Travel Central Europe: Discover With American and Israeli Jewish Teens

Itinerary

Daily Details

DAY 1 | SUNDAY, JULY 6

Depart from North America on an overnight flight to Europe

DAY 2 | Monday, JULY 7

Arrive to Berlin in the early afternoon (TBD)

Meet our European staff team and travel to Tiergarten Park for an orientation

Walk through the monumental Brandenburg Gate and view the Reichstag – home to Germany’s parliament (Bundestag), 

Walk through Berlin’s striking Holocaust Memorials 

Enjoy Indoor rock climbing and bouldering at Magic Mountain Berlin

Check-in to our hotel in central Berlin followed by a kosher welcome dinner 

Group Orientation and group bonding activity

OVERNIGHT: Berlin, Germany 

DAY 3 Tuesday, JULY 8

• Learn about the Stolpersteine project and how it forces contemporary Germans to grapple with their history in the course of their daily lives
• Walking tour of Berlin’s Jewish Quarter and a visit to the 19th century “New Synagogue” including a visit to the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Rosenstrasse Women's Memorial
• lunch and exploration time in the Hackescher Market
• Learn about Germany’s Cold War history discovering remnants of the Berlin Wall and visiting Checkpoint Charlie
• Learn how to craft your own graffiti art at the East Side Gallery
• Evening: Dinner at Hummus & Friends, an Israeli restaurant in Berlin

OVERNIGHT: Berlin, Germany 

DAY 4 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 9

• Travel outside of the city to tour Teufelsberg – Discover the ruins of this Cold War spy station on an artificial hill overlooking Berlin
• Travel to nearby Potsdam to break for lunch and exploration time along Brandenburger Street and the Dutch Quarter

• Stand-up paddle boarding and beach time at Wannsee Lake
• Return to Berlin, making a brief stop at Platform 17 Memorial along the way

OVERNIGHT: Berlin, Germany

DAY 5 | THURSDAY, JULY 10

• Head north through the Bohemian countryside towards Prague
• Travel to the Bohemian Switzerland National Park for a hiking and boating adventure in the towering Kamnitz Gorge (packed lunch)
• Ascend Petrin Hill for a view of the Czechia capital from Raoul Wallenberg Promenade
• Check-in to our hotel near Prague’s Old Town
• Evening: Attend a classical music concert staged in the iconic Spanish Synagogue of Prague

OVERNIGHT: Prague, Czechia

DAY 6 | FRIDAY, JULY 11

• Venture into the countryside to explore Karlštejn Castle and Koneprusy Caves 
• Return to Prague and take part in an outdoor archery attack team competition
• Ascend to Prague Castle and tour the world’s largest castle
• Return to the hotel – time to prepare for Shabbat
• Welcome the Jewish day of rest with Kabbalat Shabbat at a local Prague Jewish Quarter synagogue followed by a traditional Shabbat dinner

OVERNIGHT: Prague, Czechia

DAY 7 | SATURDAY, JULY 12

• Explore Josefov, Europe's best-preserved Jewish Quarter – visit the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Altneuschul (Old-New Synagogue), and Jerusalem Shul
• View Franz Kafka's home in the Jewish Quarter and learn about the Maharal, a renowned medieval rabbi, and his connection to the Prague Golem, the supernatural Jewish legend that once stalked the dark corners of Josefov
• Stand up paddle boarding on the Vlata River
• Evening: Havdalah ceremony – celebrate the start of a new week followed by a Group night out on foot at Old Town Square

• OVERNIGHT: Prague, Czechia 

DAY 8 | SUNDAY, JULY 13

• White water rafting adventure on an Olympic-qualifying course just outside of Prague
• Explore the world heritage jewels of Prague including the Astronomical Clock, Old Town Square, and the Klementinum Library
• Cross the historic Charles Bridge, view the Prague Metronome, and break for afternoon sports and hangtime at a local park
• Evening: Attend a Black Light Theater performance – a uniquely Prague cultural tradition

OVERNIGHT: Prague, Czechia 

DAY 9 | MONDAY, JULY 14

• Travel to Vienna, stopping to spend the day at Aqualand Moravia, one of Europe’s largest waterparks
• Introduction to Jewish life in Vienna in the historic Jewish neighborhood of Leopoldtadt where we will view the Temple Shul Memorial
• Arrive to Vienna and check-in to our hotel
• Evening at Prater, an old-world amusement park in the heart of Vienna, and ride the iconic 19th-century Riesenrad giant Ferris wheel

OVERNIGHT: Vienna, Austria

DAY 10 | TUESDAY, JULY 15

•  Explore Judenplatz, the center of Vienna’s Jewish life since the Middle Ages, and visit the Stadttempel
• Walk along Berggasse Street where we’ll learn about the world-changing ideas of Sigmund Freud and Theodore Herzl who lived here
• Break for lunch in Naschmarkt – a colorful 16th-century market in the heart of the city
• Travel to CopaBeach along the Danube River where you'll have the opportunity to swim in the river, and relax along the beach and experience a floating trampoline 
• Evening: group night out at Vienna’s Millenium Mall + Bowling 

OVERNIGHT: Vienna, Austria

DAY 11 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 16

• Explore the opulent Schönbrunn Palace's Hedge Maze & Gloriette
• Depart Vienna and travel by bus into the Wachau Valley
• Hike to the Durstein Castle ruins and explore the picturesque Durstein Village
• Evening: Night out in Vienna

OVERNIGHT: Vienna, Austria

DAY 12 | THURSDAY, JULY 17

• Travel through the Slovakian countryside to Krakow
• Break for lunch at the Velka Raca Mountain Resort 
• Ride the gondola to the summit and descend via an alpine coaster ride
• Arrive in Krakow, stopping for a brief orientation to the city from the top of Krakus Mound, an earthworks hill with mysterious origins
• Check in at the hotel

OVERNIGHT: Krakow, Poland 

DAY 13 | FRIDAY, JULY 18

• Arrive at the grounds of Auschwitz II - Birkenau where the full horror of the extermination of 1.5 million Jewish People is palpable 
• Continue on to Auschwitz I, the original camp that served as the administrative center for the entire complex.
• Processing session at Oswiecim Synagogue 
• Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner at the JCC of Krakow – meet with a local community member

OVERNIGHT: Krakow, Poland

DAY 14 | SATURDAY, JULY 19

• Honor the achievements of Polish Jewry dating back to the 14th Century exploring the Remu Synagogue, the Isaac Synagogue, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and Jozefa Street  
• Trace the history of the Holocaust at Krakow Ghetto and view the Oscar Schindler Factory 
• Enjoy a thrilling Bubble Football experience
• Wrap up conversation
• Evening: Group night out at Krakow's Market Square and Wawel Castle grounds

OVERNIGHT: Krakow, Poland

DAY 15 | SUNDAY, JULY 20

• Morning: Travel to the Krakow Airport for a return flight home

Questions? Contact us!

Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC
Paige Silberfein, (908) 443-9002, psilberfein@ssbjcc.org
Alex Itzhak, aitzhak@ssbjcc.org

Sid Jacobson JCC
Lauren Chizner, (516) 484-1545, lchizner@sjjcc.org

Kaiserman JCC
Rabbi Moriah SimonHazani, (610) 896-7770, msimonhazani@phillyjcc.com
Niv Sadeh, nsadeh@phillyjcc.com