LITHUANIA & LATVIA - A JOURNEY IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HEBREW CREATIVITY AND A JEWISH WORLD

Itinerary

Day 1, Wednesday Arrival to Vilna

Departure from home gateway to Lithuania. Arrival to Vilna, meeting and orientation at the hotel.

Day 2, Thursday Vilna – Zezhmir – Kaunas – Ninth Fort - Vilna

This morning we'll travel to Kaunas – Kovno. On the way we'll stop in the village of Zezhmir where we'll see a unique ancient synagogue built of wood. Continuing to Kovno, the second largest city in Lithuania, where we'll stroll down cobbled streets still named for its famous Jewish residents. There's the writer Abraham Mapu, and Lugwig Zamenhof – father of the Esperanto language. We'll stop by the home of the poetess Leah Goldberg and talk of her works. We'll see the old Jewish hospital, the ancient city square, the synagogue and the memorial to the Jewish children killed during the Holocaust. After lunch, we'll continue to the suburb of Slobodka, renowned for its famous Yeshiva, and which became the ghetto during the war years. This is where Mapu wrote his famous works "Love of Zion" and "The Guilt of Samaria." On our way back to Vilna we'll stop at the Ninth Fort, which was used as an incarceration and death camp during World War II. Overnight in Vilna.

Day 3, Friday Vilna – Ponary – Trakiai - Vilna

This morning we'll visit the site where the Jews of Vilna were murdered en masse - at the Ponary Forest. Shmerke Katcherginski wrote his heart-rending poem about this place: "Quiet, quiet, let's be silent son, graves are growing here…" We'll continue to Trakiai, the ancient capital of Lithuania's princes, located among some beautiful lakes. We'll visit the Trakiai museum and then make our way back to Vilna. We'll visit the ancient cemetery where we'll find the graves of the Gaon of Vilna, and alongside it, the grave of the Righteous Convert, Abraham ben Abraham Potocki, and other rabbis, poets and writers. Preparations for Shabbat, Shabbat services and Shabbat evening meal.

Day 4, Shabbat Vilna

After Shabbat services and lunch we'll depart for a walking tour of the city, "Jerusalem of Lithuiania." We'll stroll down Gaon Street, and the Jews' Street where we'll see the statue of the Gaon; we'll visit the place where the Shulhof - the main synagogue once stood along with the Jewish community buildings. We'll pass through the building where the Strashun Library - the most noted and richest Jewish library in the Jewish world - once stood. We'll walk along the streets of the Jewish ghetto and the courtyard of the "Judenrat" as we try to review the events of the ghetto uprising, led by Yitzhak Wittenberg and Abba Kovner. Overnight in Vilna.

Day 5, Sunday Vilna – Ponevezh – Shavli - Riga

Today we set out toward Riga, the capital of Latvia. We'll travel north to Ponevezh where we'll see the building that housed the famous yeshiva in the city. We'll concentrate on the personality of Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Kahaneman, the founder and head of the Yeshiva. We'll continue to the town of Shavli, where well see how the Jews lived, specially the renowned Frankel family. We'll visit the Hill of Crosses, an unusual pilgrimage site. From here we'll continue to Riga. Overnight in Riga.

Day 6, Monday Riga

We'll start the tour with a panoramic view of the city. We'll continue to the old city where we'll pass through the Swedish Gate, the Central Cathedral, the Cat House, Blackhead's House, Guild House and Matzendorf House. We'll devote the afternoon to Jewish Riga; we'll visit the former Jewish quarter, the local synagogue, the Jewish museum in the communal center that tells the history of the Jews of Latvia, the monument to the Central Synagogue that was burnt down by the Nazis of July 4, 1941. We'll also visit the memorial site at Bikernieki Forest. Overnight in Riga.

Day 7, Tuesday Riga – Home Gateway

This morning we'll complete our tour of the city, examining the art-nouveau architecture of the city preserved by UNESCO. Afterwards we'll make our way to the airport for our departure to our home gateway.

Price Includes

• Return International Flights
• Upper Class tourist hotels
• Entrance to all sites mentioned in the tour plan
• Breakfast + Dinner every day of the tour
• Professional, experienced Israeli guide from Shai Bar Ilan's staff

Price Excludes

• Group Visa to Belarus (about $100)
• Travel and baggage Insurance
• Personal Expenses
• Tips for local service providers: €50
• Changes in air fares due to increases in fuel, airport tax and security tax surcharges, as they become known prior to the tour.
• Tip for Israeli guide (Recommended: $3 per person per tour day)

Important To Know
* There may be changes to the schedule and hotel reservations dependent upon internal flights. We will make every effort to visit every location mentioned.
* Day of departure and arrival are included in the total days of the tour. Insurance is required for the full 17 days.


Insurance
We urge all passengers to purchase travel and cancellation insurance immediately upon registration for the tour. This ensures a refund of expenses in case of cancellation.

Exchange Rates
Due to the frequent fluctuations in international exchange rates which cause increases in costs of services paid in US dollars, the final cost of the tour will be calculated close to the departure of the tour. Any increases will be borne by the passenger until final payment of the full price has been made.

Date And Prices

Terms