Take your students on an unforgettable journey
For students, faculty and researchers, there’s nothing like the opportunity to explore your academic field of interest at its source.
We create thematic–based study tours for students and faculty that combine site visits, lectures, and workshops with educational and cultural activities.
At TJHT we believe the most important ingredient in good student travel programs is variety. On the one hand, students and faculty will visit the great monuments of the Jewish past in Poland and, on the other hand, they will experience the present by visiting local flourishing institutions such as JCCs and Hillels. They will be given an opportunity to interact with their Polish peers, meet with local scholars and discuss with community leaders to ensure a fulfilling educational journey.
For the last several years we’ve been cooperating with several Hillel and university campuses from North America and beyond. 2 years ago we established a new partnership with Hillel International bringing even more Hillel study trips to Poland.
Below you will find a standard itinerary for university tours. We will be happy to adjust it to your organization’s needs.
We encourage you to emabark on this educational adventure through the richness of Jewish Polish heritage with us!
For more details please contact us at tours@taubejewishheritagetours.com
HILLEL STUDY TRIP TO POLAND SAMPLE
DRAFT ITINERARY CREATED FOR HILLEL INTERNATIONAL
All itineraries are crafted in partnership with the Hillel staff and a member of the Taube Center staff.
OPTION: WARSAW – KRAKÓW
Sunday – Sunday (8 days/7 nights)
DAY 1: SUNDAY ARRIVAL IN WARSAW
Suggested arrival by 2:00 pm Arrival at the Chopin Airport
If flying as a group, the participants will be met by a member of the Taube Center staff and accompanied to the hotel. If flying individually, participants will be given directions on how to transfer to the hotel.
Check-in, time to refresh
Welcome and orientation session at the hotel
Introductory guided walking tour of Warsaw’s Old Town
The Old Town was established in the 13th century with Jewish roots dating back to the 15th century. It was almost completely destroyed during WWII and recreated after the war. Warsaw’s Old Town has been placed on UNESCO’s list of World 1 Heritage Sites as “an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century”.
Group dinner in the Old Town
Overnight in Warsaw
DAY 2: MONDAY:
WHY SHOULD WE LEARN ABOUT POLISH JEWISH HISTORY?
Breakfast at the hotel
Framing the day session with Taube Center Staff & the group’s leader.
Guided walk to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
The Museum, situated on the plaza vis-a-vis the Warsaw Ghetto Heroes Memorial, creates a dynamic historical complex, which memorializes the past and honors 1,000 years of the Polish-Jewish co-existence. POLIN, with its eight-gallery core exhibition, has been internationally recognized and draws guests from Poland and around the world.
Audio-guided visit to the Core Exhibition with guide questions
Post-visit reflection session with Polin Museum staff
Lunch at the POLIN’s Restaurant
Guided walking tour of the former Warsaw Ghetto and its memorials
Walk or tram to the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute
The Institute, established in 1947, is the world’s largest repository of material Polish Jewish heritage. Among its thousands of publications, artifacts, and testimonies, are the treasured Emanuel Ringelblum Archives. The Institute’s core exhibition, “What We Were Unable to Shout Out to the World” is dedicated to the Underground Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto and its creators – the Oneg Shabbat group.
Visit the core exhibition What We’ve Been Unable to Shout out the World
Wrap-up session at the Taube Center space
Dinner on your own (recommendations will be provided)
Overnight in Warsaw
DAY 3: TUESDAY
WHO SHAPED JEWISH LIFE IN WARSAW?
Breakfast at the hotel
Framing the day session
Walk to Plac Grzybowski
Guided walking tour of a formerly middle-class neighborhood with a visit to the
Nozyk Synagogue, which serves today’s Jewish community.
The Nozyk, an iconic symbol of the continuity of Jewish life in Poland’s capital, is the only synagogue in Warsaw to survive the Second World War and the communist period.
Van to Okopowa Jewish Cemetery
The Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe, was established in 1806. The cemetery reflects more than 200 years of Jewish life in Warsaw and contains over 250,000 graves. The site also includes the mass graves of the Warsaw Ghetto victims and a memorial to the members of Oneg Shabbat.
