Jewish Heritage

Vilnius, Ponar, Trakai, Ziezmariai, Kaunas, Kedainiai, Pakruojis, Riga, Tallinn

The Baltics – a region that is home to over 1,200 years of Jewish heritage. Both Lithuania and Latvia have produced an abundance of scholars and thinkers and Rabbinical greats- such as the Vilna Gaon, a world-renowned Talmudist scholar. Many North American Jews can trace their family roots to this part of the world that at one time was the birthplace of the top Jewish writers, scientists and scholars. Yiddish was widely spoken and the tour includes a visit to one of the few remaining Yiddish institutes in Vilnius, once called the “Lithuanian Jerusalem.”

Both Latvia and Lithuania were part of the Nazi occupation and we will visit memorial sites and interactive museums such as the Zanis Lipske Museum- the “Underground Railroad” where numerous Jews were saved.

This tour takes you back in time to immerse yourself in the Jewish culture of past generations visiting shtetls, synagogues and other historic sites.