Rabbi Haim Beliak and Dr. Richard Hecht are planning an 11-day private tour to Poland beginning October 24 to November 5. Each of them will address the significant role that Poland has played in Jewish life. There will be meetings with Jewish community members and other Poles from across the spectrum. The tour will include the following: Warsaw, Lodz, Lublin, Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk.

There will be an emphasis on understanding the vibrant community before World War II and the recent revival of interest in Jews and Judaism. There will be visits to the Auschwitz memorial site and other aspects of Poland today, including the Polin Museum, elements of the Warsaw Ghetto as well as the Warsaw Uprising Museum. An evening concert with Chopin’s music. Few recall today that the most prominent Progressive (European Reform, Conservative) Jewish community in Europe on the eve of World War II was the 300,000-strong Polish Jewish community. As we travel, we will include the history of Progressive Jews in Poland and Chassidim, Socialists, Yiddishists, and Zionists of various types.

Warsaw-based Dr. Dominika Zakrzewska, a member of the European Union for Progressive Judaism Management Committee, is planning the trip details with Crown International Travel. Dominika is a licensed guide and will advise and aid our travels.