Jewish Life and Culture in Poland, Past and Present

09:30 – Arrival at Warsaw Chopin Airport. Meet your local representative in the arrivals hall.

10:00–11:00 – Transfer to the hotel to meet the rest of the group. Early check-in subject to availability; luggage can be stored by reception.
OR

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

11:30–13:30 – Orientation driving 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

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.

19:00 Dinner together (cost included)

Overnight: Warsaw

9:00 – 14:00 – Free time in Warsaw, including at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (opens at 10:00. We recommend visiting the Multimedia Core Exhibition: 1000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland with audio guide. Lunch on your own.

14:00 – 15:30 – Guided 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

09:30 – 19:00 –Conference sessions.
18:00 – 19:30 – Conference dinner?

• 09:30 – 15:00 – Final day of Conference sessions.
  17:30 – 20:00 – Tour and dinner at JCC Warsaw (or a local restaurant – TBD) and conversation with Professor Dominika Zakrzewska, a local rabbi (TBD), and members of the Reform Jewish community of Warsaw.
  Program includes:

  • Dinner
  • Introduction to the community’s revival work
  • Discussion about liberal Judaism in Poland
  • Opportunity to meet local members
  • Live taping of Heritage Words Podcast focusing on contemporary Jewish Polish

  Overnight: Warsaw

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

08:00 – 10:00 | Drive Warsaw → Łódź (130 km)

• 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, 20 min)

  • Revitalized 19th‑century factory complex—red-brick architecture, good restrooms.

12:15 – 13:15

• Lunch: food court or restaurant (vegetarian & fish easily available).

13:30 – 14:30 | Meet with rabbi at contemporary synagogue (TBD)

14:30 – 17:00 – Drive Łódź → Kraków (290 km)

• Comfort stop in Czestochowa, drive by Old Synagogue site

• Guide talk: Intro to Kraków neighborhoods (Old Town, Kazimierz, Podgórze) and next-day options (Wawel, Schindler Factory, Kazimierz synagogues).

17:00 | Arrival – Kraków

• Drop-off: hotel in central Kraków.

• Dinner on your own

Overnight: Kraków

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel Krakow

07:00 – 08:00 – Early breakfast.
08:15 – 12:30 – Transfer + guided educational visit to Auschwitz I and Birkenau. Led by licensed educators focusing on historical context, memory, and personal stories.
12:30 – 14:30 – Visit Auschwitz Jewish Center, lunch there

14:30 – 16:00 – Return to Kraków.

Afternoon (16:00–18:00): Free time. Suggestions:

• Wawel Castle (Cathedral & courtyard)
• Relaxing along the Vistula River
• Market Square

Cloth Hall

Evening: Shabbat services at ReMA Synagogue (or Chabad?), Krakow.
Dinner at the synagogue, hotel, or restaurant (TBD; cost included).
Overnight: Kraków

08:00 – 10:00 – Breakfast & slow morning (Shabbat-friendly schedule).

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

• Kazimierz district, which was mostly settled by Jews.
• [We will start from Sheroka street and square and visit the famous ReMA Synagogue. ]
• Streets used in early Jewish filmmaking, including sites connected with “Yidl Mitn Fidl” (1936)
• Jewish cemetery containing graves from the 15th century.
• Discovery of preserved Hebrew and Yiddish signage, including shopfronts, traces of letterforms, and restored murals

13:00 – 14:30 – Lunch at a Jewish-style restaurant, discuss the use of language, food, and music in contemporary Jewish tourism.

15:00 – 16:30 – JCC Kraków:
Meet local leaders, learn about community programs, social services, and the revival of Jewish life in the city.

17:00 – 19:00 – Free time to enjoy Kraków’s cafes, jazz bars, or riverfront

19:30 – 21:30: Klezmer Hois – dinner and klezmer concert (cost included)
Overnight: Kraków

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