Spain and Poland

Jewish tours of Spain-Poland:
Two Sides of a Golden Coin – Legacies of Sepharad and Ashkenaz

Spain-Poland. Sepharad or Ashkenaz, Jews tend to see themselves as one or the other, and yet our culture reflects both – from the bagels and babkas that originated in Europe to the sensuous spices, Israeli speech patterns, and mystical spirituality which emerged primarily from the East. Few tours link, combine, or compare these two most major Jewish strands.

This Jewish Tour of Spain-Poland does. Our tour is a sophisticated, thought-provoking, and content-filled exploration of both Sephardic and Ashkenazi history. The Spain we will explore is not the tourist’s usual Madrid and Barcelona. The Poland we delve into will not linger on the Holocaust or gravesites. It is Jewish cultural splendor we are after, and we will find it in places overlooked by conventional itineraries. Step through the doors of history and follow our path into the variegated nature of Jewish life as it was lived for vital, influential centuries. Whether in Ladino or Yiddish, our ancestors will speak to us in vibrant, living voices during this combination of Spain-Poland.

Other tours to Spain-Poland:

The Legacy of Sepharad

The Secret Soul of Jewish Iberia

One thousand years of history

From Roots to Revival

Day 1 Wednesday Arrival in Madrid – Toledo

Upon landing at Madrid Airport in the morning your Spain-Poland tour begins. Meet your Tour Director  (while in Spain). “Sepharad” is indeed the Hebrew word for Spain, so it is fitting that we begin the story in the great capital. After a brief tour of the capital, including a walk through the Old Quarter with its main squares, Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. Next, journey on to Toledo, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Each passing kilometer takes us closer to The Golden Age of Spain, in which Jews flourished to an extent that is matched only today – and perhaps beyond today. Indeed, Toledo’s fabled cooperation between Jews, Christians and Muslims made it a paragon of ecumenical understanding. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner in this splendid city – a major piece in the mosaic of Jewish history and a perfect place to start a Spain-Poland experience. Pinto el Greco Hotel. (D)

Day 2 Thursday Toledo

Embark on a walking tour of Toledo’s Jewish Quarter. Visit the Sinagoge Santa María la Blanca, whose very name, a paradoxical blend of Judaism and Catholicism, speaks volumes. Originally known as the “Ibn Shushan” Synagogue, and is the oldest standing synagogue in Europe. Its conversion into a church made it a central locale for the Spanish Inquisition, after which the Jewish population was exiled from Iberia. Now, over five hundred years later, “Ibn Shushan” stands again, part of a museum complex that testifies to the dormant Jewish past. Next, visit the El Transito Sinagoge – also part of the Sephardic Museum. This great synagogue was founded by Samuel Ha-Levi Abulafia in the mid 14th century. Generations of this well-known family consorted with Kings, and included Kabbalists, Torah scholars, and poets whose style blended Islamic and Jewish influences. The building itself, recalls the flavor of Alhambra. Pinto el Greco Hotel. (B)

Day 3 Friday Toledo – Cordoba

Transfer to Cordoba –once the intellectual center of Europe. This great Andalusian city, ruled by Muslims, was a model of tolerance where followers of Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed found harmony. Indeed, Cordoba was nothing less than a Jerusalem of sorts, a beacon to all three major Abrahamic faiths. Enjoy a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter and visit the Mosque-Cathedral. Like the “synagogue-church” of Toledo, this structure’s name reflects Spain’s interwoven religious strands. First a church, then converted to mosque in the Middle Ages. After the Catholic “Reconquista,” it was remade into a Cathedral. As with so much else in Spain, the Moorish architecture of this edifice reflects more than the Christianity which seems to dominate. (Apart from its powerful Islamic background, some say that as many as 20% of Spain’s people can boast of Jewish ancestry). Dinner. Amistad Hotel. (B/D)

Day 4 Saturday Cordoba – Seville – Cordoba

This morning, travel to Seville. Some say that Jews have lived here since the destruction of the first temple. When the Muslims conquered the area in 712, Jews were chosen to guard this city. For centuries, they prospered. Of course, when the Christians themselves tired of the Jews (who had been useful to them for a time), the worst forms of anti-Semitism emerged. By the late 14th century, vicious speeches rang out from the highest levels of the church, and synagogues were burned. Conversion was a way out for a while (“marrano”), but even that did not suffice for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. By 1492, as in the rest of Spain, the Jews of Seville were expelled. A walking tour into the “Juderia” section and the Reales Alcázares will illuminate parts of this history. Next, enjoy lunch.  In the afternoon, return to Cordoba. Amistad Hotel. (B/L)

Day 5 Sunday Cordoba – Granada – Girona

Today, we will travel to Granada, a gorgeous city at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas, and justly famed as the site of one of the most magnificent specimens of Moorish architecture – the legendary Alhambra. Like the Jews, the Moors avoided depicting human figures, preferring geometric or botanical shapes. A visit to Alhambra will reveal the myriad ways that beauty is created under the laws of the Second Commandment. You will also love Generalife – the splendid botanical gardens that adorn this palace. Afterwards, continue the Spain-Poland adventure as you fly to Barcelona. Upon arrival, transfer to the charming town of Girona. Gran Ultonia Hotel. 

