Lithuania and Latvia

Day 1: Sunday

Welcome onboard. Today you will:

• Learn about the traditions of Litvak Jewry
• Explore Vilnuis’ medieval Jewish quarter
• See where the Holocaust era Vilna Ghetto stood, and learn about the harsh conditions that faced those forced to live there
• See the site of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius, currently being restored
• Learn about the Vilna Gaon
• Take in the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus
• Explore Vilnius Old Town

Overnight: Vilnius

Day 2: Monday

Today you will:

• Visit Vilnius Jewish Museum and Art Gallery
• See the city’s only functioning synagogue
• Visit the Jewish cemetery including the grave of the Vilna Gaon
• Pay respects at the  Ponar Forest, where 100,000 Jews were murdered in the second-largest Einsatzgruppen massacre
• Take in the beautiful Vilinuis castle complex.

Overnight: Vilnius

Day 3: Tuesday

Today you will:

• Travel to Kaunus (Kovno) via Ziezmariai, a small Jewish Shtetl
• Learn about Chiune Sugihara the “Japnese Schindler”, who used his diplomatic post to save Jewish lives
• Tour the Sugihara House Museum
• Visit the beautiful Chorale Synagogue
• Stand at the site of the Kovno Ghetto and the monument commemorating the lives lost.

Overnight: Kaunus

Day 4: Wednesday

Today you will:

• Visit the Jewish museum of Kedainai, a town that was once home to an impressive community and many shules
• See the traditional Lithuanian wooden shule in Pakruojis
• Explore the beautiful Rundale Palace and the Rundale Palace Museum
• Arrive in and start learning about the Latvian capital on a beautiful river cruise.

Overnight: Riga

Day 5: Thursday

Today you will explore Riga’s Jewish past and will:

• Visit the city’s Holocaust museum located in the area of the Nazi-era ghetto
• Visit the only synagogue to have survived the Nazis and the communist era. Here you will learn about what befell Latvian Jewry during both of these dark periods
• Visit the Old Jewish cemetery. You will hear about its history and those buried there, as well as the Nazi massacre that occured at the site
• Pay your respects at the Salaspils Memorial Ensemble on the site of a former Nazi labor camp
• Learn about the horror of the Great Choral Synagogue in which Jews were burnt alive
• Hear about the contribution of Latvian Jewry before the Holocaust
• Visit the Jewish documentation center.

Overnight: Riga

Day 6: Friday

Today you will explore Riga’s Old Town and Jewish history. Your tour will include:

• The Town Hall Square
• The beautiful St Peters Church
• The Swedish Gate
• The Dome Square and Cathedral
• Various Soviet monuments. Here you will also discuss what life was like under communism
• The former KGB Headquarters
• The House of the Blackheads
• Enjoy Shabbat dinner with the local community

Overnight: Riga

Day 7: Saturday

Enjoy a free day exploring Riga!  Your tour ends this evening