11:15 – Meet at conference hotel (likely Ibis Warszawa Stare Miasto).

11:30–13:30 – Bus and walking tour of Warsaw

• Sightseeing walk along the Royal Route in the old part of Warsaw, known as “Stare Miasto” (Old Town), which was restored after its near destruction during WWII.
• Stroll along the central street, viewing statues of General Charles de Gaulle and Nicolaus Copernicus. See churches, Warsaw University, and the Presidential Palace – vivid examples of Polish pride.
• See the Statue of King Sigismund the Third and the Royal Palace. Visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist and the oldest part of the Old Town – the Market Square, with a statue of “Sirenka,” the symbol of Warsaw.

13:30-14:30 Lunch(cost not included)

14:30-18:00 Jewish history sites

• Grzybowski Square and Próżna Street, where restored 19th‑century Jewish townhouses, cafés, and cultural corners reveal the lively pre‑war Jewish atmosphere.
• At the Nożyk Synagogue, learn about contemporary Jewish life and community revival.
• A short walk highlighting preserved Hebrew and Yiddish signage, historic shopfronts, and the city’s role as a center of Jewish publishing.
• At the Jewish Historical Institute, learn about Ringelblum’s Oyneg Shabes Archive – a unique collection of documents chronicling life in the Warsaw Ghetto, mostly written in Yiddish and Polish.
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19:00 Dinner together (cost included)

Overnight: Warsaw

10:00 – 14:00 – Visit POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews on your own (cost included). Multimedia Core Exhibition: 1000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland. Audio guide recommended. Lunch at the museum restaurant (cost not included).

14:00 – 15:30 – Curator tour of POLIN’s Temporary exhibit: The Power of Words: On Jewish Languages

16:00 – 17:30 – Conference keynote

18:00 – 20:00 – Conference dinner (cost included)

 Overnight: Warsaw

09:30 – 19:00 –Conference sessions.
18:00 – 19:30 – Conference dinner (cost included) 

Overnight: Warsaw

• 09:30 – 15:00 – Final day of Conference sessions

  15:30 – 17:30 – JCC Warsaw tour and conversation with Professor Dominika Zakrzewska, a local rabbi (TBD), and members of the Reform Jewish community of Warsaw. Part of this conversation will serve as a live taping of the Heritage Words Podcast focusing on contemporary Jewish Polish language – Polish with words from Hebrew and Yiddish – and how converts and people discovering their Jewish roots learn the language styles of their new communities.

  17:30 – Dinner on your own – explore Warsaw restaurants

  Overnight: Warsaw

07:45 – 08:00 – Meet & Depart – Warsaw hotel (TBD)

08:00 – 10:00 – Drive Warsaw → Łódź (130 km / 81 mi)

• Guide talk en route:

  • Jewish Łódź history (textile boom, Ghetto 1940–44)

  • Poznański & Scheibler families

  • Short intro to Łódź Film School legacy.

10:00 – 13:00 – Łódź Jewish & Urban Heritage

• Marek Edelman Dialogue Center

• Park Ocalałych

• Piotrkowska Street highlight drive (Art Nouveau façades, film-related statues).

• Manufaktura complex (exterior walk): Revitalized 19th‑century factory complex—red-brick architecture

12:15 – 13:15 – Lunch: food court or restaurant (cost not included; vegetarian & fish easily available).

13:30 – 14:30 – Meet with rabbi at synagogue (TBD), discuss religious and cultural life of contemporary Jewish community

14:30 – 18:00 – Drive Łódź → Kraków (290 km / 181 mi)

• Comfort stop in Czestochowa, drive by Old Synagogue site

• Guide talk: Intro to Kraków neighborhoods (Old Town, Kazimierz, Podgórze)

18:00 – Arrival – Kraków

• Drop-off: hotel in central Kraków

• Dinner and evening on your own

Overnight: Kraków

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel Krakow

07:00–08:00 – Early breakfast (cost included)

08:00 – 09:30 – Bus to Auschwitz

10:00 – 15:00 – Guided educational visit to Auschwitz I and Birkenau. Led by licensed educators focusing on historical context, memory, and personal stories. Including lunch at the Auschwitz Jewish Center or bag lunch (cost not included).

15:00 – 16:30 – Return to Kraków

16:30 – 19:00 – Free time

19:00 – Shabbat services and dinner at JCC Krakow (cost included). Meet local leaders, learn about community programs, social services, and the revival of Jewish life in the city.
Overnight: Kraków

08:00 – 10:00 – Breakfast (cost included) & slow morning

10:30 – 13:00 – Walking tour of Kazimierz Jewish Quarter:

• Kazimierz district, which was mostly settled by Jews
• Sheroka street and square
• ReMA Synagogue
• Streets used in early Jewish filmmaking, including sites connected with “Yidl Mitn Fidl” (1936)
• Jewish cemetery containing graves from the 15th century
• Hebrew and Yiddish language on signage, including storefronts, traces of letterforms, and restored murals

13:00 – 14:30 – Lunch on your own at a Jewish-style restaurant (e.g., Ariel, Hevre, HAMSA, or Once Upon a Time) (cost not included; be prepared to report back to the group in our evening discussion)

14:30 – 19:30 – Free time. Suggestions:

• Wieliczka Salt Mine (arrange in advance on your own)
• Wawel Castle (cathedral & courtyard)
• Relaxing along the Vistula River
• Market Square
• Cloth Hall

19:30 – 21:30 – Klezmer Hois – dinner and klezmer concert (cost included; discuss the use of language, food, and music in contemporary Jewish tourism)
Overnight: Kraków

Morning: Breakfast & check-out.
Transfer to Kraków Airport according to your flight time (cost is not included)