Length: 28 Days
2009-2010 Grades: 9,10,11,12
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About the Experience

A week-long mission of remembrance and understanding in Poland followed by the core three-week Israel Journey experience. Confront the tragic destruction of the Holocaust and then travel on to Israel to celebrate the renewal of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel.

Tragedy & Remembrance in Poland

Spend the first week memorializing the destroyed Jewish communities of Poland and making connections with the Jewish community there today. Step back in time and witness the past richness of Jewish life in Europe, while also touring the historic sites of devastation and resistance. We will to absorb the implications of a shattered generation as we re-board our plane bound for Israel.

Onwards to Israel

Arrive in Israel and set off on a three-week cross-country experience – from the Golan Heights in the north to the tropical Red Sea in the far south…and everything in between. Along the way, we will walk in the footsteps of Jewish history, experience the vibrancy of modern Israeli culture, and connect with Israel’s colorful society.

The program includes visits to all of Israel’s most important sites – ancient Jerusalem, contemporary Tel Aviv, the Galilee, the Negev Desert and the heights of Masada. We also make time to experience Israel’s off-the-beaten-path charm -- enjoying a bonfire on the beach, taking part in an active archeological dig, sampling unique Middle Eastern cuisine, and participating in the re-birth of Israel by planting a tree in a new forest.

The Euro-Israel Journey experience is more than just a tour. It is also about debating the meaning of contemporary Zionism, exploring our Jewish identity from an Israeli point of view, delving into the intricacies of Middle Eastern politics, and connecting to our Jewish soul through a series of meaningful community service and spiritual experiences. Join us on the Journey.

Itinerary Snapshot

• WEEK #1 / Bearing Witness in Poland
  We start our experience in Krakow by exploring the rich heritage of the Jewish People in Poland dating back to Medievil times in Europe. We re-trace this history to the 20th century and confront the horrors of the Holocaust and concentration/extermination camps like Auschwitz and Birkenau. Before lifting off again for Israel, we visit Warsaw to learn about the brave Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as well as the modern-day revival of Jewish life in Poland.
  

• WEEK #2 / Jerusalem & Mediterranean Coast
  Land at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel and begin the ascent to Jerusalem where we will spend the first part of the week walking the Old City and exploring the history of our ancestors. From Jerusalem we head up the Mediterranean Coast to the Western Galilee where we spend our first Shabbat on the beach.
  
  
• WEEK #3 / Galilee, Golan Heights & Tel Aviv
  Travel eastwards through the Galilee as we learn about the mystics of ancient Safed (Tsfat), take in the beauty of the Golan Heights, learn about kibbutz life, and explore the greenest and most water-filled region of Israel. We close out week two with a visit to Tel Aviv, Israel's cultural capital and one of the world's most trendy cities. The middle Shabbat in Israel is a "Host Family Weekend" where participants can either stay with local friends/family or participate in a supervised alternative program (see note below).
  

• WEEK #4 / Eilat, Negev Desert & Jerusalem
  Head due south to Eilat, Israel's southernmost tip where we snorkel in the tropical Red Sea and learn about Israel's unique desert ecology. Continue on for a sunrise hike to Masada followed by an unforgettable float in the Dead Sea. The trip concludes by returning to where we started in Jerusalem with a somber visit to Yad Vashem followed by a moving Shabbat experience at the Western Wall.
  
  

How does this trip compare with March of the Living?

The Euro-Israel Journey Poland is very similar to March of the Living in that both programs begin with a weeklong journey of remembrance in Poland prior to arriving in Israel. The primary difference is that the March of the Living experience in Israel is seven days in length while the Euro-Israel Journey Poland experience in Israel covers three weeks and is therefore a more comprehensive Israel program. The other major difference is that the March of the Living takes place in April and is scheduled to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day in Poland followed by a celebration of Israel's Independence Day in Jerusalem. Although the March of the Living coincides with the school year, the celebration of these special days in Poland and Israel is an especially moving experience. The Euro-Israel Journey Poland takes place during the summer vacation season (June/July) and therefore does not involve a conflict with classes and school work. Both programs utilize a similar educational curriculum and offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor the memory of Holocaust victims and celebrate the renewal of the Jewish People in Israel.

