Germany

Jewish tours to Germany – Roots, Ruins and Renaissance

For the educated Jewish traveler, few places can be more significant historically than Germany, for which “Ashkenazi” Jews are named. Jews have lived here for centuries. The great scholar, Rashi – without whom understanding the Torah would be near to impossible – lived in medieval Worms, Germany. At the other end of the spectrum, Berlin, currently the modern city in Europe, represents a developing story in German-Jewish relations. Today, it boasts a new Holocaust Monument that rivals the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, as well as a world-class Jewish Museum in the most central part of the city.

Both our Jewish Heritage tours of Germany are “think-pieces” about the richness of our past, the horrors of the Holocaust, and the re-emergence of the Jewish soul in this part of the world. In this longer of the two tours, you will delve even more deeply into these topics, tracing our history from the early Middle Ages to the insidious rise of the Third Reich in Munich and Potsdam, and into present-day Germany, typified by its cosmopolitan capital, Berlin.

EXPLORE OUR 7 DAYS JEWISH TOURS TO GERMANY

Day 1 Friday Arrival in Munich

Upon arrival in Munich Airport, transfer to the hotel in the city’s center. In the afternoon, embark on our historic Germany tour, starting in the town where the Nazi Party was founded in 1919 (by a local locksmith). Soon after, Hitler took over, using Munich as the base from which to spread his evil ideas. Begin with a visit to the Ohel Jacob Synagogue, now serving the Jewish community of Munich. Later, continue to the former Olympic Stadium, to pay respects to our martyred Israeli athletes at the Munich 1972 Massacre Memorial. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Sofitel Hotel.

Day 2 Saturday Munich

Today, explore the historic sites of Munich’s Old Town. Focusing on the insidious rise of Nazism, visit some of the landmarks of the city’s dark past. Start at Fernherrnhalle on Odeon Platz, where the Nazi Putsch was stopped. Nearby, visit the Munich Kuntshaus, built in the 1930s to showcase Nazism’s vision of “Great German Art.” Next, walk across Residenz Park and War Memorial to Ludwig Maximilian University – site of the White Rose Monument, honoring the heroic German students who resisted Nazi fascism. Now, continue to the National Socialists Documentation Center, located near the former Nazi Headquarters at Konigsplatz. Return to the hotel via the Botanical Gardens, or continue exploring Munich’s historic town on your own. Sofitel Hotel. (B)

Day 3 Sunday Munich – Dachau – Augsburg – Nuremberg

This morning, visit Dachau, the first concentration camp to be built on German soil. First, tour the site and the adjacent Memorial Chapel, which stands as an eternal reminder to Germans and to the world: “Never Again!” Continue to Augsburg and visit the remarkable Art Nouveau Synagogue, as well as its adjoining Jewish Museum. The Augsburg Synagogue stands as one of the finest German synagogues of the past; its size speaks of the vibrant Jewish community that was present until the Holocaust. The synagogue still serves as the center for the current community. Later, continue to Nuremberg. Upon arrival, check-in at the hotel in the center of the town. Park Plaza Hotel. (B)

Day 4 Monday Nuremberg – Frankfurt

This morning, tour Nuremberg. Here, between November 1945 and October 1946, the Nazi Trials took place under the military auspices of the victorious Allies. This same city had been a propaganda hub, which, during the Third Reich, teemed with showy parades and roaring Nazi rallies. Visit Courtroom 600 and the Nuremberg Trials Memorial. Next, see Zeppelinfeld, home to massive Nazi Rallies during the 1930s, and visit the nearby former Kongresshalle, now the Documentation Center on the rise and fall of the Third Reich. In the afternoon, drive to Frankfurt, Germany’s financial hub, which boasts a skyscraper complex featuring some of the tallest buildings in Europe. Some refer to Frankfurt as “the Manhattan of Germany.” Check-in at the hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure. Westin Hotel. (B)