Day 6 Monday Girona – Besalu – Girona

This morning, travel to the nearby town of Besalu, site of the only mikvah in all of Spain to survive the Inquisition. Family purity was always a keynote of Jewish life, and these mikvot – containing living sources of water – preserved Jewish continuity. (The same principle – the power of water to purify or sanctify – is present in Christian baptism.) Discovered only in 1964, the Besalu Mikvah is a highlight of its Old Quarter, whose narrow, twisting streets – inhabited since the 12th century, speak softly of Jewish history. Following Lunch, return to Girona. There, visit the Jewish Quarter, “El Call” – also dating back to the 12th century – as well as The Museum of Jewish History, a center for Jewish scholarship worldwide. In the evening, celebrate this rich Sephardic experience with a Dinner. Gran Ultonia Hotel.

Day 7 Tuesday Girona – Barcelona – Warsaw

Transfer to Barcelona. Enjoy a walking tour of elegant, bustling Las Ramblas, as well as the colorful Boquería Market. Then pay a visit to the Sinagoge Shlomo Ben Aderet – named after the medieval rabbi and Talmudic scholar who was taught by none other than Nachmanides. Next, enjoy a panoramic tour, including Montjuic (“the Jewish mountain”), which offers a magnificent vista. How fitting that a “Jewish mountain” gives us the best perspective! Afterwards, transfer to the Barcelona Airport – and onward to the world of Ashkenaz, following our people’s journey after the Spanish expulsion. While the name Ashkenaz is based on the word for Germany, it has come to refer to the Jews of Eastern Europe, with Poland as its cultural epicenter. After the evening arrival in Warsaw, meet our Polish Tour Director, and continue the Spain-Poland tour with a transfer to the hotel. Sofitel Victoria Hotel. (B)

Day 8 Wednesday Warsaw

Begin touring in the world of Ashkenaz with a visit the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, showcasing 1,000 years of vibrant Polish-Jewish life. After Lunch, retrace the paths of Jewish life in pre-war Warsaw through the neighborhoods of the Gerer Rebbe (one of the greatest religious thinkers), I.L. Peretz (a shining light in modern Hebrew literature) and Nobelist Isaac Bashevis Singer, whose prose pays tribute to the Yiddishe heart, mind, and soul. Each of these luminaries, in fact, illustrates a different facet of the Ashkenazic genius: The Rebbe – Chassidic leader and Torah scholar; Peretz – part of the miraculous Renaissance of Hebrew in its most creative form; and Singer—the Yiddishist, bringing the Ashkenazic diaspora to life with passion, lusty mischief, and a very Jewish humor. C0ntinue to the Nozyg Synagogue, the Emanuel Ringelblum Historical Institute, and the former Ghetto. Evening at leisure. Sofitel Victoria Hotel. (B/L)

Day 9 Thursday Warsaw – Lodz – Wroclaw

Transfer to Lodz, once the hub of Poland’s textile manufacture. Bustling and cosmopolitan, it thrived as “the city of four cultures”:  Polish, German, Russian – and very Jewish. One of its leading lights was the 19^th century Jewish industrialist and philanthropist, Izrael Poznanski. His former palace is now the city’s museum, and his factory has become a commercial and cultural center. During Lunch, meet members of Lodz’s Jewish community. Later, visit the Radegast Memorial and the Park of the Survivors. Next, travel on to Wroclaw (also known as Breslau), home of the very earliest Jewish settlers, who arrived in the 12^th century. They became prominent citixens. Today, the community is crowned by the beautifully restored White Stork Synagogue, which reopened in 2010. During the late afternoon tour of Wroclaw, visit the Stork Synagogue, the University Aula and the historic Old Town. Evening at leisure. Mercure Centrum Hotel. (B/L)

Day 10 Friday Wroclaw – Krakow

Today, takes you to amazing Krakow, which, unlike Warsaw, was not destroyed by Germany. Its historic buildings and squares, along with its seven synagogues, provide an entrée into Poland’s rich cultural past – and, as you will see – a uniquely growing Jewish cultural presence. Among other things, Krakow hosts an annual Jewish festival that draws hundreds of musicians and artists and thousands of enthusiasts. This afternoon, tour Krakow’s vibrant Jewish district, Kazimierz, its synagogues, the old cemetery and the JCC where Shabbat Dinner is served later in the evening. Your hotel is conveniently located in the heart of this Quarter of Krakow. Ester Hotel.

Day 11 Saturday Krakow

This morning, experience a walking tour of Old Krakow, once the royal capital of Poland. The tour will pass the Wawel Castle, Collegium Maius (the oldest building of Jagellonian University, where Jewish Studies are still offered), as well as the Market Square, with its famous Cloth Hall in the center.  Next, visit the Galicia Jewish Museum, showcasing the rich history of the South Eastern part of Poland (and Western Ukraine) known as Galicia. Lunch is served during the visit at the museum. Ester hotel.

Day 12 Sunday Krakow

Today draws us closer than ever to the authentic ambience of Ashkenaz.  As we journey to various Polish shtetls (or “shtetlach,” as Yiddish speakers might say), we will inhale the soulful atmosphere of the past and though much was destroyed during the Holocaust, you will see what is being done to bring back of houses or worship and culture. The tour will include a visit to the restored synagogue in Dabrowa Tarnowska, the current restoration of the synagogue in Nowy Korzcyn and the revival taking place in Pinchow. Return to Krakow in the late afternoon. Tonight enjoy a Farewell Dinner in the Old Town. Ester hotel.

Day 13 Monday Krakow – Home flights

Time for an early breakfast. Afterwards, transfer to the airport for return flights, or continue on a post-tour extension beyond the Spain-Poland experience. (B)