Adath Israel Congregation & Congregation Mishkan Tefila Ashkenaz: A Jewish Journey. Led by Rabbi David C. Seed & Rabbi Leonard Gordon

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1 Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism POB 8540, Jerusalem 91084, Israel Tel: Fax: Adath Israel Congregation & Congregation Mishkan Tefila Ashkenaz: A Jewish Journey April 28 May 9, 2013 Led by Rabbi David C. Seed & Rabbi Leonard Gordon Itinerary (As of June 5 - Subject to Change) The German speaking lands were the cradle and center of Ashkenazi Jewish civilization until the 13 th and 14 th centuries. In the wake of the Crusades, the Black Plague and unrelenting Christian persecution, expulsions and massacres, the center of European Jewish life and creativity shifted eastward to Poland. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, as Jews grappled with the new challenges presented by emancipation and freedom, the German speaking Jewish communities evolved new models of Jewish living, laying the groundwork for the development of the Reform, Conservative and Modern Orthodox movements. The Nazis and their allies destroyed the Jewish communities of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, but their legacies are still alive and relevant in contemporary Jewish life. Together, we will explore and trace the story of Ashkenazi Jewry, using the major centers of Berlin, Vienna and Prague (where miraculously, Jewish life is being resurrected) to remember and learn about the past and ultimately to better understand the complex nature of our own contemporary Jewish identity, belief and practice. Sunday April 28 6:55 PM departure from Toronto Pearson Airport on British Airways flight #92 7:10 PM departure from Boston Logan Airport on British Airways flight #212 Monday April 29 Jewish Berlin: Traces of the Past 7:05 AM arrival at London Heathrow Airport from Toronto. 6:25 AM arrival at London Heathrow Airport from Boston. Connect to British Airways flight #982 departing at 8:50 AM and arriving in Berlin at11:35 AM. Head to the Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue in former East Berlin which is emerging as a new center of Jewish life. Known as the New Synagogue, when constructed as a liberal synagogue in 1866, it was partially burnt in Kristallnacht and almost totally destroyed by Allied bombing. It has been completely renovated and restored and Masorti Rabbi Gesa Ederberg officiates there. The huge main sanctuary now houses a museum of Berlin s Jewish history. Meet a member of Berlin s Jewish community* for an overview of Jewish life in Berlin today. Walk along Hamburger Strasse, once a center of Jewish life, and today the site of memorials to the Jewish community that was destroyed. Memorials include the site of the Jewish cemetery from where Jews were deported to concentration camps, the Missing House Memorial, Memorial to the Deserted Room and the monument remembering the 1943 protests by non-jewish women over the arrest of their Jewish husbands. At the gravesite of Moses Mendelssohn, we'll consider his role as a guide in helping Jews to navigate the complex transition from Ghetto life to emancipation in the 18 th century and beyond. Visit the site of Otto Weidt s Workshop. During World War II, he employed mainly blind and deaf Jews who produced brooms and brushes. He made heroic efforts to protect and save his Jewish employees from the Nazis. Check-in and relax at our hotel. Group Dinner Overnight: Leonardo Royal Hotel, Berlin