Day 5 Tuesday Frankfurt – Speyer – Worms – Frankfurt

This morning, visit the Judengasse Jewish Museum and Cemetery, where many prominent Jews were laid to rest. The wall surrounding the cemetery bears more than 11,000 plaques, memorializing the name and faith of each Jewish person who was deported from Frankfurt during the Holocaust. Now, depart Frankfurt for an excursion to the “Shum Cities” – Speyer and Worms — which speak to a deeply-rooted German-Jewish history (in fact, the cultural Jewish designation, “Ashkenazi,” literally means coming from Germany, known in Hebrew as “Ashkenaz”). Stop in Speyer, one of the first cities in Germany where Jews settled in the early Middle Ages. Visit the Jewish Museum and the oldest preserved Mikvah (dating back to the year 1084). The living waters of this nearly thousand-year old ritual bath were channeled from the nearby River Rhine. A new Synagogue (Beth Shalom), is now the center of Speyer’s small Jewish community Next, visit the medieval city of Worms, home of the 11th-century Biblical scholar known as Rashi. Indeed, this city’s importance to the Jewish world is attested to by its venerable nickname, “Little Jerusalem.” Experience a walking tour of the Synagogue complex, including the Rashi Museum (“Raschihaus”). You will also see the Holy Sands Cemetery, the oldest preserved Jewish burial place in Europe. This site offers spectacular of views of the Speyer Cathedral from its “Martin Buber Bench.” Later, return to Frankfurt. Westin Hotel. (B)

Day 6 Wednesday Frankfurt – Bergen Belsen – Celle

Depart Frankfurt and drive northwards towards the Lower Saxony district. This afternoon will focus on the insidious cruelty of the Bergen-Belsen camp. In 1945, death marches began throughout Germany. Prisoners from other camps, such as Auschwitz and Buchenwald, were transported to Bergen-Belsen, which wasn’t built to house such great numbers. While Bergen-Belsen didn’t have gas chambers, prisoners were murdered, in essence, by deliberate, inhuman, neglect — left to die without food, and with disease spreading like wildfire. This was the fate of Anne Frank and her sister Margot, along with tens of thousands of other inmates. While the structures of the camp were later burned down, the current museum has a detailed exhibition of the horrors that took place here. Next, check-in at the hotel in nearby Celle. The town of Celle has hundreds of traditional half-timbered houses, and is one of the best-preserved towns in Germany. Even its tiny half-timbered synagogue survived, as from the street it blended in with the adjacent houses, all built in this style. (In addition, a fire set there would have spread to the other houses.) Check-in to the hotel. Furstenhof Hotel. (B)

Day 7 Thursday Celle – Berlin

Today, travel towards Berlin. Arrive in Potsdam, home to the Sanssouci Palace and Cecilienhof, where the Potsdam conference took place, with Churchill, Stalin and Truman. Potsdam was also the center of the German film studios. Next, visit the exhibit in the house of the Wannsee Conference, where the “Final Solution” was planned. Next, on to Grunewald, a prosperous suburb of Berlin. Grunewald Train Station was the main deportation center for Berlin’s Jews. Tragically, the last transport occurred in March 1945. It is worth noting that an obstinate Nazi regime continued to murder Jews even in its final decline, two months before defeat.  Check-in at the hotel in the center of Berlin. Hilton Hotel.  (B)

Day 8 Friday Berlin

Today, visit Berlin, historically pivotal and the site, today, of an amazing influx of Jewish consciousness. Begin with “Check Point Charlie,” followed by a visit to the Topography of Terror. Continue, via the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, to the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Berlin, and the imposing Reichstag, seat of the Weimar Republic and current German Parliament. Next, visit the Jewish Quarter, where you will see Otto Weidt’s unforgettably moving “Workshop for the Blind,” the Rosenstrasse Memorial, and the lively area around the New (Orainienburger) Synagogue, Berlin’s golden-domed Jewish landmark. Crown the day with a visit to the imposing historic Ryke Strasse Synagogue, the largest shul in Germany today. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Hilton Hotel. (B)

Day 9 Saturday Berlin

This day is devoted to exploring the wondrous Berlin Jewish Museum. Finished in 2001, this architecturally profound structure was designed by Polish-born Jewish-American architect Daniel Libeskind, and provides an unparalleled look at 2,000 years of Jewish history. Today, it is one of the most-visited sights in Berlin. After the visit to the museum, enjoy time to explore fascinating, multicultural Berlin on your own. Hilton Hotel. (B)

Day 10 Sunday Berlin – Home flights

After Breakfast, transfer to the airport for return flights. (B)