Guided walking tour of the cemetery
Van to Muranow
Lunch in a Milk Bar (Pol. Bar mleczny; Polish cafeteria that during the Communist era provided government-subsidized traditional Polish cuisine at low cost. The name comes from cheese cutlets, which were often sold when meat was rare) in Muranow
Guided walking tour of contemporary Warsaw including sites connected to social-realism architecture concluding at the 30th floor of the Palace of Culture and Science
Dinner at JCC Warsaw + meeting with local community representatives
Overnight in Warsaw
DAY 4: WEDNESDAY
THE 11TH COMMANDMENT: THOU SHALT NOT BE INDIFFERENT
Breakfast at the hotel
Framing the day session at the hotel
Drive to Praga, the neighborhood on the right side of the Vistula River
Tour of Jewish Praga
Lunch in Praga
Drive to Warsaw ZOO
Visit the Żabiński Villa, a safe haven for Jews during World War II
A modernist villa where director Jan Żabiński and his wife, Antonina, sheltered over 200 Jews seeking refuge during German Nazi occupation. Their story inspired the book and film: “The Zookeepers’ Wife”.
Museum of Polish Vodka + workshops with a mixologist
Koneser Vodka Factory produced the spirit from 1897 to 2007. The space was redeveloped in 2018, now it is a huge complex, which consists of 18 buildings, and includes plenty of bars and restaurants.
Van or coach back to the city center
Dinner with Hillel Warsaw
Overnight in Warsaw
DAY 5: THURSDAY
JEWISH KRAKOW: PRESENCE OF ABSENCE; ABSENCE OF PRESENCE
Breakfast in the hotel
Check out
Load your luggage into the van. The luggage will be transferred directly to the hotel in Krakow.
Express Train to Krakow (2,5 hour ride)
Guided tour of Krakow’s Jewish quarter
Kazimierz is a historical district of Kraków, which for many centuries–has been the center of Jewish life in the city. With its seven surviving synagogues and a vibrant JCC, Kazimierz draws locals and tourists interested in exploring Jewish Krakow, past and present.
Lunch on your own in Kazimierz
Welcome to the Krakow session led by a local guide or scholar
Visit to the Galicia Jewish Museum followed by a discussion on maintaining memory/what are we responsible for and to whom.
The Galicia Jewish Museum, created in 2004, commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and celebrates the Jewish culture of Polish Galicia. The Museum is located in the heart of Kazimierz and is one of Poland’s most visited Jewish museums and cultural centers.
Check-in
Recommended hotel: Lwowska 1 Aparthotel
How and why do We Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau? Preparatory session at the hotel
Dinner
Overnight in Krakow
DAY 6: FRIDAY
FROM DARKNESS TO HOPE
Early breakfast in the hotel
Departure to Auschwitz – Birkenau Memorial and Museum
Guided tour of Birkenau (with Auschwitz-Birkenau guide) –
Short break. Boxed lunch in the car park
The tour continues to the Auschwitz I Museum concluding with a visit to the “Shoah” exhibit in Block 27
Reflection session at the Auschwitz Jewish Center
Auschwitz Jewish Center was opened to honor Oświęcim’s former residents and teach future generations about the Holocaust. The facilities include a Jewish Museum, a Synagogue, an Educational Center, and a cafe. The memory of its Jewish population is preserved in the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue, the city’s only 5 surviving Jewish house of prayer, and Cafe Bergson, located in the house of the last Jewish resident.
Van to Krakow
Preparation for Shabbat in the hotel
Shabbat dinner at JCC Krakow
Overnight in Kraków
DAY 7: SATURDAY
KRAKOW: THE ROYAL CITY
Breakfast in the hotel
Optional: Shabbat services or free morning – a list of recommendations will be provided
Lunch with Hillel Krakow
Guided tour of Old Town
Krakow Old Town contains some of the most breathtaking medieval architectural gems in all of Europe. A prime example of that is The Wawel Royal Castle, which was the political and cultural heart of Poland until the end of the 16th century. Another noteworthy site is Collegium Maius, established in 1364 as part of The Jagiellonian University; one of the oldest academic institutions in the world. We also have to mention the Main Market Square, a staple of Krakow’s architecture and one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe, with a beautiful Cloth Hall standing in its center.
Free time to explore Krakow – list of recommendations will be provided
Havdalah at the river bank
Farewell Dinner
DAY: 8 SUNDAY
DEPARTURES
Breakfast in the hotel
Check out, and load luggage onto the van/coach
Optional visits to one of Krakow’s many museums or explore the city on your own
Wrap-up session in Planty, the former border of the ancient Old Town, now the largest public park in Krakow
Depending on the weather, the wrap-up session will be held either outdoors or indoors.
Light lunch
Departure to the airport
Departure to the USA