2 Tuesday April 30 A New Berlin Morning: Contemporary Berlin after the Fall of Communism We'll start at the magnificent Gendarmenmarkt Square which dates to 1700 and is bordered by the German and French Cathedrals and the Concert Hall. The statue of Friedrich Schiller by Reinhold Begas was set in the square s centre in 1871, was removed by the Nazis and restored in Some of Berlin s most glamorous hotels and restaurants are in this part of town and it has become a lively urban space with its frequent performances at the concert hall. Head to the Friedrichstrasse Train Station from where thousands of Jewish children escaped to the United Kingdom as part of the "Kindertransport. See the monument by former Kindertransportee Frank Meissler. Where Check Point Charlie used to stand, we will see the remains of the Cold War era Berlin Wall and the Potsdamer Platz no man s land. Explore how Germany of today confronts and deals with the past with a visit to the Topography of Terror Museum. Visit the Reichstag* German Parliament, Pariser Platz and the Brandenberg Gate, the former city gate completed in 1791, used by the Nazis as a symbol, blocked during the Cold War and restored in 2002 as a focal point of the united city. Visit the dramatic Berlin Holocaust Memorial. See Unter den Linden, the State Opera House, Palaces, New Guard House and Museum Island. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, we'll continue our tour of Berlin through the lens of Jewish history. Sites include Bebelplatz which became infamous as the site of Nazi book burnings in 1933, Encounter and learn some of the personal stories represented by the "Stolperstein"(stumbling blocks) which depict the last known place of residence of the persons commemorated. They are designed to recall all the victims of the Nazis; there are over 12,000 Stolperstein in Germany today, the vast majority in memory of Jews End the day at the Jewish Museum which officially opened in 2001 on the Lindenstrasse. In addition to a powerful Holocaust exhibit, the permanent exhibition focuses on contributions made by Jews to life in Germany through the centuries. The museum also features the new building designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. Concert or other cultural program.* Dinner and shopping time on your own. Overnight: Leonardo Royal Hotel, Berlin Wednesday May 1 See Track 17 in the Wilmserford District, commemorating the over 50,000 Jews that were deported from Grunewald Station, and the powerful Shoah memorial at the Israeli Embassy. Head to suburban Wannsee where the secret "Wannsee Conference" was held on January 20, The Wannssee Conference brought together senior and mid level officials of the Nazi regime to coordinate and plan the murder of the Jews in Europe: the Final Solution to the Jewish Question Continue on to Potsdam. It has been said that Berlin without Potsdam is like Paris without Versailles or London without Windsor. Potsdam s magnificent landscapes may look natural but they are the result of hundreds of years of human endeavor. Stroll through the beautiful Gardens of San Soucci Palace, see the mock- 16 th century palace of Cecilienhof where the victorious Allies held the Potsdam Conference in 1945, the lakeside Marble Palace with its Greek Temple ruins and the dreamlike Babelsberg Castle. Return to Berlin for dinner with members of the Berlin Masorti community* Overnight: Leonardo Royal Hotel, Berlin.

3 Thursday May 2 Check out of the hotel and depart to Prague. We'll stop in Dresden (about a 2 hour bus ride). Much of Dresden was destroyed by the massive Allied bombing in We'll see the magnificently rebuilt Lutheran Frauenkirche and visit the Old Masters Picture Gallery at the Baroque style Zwinger Palace The Jewish community of Dresden dates to the 14 th century and numbered over 6,000 before WWII and only 50 at the end of the war. Today's community numbers a few hundred--mostly immigrants from the former Soviet Union. We'll visit the new Synagogue (which was dedicated on November 9, 2001) and meet members of the local Jewish community.* Continue to Prague (1.5 hour bus ride). After a short orientation tour in Prague, we'll check in at our hotel. Dinner and shopping time on your own Friday May 3 The World That Was Walking tour of Josefov, the Old Jewish Quarter of Prague including Europe s oldest synagogue - Alt Neu Shul - seat of the famed 16 th century Maharal (Rabbi Judah Lowy) and his Golem. Visit the synagogues, cemetery & Judaica of the Prague Jewish Museum. Break for lunch on your own Prague Castle Tour: The Prague Castle was most likely founded around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m². A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from Roman-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications in the 14th century. Return to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat. Kabbalat Shabbat with the Masorti community*. Walk to the Dinitz Restaurant for Shabbat Dinner. Shabbat May 4 Optional Shabbat morning services at local synagogues or take time to explore the city on your own. Shabbat Lunch at Dinitz Restaurant Afternoon walking tour of Prague including Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge in the heart of Prague is lined with 30 statues on both sides. Most of the statues are from They were ordered for the bridge by aristocrats by the Church, the City of Prague and by universities. Of special interest is the crucifixion sculpture with the Hebrew inscription -Holy, holy, holy קדוש,קדוש, קדוש Havdallah and Melaveh Malkah Dinner with members of the Prague Masorti Community.* Learn about the complex nature of post Communistera Jewish identity in the Czech Republic.

