Sunday May 13 – Depart New York on overnight flight to Prague.
Monday May 14 -Golden Praha” as Prague is called.
Former capital
of the Holy Roman Empire, Mid-day Hotel check-in
Intercontinental Hotel. Time to refresh ourselves and have a light
lunch at hotel. Afternoon: Tour of Prague Castle, Palace and
Golden Lane. At 7:00 pm – We meet in the lobby for a short
walk (10 min) to Welcome Dinner with members of local Masorti
community at the President's House Overnight Prague
Intercontinental Hotel.
Tuesday May 15- Lidice and Teresienstadt Concentration Camp
Full day excursion to the Theresienstadt called the “model” concentration
camp. Visit the new art museum and the recently discovered
synagogue previously hidden in a potato shed. Participate
in a memorial service at Terezin. Lidice (German: Liditz) is a village
in the Czech Republic just northwest of Prague. It is built on
the site of a previous village of the same name which, as part of
the Nazi-created Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was
destroyed on orders directly from Heinrich Himmler, Return to
hotel at 7;30 pm Dinner at a Kosher restaurant O/N Prague the
Intercontinental Hotel.
Wednesday May 16 - Jewish Heritage sites of Prague
Morning guided tour of Jewish Heritage sites of Prague: visit
Prague’s Jewish town called Josefov (Joseph’s Town). The tour
starts with a walk through the Old Town. Next to the home of
Franz Kafka you will enter the original Jewish quarter. Former
Jewish ghetto and of the oldest synagogue in Central Europe. You
will walk through the Old Jewish Cemetery and also visit several
synagogues that are a part of the unique Prague Jewish Museum
Complex. Afternoon guided tour of Classic Prague, including a
walking tour of the city through the old town square with its
famous Astronomical clock. Farewell to Prague Dinner at Dinitz
kosher restaurant in the Jewish quarters. Overnight in Prague the
Intercontinental Hotel.
Thursday May 17- From Czech Republic to the Hungary
After breakfast hotel check out, Early departure to Trebic,
Enjoy lunch in a Jewish style restaurant in Trebic’s Rachel
restaurant, after lunch Rabbi Hoffberg will guide the group
through Trebic. The ensemble of the Jewish Quarter, (UNESCO
sight, the second biggest after Jerusalem) the old Jewish cemetery
and the Basilica of St Procopius in Trebíc are reminders of
the co-existence of Jewish and Christian cultures from the Middle
Ages to the 20th century. Arriving in Budapest, We will transfer
to our hotel. En route, enjoy panoramic sightseeing -Chalavi
Dinner at hotel Overnight in Budapest at Corinthia hotel.
Friday May 18 – Jewish Heritage sites of Budapest
After breakfast– Morning guide tour of Jewish Heritage sites of
Budapest: Visit the Jewish Ghetto, the Temple of Heroes. The
world famous Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest synagogue in
Europe, Wallenberg Memorial, and the Rumbach Street
Synagogue. Get ready for Shabbat. Shabbat Dinner at Moshe
House with local Masorti group.-Overnight in Budapest Corinthia
hotel.
Shabbat May 19- Today is Shabbat -
Morning services Dohany
Street followed by lunch at Carmel, afternoon at leisure for
walking tours, Dinner evening on their own. O/N in Budapest at
Corinthia hotel.(5*)
Sunday May 20 – More Jewish Heritage sites
Explore the
Tortured History of Hungary of Budapest and the Jewish museum.
Visit to the Jewish Theological Seminary, Continue to the “House
of Terror” and the new Holocaust Museum and Jewish Museum.
Stop by “The Shoes” Memorial on the Danube bank, recite the
Mourners' Kaddish’ together. At night take a cruise down the
Danube River followed by Gypsy-atmosphere dinner
Overnight in Budapest-Overnight in Budapest Corinthia hotel.
Monday May 21 – Classic “Buda” and “Pest” and the Castle Hill
After Breakfast Guided tour of the Classic “Buda” and “Pest”
including the Castle Hill – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit
the Fishermen’s Bastion and Matthias Church. Shop along the elegant
Andrassy Avenue and visit the renowned outdoor market.
Explore the traditional Budapest Cafes with their famous pastries.
Dinner on your own. Overnight in Budapest - Corinthia hotel.
Tuesday May 22 Jewish places outside of the city
Jews have lived in the Eastern region of the country from the
beginning of the 18th century. Jews once played an important role
in the production and transport of kosher wine. Tokaj and the
neighboring villages are one of Europe’s most famous wine-producing
areas and Jews were, for many centuries, very active in viticulture.
Before the Holocaust, the Jewish communities, for
instance, Mad, Tokaj, Bodrogkeresztur, Nagykallo and
Satoraljaujhely maintained a rich spiritual life. From its earliest
days, these communities leaned toward Hassidism. Indeed, much
of the wine produced in the region was shipped north and east to
Hassidic courts in Greater Poland. The full-day tour leaves in the
morning from Budapest, featuring the following programme: Stop
in Miskolc, the second biggest Hungarian city and a local Jewish
center in Eastern Hungary. Visit the functioning 19th synagogue
(designed by Ludwig Förster, the architect of the Dohány Street
Synagogue in Budapest) and take a walk in the beautifully
restored old town. Continue to Mad to see one of the finest surviving
examples of Baroque synagogue architecture in Hungary.
The Mad synagogue (built in 1795) is one of only four surviving
synagogues of the period. Mad is exceptional because not only is
the synagogue intact with all of its rich decoration, but the
attached structure which once housed a yeshiva and the rabbi’s
residence is also intact. The entire complex is dramatically sited,
overlooking much of the town and the surrounding vineyards. Stop
in Tokaj, the capital of the most famous Hungarian wine region
and former center of a prosperous Jewish community that lived in
the area before the Holocaust. Visit the synagogue of Tokaj built
in the late 19th century, the biggest and most impressive one in
the region. Explore old wine cellars and taste some of the excellent
kosher wines. Continue to Satoraljaujhely, the town of Reb
Ismach Moshe Teitelbaum who founded the Hassidic movement in
Hungary in the early 19th century. Under the leadership of Rabbi
Moshe Teitelbaum, a Hassidic center emerged in Satoraljaujhely,
where he was the rabbi from 1808. He was famous for his knowledge
as well as for his yeshiva. Many people make a pilgrimage
from great distances to see him. His son and descendents were
Hassidic rabbis in Maramarossziget (Sighetu - Romania), and
after his death his grandson became the rabbi of Satoraljaujhely.
Visit the tomb of Reb Ismah Moshe in the old cemetery. Return
to Budapest. This evening we is our Farewell dinner at restaurant
Up on Castel hill. Overnight in Budapest - Corinthia hotel.
May 23 Departure day
After breakfast transfer to the airport
for your flight home! Begin planing your next
trip with Rabbi Androphy
Itinerary Subject to Change
Itinerary