Learn More

• Sample Itinerary
• Trip FAQs
• Program-Wide FAQs
• Trip Video
• Why Israel
• Why Now
• Safety & Security
• Scholarship Info
  
• Register Now
  
  

Flying on EL AL Airlines

BBYO is proud to announce that Euro-Israel Journey Poland participants will be flying direct on EL AL Airlines from Europe to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and from Tel Aviv back to New York's JFK at the end of the program. EL AL Airlines is the national airlines of the State of Israel and has a reputation for quality as well as the highest security standards in the world. The group flight from New York City to Europe at the start of the program will be on a European airline to be announced shortly.

Host Family Weekend

The Euro-Israel Journey itinerary includes a Host Family Weekend during the second Shabbat of the program in Israel. This is a perfect opportunity for participants to connect with family and friends in Israel. Participants without Host Family Weekend plans are encouraged to pair up with a friend on the trip. A supervised alternative program is also offered based in central Israel near the Mediterranean coast. The supplemental cost for the optional supervised weekend program is $275.

Keep the Memories Going / Israel Extensions

The Euro-Israel Journey Poland program can be combined with a 7-day extension program at the end the core trip. Spend part of the extension on a kibbutz paired with Israeli teens. Spend the other part of the extension either volunteering on a service project or taking part in Gadna -- the IDF's basic training-style program for high school teens from abroad.

Israel Extension programs are all campus-based and provide a wonderful alternative to the traditional touring experience. Each extension option is designed to open a window on a unique aspect of Israeli society. Make the most of your time in Israel. Learn more...

• Extension Track #1 (Post-Trip): Kibbutz Mifgash & Gadna Basic Training
  
• Extension Track #2 (Post-Trip): Kibbutz Mifgash & Community Service

Sample Itinerary

We have provided the following sample itinerary to give you an idea of what this travel experience is all about. Keep in mind that the actual itinerary may vary from the schedule below. That said, this sample itinerary is meant to give you a taste of the overall program. A formal itinerary, including a list of accommodations and phone numbers, will be sent to you 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the program.

DAY #1 / Monday / Departure for Poland
• Depart for Europe in the early evening from JFK Airport, NYC
• Spend the night in the sky en route to Europe

DAY #2 / Tuesday / Europe’s Jewish Heritage
• Arrive to Krakow in the afternoon
• Walking tour of Kazimierz – Krakow’s old Jewish Quarter
• Visit to Remuh Jewish Cemetery, dating back to the 1500’s
• Explore the Galicia Jewish Museum – Learn about Poland’s rich Jewish heritage
• Overnight: Krakow Hotel

DAY #3 / Wednesday / Old Krakow
• Walking tour of the old city center of Krakow
• Explore the famous Wawel castle
• Stop at Oscar Schindler’s factory in Krakow
• Plaszow Concentration Camp – Understanding the Holocaust
• Overnight: Krakow Hotel

DAY #4 / Thursday / Auschwitz and Birkenau
• Take train to Auschwitz
• Explore the grounds of Auschwitz and Birkenau
• Begin travel eastwards to Lublin
• Overnight: Lublin Hotel

DAY #5 / Friday / Lublin
• Tour of Lublin's Jewish cemetery and renowned yeshiva
• Visit the concentration camp of Majdanek
• Travel to Warsaw in the afternoon
• Ceremony at the memorial of the unknown soldier in Warsaw
• Kabbalat Shabbat service at Nozyk Shul
• Overnight: Warsaw Hotel

DAY #6 / Saturday / Shabbat in Warsaw
• Shabbat program at hotel with local community
• Walking tour of Warsaw
• Evening: Attend a performance of the Yiddish Theater in Warsaw
• Overnight: Warsaw Hotel

DAY #7 / Sunday / Warsaw Ghetto
• Tour of the historic Jewish cemetery of Warsaw
• Krochmalna Street Orphanage where Janusz Korczak worked
• Visit to the Warsaw Ghetto Museum
• View the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto
• Umschlagplatz - Gathering place before transfer to Treblinka
• Evening: Closing ceremony in Poland and prepare for Israel
• Return to airport for late night flight from Poland to Israel