4 Sunday May 5 Memory Gain understanding of the Czech experience during WWII with a visit to the museum and memorial at the site of the village of Lidice. The village was destroyed & its inhabitants massacred by the Nazis in Visit and stand in solemn memorial at Terezin, the Nazi showcase Ghetto, to which many of the Jews of Prague were ghettoized before being murdered. We'll visit the Fortress, the Jewish Cemetery and the Museum, the Memorial Monument, the Small Fortress and the hidden synagogue. Return to Prague for dinner followed by show or concert Monday May 6 Early breakfast at the hotel. Check out of the hotel as we depart for Vienna. Driving through the Moravian countryside, we'll stop and visit the Old Jewish Quarter in Trebic, once a major Jewish center. The Jewish quarter in Třebíč is probably the best preserved one in Europe and together with the St. Procopius Basilica, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The preserved buildings include a beautifully decorated synagogue. The Jewish cemetery, established in the 15 th century is fairly well preserved with about 3,000 tombstones and memorials to the victims of WWI and WWII. Upon our arrival in Vienna, we will have a brief orientation bus tour of the major sites including: Hofburg former imperial residence, a drive along the famous Ringstrasse passing the Opera House, Empress Maria Theresa Monument Museums, City Hall, Belvedere Palace, St. Stephen s Cathedral and other landmarks. Check-in at our hotel. In the evening, we'll head out for a cruise on the Danube followed by dinner. Overnight: Leonardo Wien Hotel, Vienna. Tuesday May 7 Morning: Tour of Jewish Vienna including the Judenplatz, Holocaust Memorial, Jewish Museum and The Stadtempel Synagogue, the only synagogue to survive the war. Vienna has had a Jewish presence for most of the past 800 years, rising to great prominence in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was, however, a precarious existence punctuated by persecution, expulsions and massacres. In 1781, Emperor Joseph II issued an Edict of Tolerance but full emancipation did not come until In the 19th and early 20th century, despite ongoing anti-semitism, the community grew rapidly in size and stature. Avant-garde author Arthur Schnitzler, expressionist composer Arnold Schoenberg and Sigmund Freud revolutionized their respective fields and placed Vienna on the world map of culture and science. By the 1920s, the over 200,000 Jews in Vienna comprised 10% of the population. After the Anchluss in March 1938, the Nazis applied the Nuremburg Laws, dissolved Jewish organizations and institutions, hoping to force Jews to emigrate. Their plans succeeded by the end of 1941, 130,000 Jews had left Vienna. Of the more than 65,000 Viennese Jews who were deported to concentration camps, only about 2000 survived. The approximately 10,000 Jews living in Vienna today make up about.05% of the city's population. Cold War politics allowed Austria to be accepted by the West without coming to terms with its Nazi and anti-semitic past. It is now beginning to do so and the dramatic Holocaust memorial and Jewish Museum at the medieval Judenplatz is an expression of this.

5 Lunch and shopping time on your own In the afternoon, we'll continue our Vienna tour including a visit to the Schonbrunn Palace, former residence of the Hapsburg Family. Dinner on your own, followed by a concert or opera performance* Overnight: Leonardo Wien Hotel, Vienna Wednesday May 8 Head to Burgenland east of Vienna, near Neusiedler Lake which Jews first reached in the 13 th century. In Eisenstadt, we'll visit the Jewish museum and private synagogue of Samson Wertheimer ( ), an influential finance minister of the Habsburg Court in Vienna. This is one of the very few synagogues that was not destroyed during Krystalnacht in Stroll through the old Jewish quarter and visit the Jewish cemetery. Continue to Kobersdorf, which was once a well-known Jewish spa town and is typical of the style of 17 th century Jewish communities in this region, including a synagogue and cemetery. Tour and taste at an award winning winery that includes kosher wines* Return to Vienna for dinner with members of the Jewish community* Overnight: Leonardo Wien Hotel, Vienna Thursday May 9 11:40 AM departure from Vienna on British Airways flight #697 arriving in London Heathrow Airport at 1:05 PM. Connect to British Airways flight #99 departing at 4:20 PM and arriving in Toronto at 6:50 PM Connect to British Airways flight #215 departing at 5:40 PM and arriving in Boston at 7:45 PM The trip will be staffed by a Keshet Tour Educator & local European Tour Guides All breakfasts and underlined meals are included in package price All provided lunches and dinners are kosher under local rabbinic supervision *Subject to availability This itinerary was prepared by Keshet. It is proprietary to Keshet and is intended for the promotion of and to inform those considering joining this Keshet trip. It is not to be transmitted to any other party without prior authorization.