pre-war capital of Jewish Europe with over 375,000 Jewish residents. Only New York had more Jewish citizens. Warsaw was home to the Main Judaic Library, the beautiful Nożyk Synagogue, and to several other important Jewish cultural, religious and political institutions. Despite antisemitism, a new generation of Jews spoke Polish in preference to Yiddish and sought to play a role in public life.
When the Germans conquered Poland in 1940, they unleashed brutal savagery against Polish Jews.
Visitors can learn more about the history of Polish Jewry in the superb POLIN Museum which faces the Ghetto Heroes Monument. The core exhibition takes guests through 1,000 years of history. The museum also has some useful archival and genealogical research facilities. If you’re keen to trace your Polish Jewish roots, Gil Travel can connect you to professional (English speaking) researchers and historians who may be able to compile a detailed family history dossier prior to your visit to Poland. A customized tour can include visits to sites connected to your ancestors.
Jewish Heritage Tours in Europe: Berlin
Berlin is arguably the best Jewish heritage travel destination in Europe, but it is also one of the most problematic. Berlin was the center of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskalah) and – for a short time – a model of integration. By 1914, German Jewish officers were commanding troops in the Kaiser’s army. A generation later, Hitler’s army was unleashed upon German Jews. Berlin, the progressive and cosmopolitan home to generations of Jewish thinkers, scientists and rabbis became the violent capital of the Nazi Third Reich.
Modern Berlin has transformed itself beyond all recognition. If you’re looking for the top luxury travel destinations in Europe, Berlin is a strong contender for first place. Gil travel can arrange luxury accommodation, including kosher hotels, that are convenient for exploring the Berlin Jewish Museum, the old Jewish quarter (Jüdenstraße und Jüdenhof), the Moorish style New Synagogue and Holocaust Memorial. The stark and compelling monument consists of 2,711 rectangular concrete blocks, while the adjacent information center holds the names of over 3 million Holocaust victims.
✡The 37th annual Jewish cultural festival in Berlin will take place between the 12 – 22nd of September 2024. If you’d like to attend this fascinating celebration of contemporary and historical Jewish art, music, literature and film, talk to Gil Travel about creating a personalized tour of Berlin.
Jewish Heritage Tours in Europe: Budapest
The stunning city Budapest straddles the massive Danube river. Since the fall of Communism, it has emerged as one of the best and most interesting Jewish travel destinations in Central Europe. Hungary is believed to have been home to a Jewish community since the time of the Roman Empire. The medieval Jewish quarter of Buda was destroyed in the war of 1686, but generations of Budapest’s Jews lived in the modern quarter. They built the iconic Dohány Street Synagogue – one of Europe’s largest – and the neighboring Judeo-Art Nouveau Kazinczy Street Synagogue and Rumbach Street Synagogue.
Today there are an estimated 150,000 Hungarian Jews (although exact numbers are hard to come by). Budapest is home to one of the most poignant Holocaust memorials in the world; the Shoes on the Danube Bank. The monument commemorates the massacre of Jews (and others) by Hungarian fascists – who stole their shoes before gunning them into the Danube.
France: The Queen of Luxury Travel Destinations in Europe
Plenty of countries around the world offer luxury travel experience, but few can match France when it comes to combining luxury with refined style and centuries of cultural heritage. France is also one of the best – and most rewarding – Jewish travel destinations in Europe. The vibrant Jewish Quarter in Paris, known as Le Marais, is a wonderful place to explore on foot, soaking up the ambience and visiting Jewish cafes and restaurants (Paris is home to over one hundred kosher restaurants and the gastronomical experience is world class.)
Le Marais is also home to kosher butchers and delis, Jewish bookstores, as well as the Museum of Jewish Art and History and the Shoah Memorial. A guided walking tour should also take in the impressive Synagogue de la Victoire. Perhaps the biggest pleasure is to explore Le Marais on a warm evening, or an atmospheric autumn afternoon. You can order a glass of wine or cognac, and watch the people of the modern Jewish quarter come and go.
Parisians may disagree, but there is much more to France than Paris. The sunny South of France was home to historic Jewish communities in Provence who forged a unique Judeo-Provençal culture with their own dialects and literature. They built the spectacular Carpentras Synagogue in 1367 which is one of the best – if least-known Jewish heritage travel destinations in Europe.There are still Jewish communities in the Southern cities of Nice and Marseille and the region produces some amazing kosher food, often influenced by North African Jewish cuisine.
Amsterdam: The Jerusalem of the West
Amsterdam is a wonderful luxury travel destination and is also the European city where two distinct Jewish cultures gradually merged. Amsterdam was initially settled by Sephardic Jewish merchants from Spain and Portugal. The community thrived, and was largely tolerated, building the famous Portuguese Synagogue. They were joined in the 1600s by waves of Ashkenazi Jews fleeing war and persecution in Poland and Lithuania. Initially poor, the Ashkenazis prospered and built the Great Synagogue, as well as schools and cultural institutions.
The Holocaust devastated the Dutch Jewish community, they are commemorated by the Holocaust memorial and the Anne Frank House, as well as in exhibitions in the Jewish Historical museum. The Jewish Cultural Quarter is a modern organization that works to preserve Jewish history in Amsterdam and educate future generations about The Netherland’s rich Jewish heritage. Dutch Jews generally speak excellent English and Gil Travel can arrange access to local cultural and social events in Amsterdam.
Plan a Luxury Jewish Heritage Tour in Europe
Gil Travel has decades of experience arranging luxury Jewish heritage tours of important European destinations, as well as many less well-known places with a Jewish history. If you want to explore your own family heritage and visit the places where your Jewish ancestors lived and worked, or you just want to travel and explore fascinating cities, Gil Travel will work with you to create the perfect itinerary (including kosher hotels and full Shabbat observance).
We really think that it’s vital to educate teens about their Jewish roots and heritage – as well as the tragic fate of so many European Jews. If you have kids or grandkids, we can arrange a family trip with enough activities to keep younger members interested and entertained, while providing important educational content and life changing experiences. Talk to us today about planning the perfect luxury tour of Jewish sites in Europe.