DAY #8 / Monday / Arrival in Israel
• Arrive to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in early morning
• Breakfast and welcome celebration at Neot Kedumim Park
• Jerusalem introduction and shecheyanu prayer at the Haas Promenade
• Explore King David’s Jerusalem at the “City of David” complex
• Walk through Hezekiah’s ancient water tunnel under Jerusalem
• Overnight: Neve Ilan Guest House, Jerusalem Hills

DAY #9 / Tuesday / Jerusalem’s Old City
• Enter the Old City from the Jaffa Gate
• Walk along the top of the Rampart Walls to the Zion Gate
• Explore the Jewish Quarter’s alleyways, tunnels & rooftops
• Tour of the Southern Wall excavations & Davidson Center
• Reflections at the Kotel – The Western Wall
• Experience layers of Jewish history on the Kotel Tunnel Tour
• Dinner at Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda Street pedestrian mall
• Overnight: Neve Ilan Guest House, Jerusalem Hills

DAY #10 / Wednesday / The Exile
• Tzurim Valley – Take part in an active archeological excavation
• Crawl through the caves of the Bar Kochba Rebellion
• Begin traveling northwards along the coast
• Catacombs of Beit Shearim – Jewish life in Israel during the Exile
• Check-in to hotel in Nahariya on the Mediterranean
• Evening: BBQ party on the beach
• Overnight: Beit Kaye Guest House, Mediterranean Coast

DAY #11 / Thursday / The Western Galilee
• Explore the ocean caves at Rosh Hanikrah
• Hike to the Montfort Castle in Nahal Kziv
• Tour of old Acco seaport and Crusader-era castle
• View of Haifa from the Bahai Temple Gardens
• Af Al Pi Chen – “The Exodus Boat” and Israel’s Holocaust Refugees
• Overnight: Beit Kaye Guest House, Mediterranean Coast

DAY #12 / Friday / The Return
• Learn Israeli martial arts on the beach with Budokan!
• Zichron Yaakov – The modern Zionist movement emerges
• Atlit Camp – The Holocaust and the migration to Israel that followed
• Return to Nahariya to prepare for Shabbat
• Kabbalat Shabbat service at local Reform synagogue in Nahariya
• Overnight: Beit Kaye Guest House, Nahariya

DAY #13 / Saturday / Shabbat on the Beach
• Shabbat program at hotel
• Relaxed afternoon at the beach
• Evening: Israel movie night – “Ushpizin”
• Overnight: Beit Kaye Guest House, Nahariya

DAY #14 / Sunday / The Sea of Galilee
• Travel eastwards across the Galilee
• Hike down Mount Arbel overlooking the Sea of Galilee
• Swimming in the Sea of Galilee
• Check-in to kibbutz accommodations and walking tour of the kibbutz
• Overnight: Kibbutz Afik Guest House, Galilee

DAY #15 / Monday / Mystics of the Galilee
• Walking tour of mystical Tzfat – Birthplace of the Kabbalah movement
• Meet with Kabbalistic artist, Avraham Lowenthal
• Volunteer at an absorption center for recent Ethiopian immigrants
• Evening: Enjoy a traditional Druze feast in the village of Sajur
• Overnight: Kibbutz Afik Guest House, Galilee

DAY #16 / Tuesday / Water & Israel
• Nature walk to Tel Dan at the headwaters of the Jordan River
• Relaxed rafting down the upper Jordan River
• Bike riding through the Hula Valley Nature Reserve
• Kinneret Cemetery – The poets & pioneers of the Galilee
• Evening: Cruise on the Sea of Galilee with Israeli dancing
• Overnight: Kibbutz Afik Guest House, Galilee

DAY #17 / Wednesday / Perspectives from the Golan Heights
• Ascend the Golan Heights
• Water hike down Nahal Jilaboun canyon
• View across Israel and her neighbors from atop Mount Ben-Tal
• Meet with resident of the Golan at Kibbutz Merom Golan
• Relax in the natural hotsprings of Hamat Gader
• Evening: Israeli movie night – “The Syrian Bride”
• Overnight: Kibbutz Afik Guest House, Galilee

DAY #18 / Thursday / Multiculturalism in Israel
• Coexistence program at Givat Haviva
• Tour of Caesarea – the Roman amphitheater on the beach

Option A: Drop-off for Host Family Weekend in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
Option B: Supervised alternative weekend (central Israel)

DAY #19 / Friday / Host Family Weekend
Option A: Host Family Weekend
Option B: Supervised alternative weekend (central Israel)
• Adam & Eve Ecological Village
• Latrun Armored Corp Museum

DAY #20 / Saturday / Host Family Weekend
Option A: Host Family Weekend
Option B: Supervised alternative weekend (central Israel)

DAY #21 / Sunday / The Negev Desert
• Rejoin as a full group and begin heading south to the Negev Desert
• Table-to-Table: Service project harvesting crops for the hungry
• Visit to the Weitzman Institute – Israel’s cutting edge technology academy
• Sde Boker – Ben Gurion’s grave and contemporary Zionism
• Trek on camelback thru the Negev Desert
• “Hafla style” dinner feast at Chan HaShayarot Bedouin Tent
• Evening: Bonfire party under the stars
• Overnight: Chan HaShayarot Bedouin Tent, Negev Desert

DAY #22 / Monday / Eilat and the Red Sea
• Travel southwards to Eilat
• Overlook to the Ramon Crater en route
• Beach time and snorkeling in the tropical Red Sea
• Tour of Timna Nature Reserve & Solomon’s Mines
• Dinner at Yotvata dairy farm restaurant
• Evening: Shopping at Eilat’s sea-side flea market
• Overnight: Eilat Guest House, Eilat

DAY #23 / Tuesday / The Desert Blooms
• Hike to Mount Zefachot for view of sunrise over the Red Sea
• Bus tour along Israel’s border with Egypt
• Desert ecology seminar at Kibbutz Ketura
• Travel northwards along the Arava Valley • Evening: Israel Movie Night – “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”
• Overnight: Inbar Hotel, Arad

DAY #24 / Wednesday / Masada and the Dead Sea
• Sunrise climb to Masada via the Roman Ramp
• Tour of the Masada desert fortress complex
• Descend Masada via the famous Snake Path
• Floating & beach time at the Dead Sea
• Swim under the desert waterfalls at Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
• Return to Jerusalem in the late afternoon
• Evening: Speaker – Geo-politics of Israel with Neil Lazarus
• Overnight: Agron Guest House, Jerusalem

DAY #25 / Thursday / Remembrance and Redemption
• Visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Mt. Herzl
• Visit to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament – Meaning of a Jewish State
• Hazon Yeshaya – Service project at a Jerusalem soup kitchen
• Shop for dinner at Mahane Yehuda marketplace
• Group picnic style dinner in a Jerusalem park
• Evening: Pre-Shabbat activity with Rabbi Ian Pear
• Overnight: Agron Guest House, Jerusalem

DAY #26 / Friday / Cosmopolitan Tel Aviv
• Travel to Tel Aviv – Israel’s cultural & financial capital
• Celebrate the founding of modern Israel at Independence Hall
• Shopping at Nahalat Binyamin street festival
• Walking tour of Jaffa seaport and artist colony
• Group beach time in Tel Aviv
• Return to Jerusalem in late afternoon to prepare for Shabbat
• Re-enter the Old City for Kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel
• Overnight: Agron Guest House, Jerusalem

DAY #27 / Saturday / Shabbat in Jerusalem
• Option to attend Shabbat services at local synagogues
• Walking tour of Jerusalem neighborhoods
• Relaxed picnic-style afternoon at Jerusalem’s Independence Park
• Program wrap-up & closing session
• Late night bonfire party in the Jerusalem forest

DAY #28 / Sunday / Shalom!
• Return to airport for early morning flight to New York
• Arrive back to New York in the afternoon

Trip Q & A

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