Tentative itinerary

Day 1-5 | Day 6-10 | Day 11-15 | Day 16-21

Day 16. Monday
We have kept Prague for the last part of the trip because we want to end with the best. That, we believe, is Prague. We leave Budapest early in the morning to arrive in Prague in the afternoon. Having had lunch on the way, we will immediately start with a visit to the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. We then walk down through the Charles Bridge to the Old Town. The view in all directions is spectacular. There will be tourists everywhere and the general atmosphere is that of a carnival. After dinner we will tell the Golem story before we go on a night tour of the magically lit streets.

Day 17 Tuesday
This morning we visit the Jewish Quarter. Like in Amsterdam the Jewish Museum is spread in 4 old synagogues that are no longer in use. Many of the exhibits are from what is known as The Precious Legacy .The Altneuschull is more than 700 years old and is considered to be the oldest functioning synagogue in Europe. Going through the Jewish Museum will not only teach us about the history of the Jews in Prague, that literally extends over more than 1000 years, it will also enable us to compare and sum up what we have learned about different Jewish centers in Europe throughout our journey. In the afternoon we continue our visit in the Old Town and Vaclav Square.This evening we will see a show unique to Prague in what is called Black Theater

Day18. Wednesday
The Holocaust in this country took a very different face before it ended like everywhere else in Auschwitz. Czech Jews were sent to Therezienstadt also known as Terezin. After breakfast we will meet with a survivor from Terezin, Pavel Stranski, who resides in Prague. Pavel will tell us his story then accompany us to Terezin about an hour away. Pavel will help us reconcile the beauty that we will encounter in the pastoral town, the legacy of art, music and literature that we will see in the exhibit with the morbid reality that was there in the Holocaust. Around 3PM we will have a memorial ceremony at the river where ashes of the victims were dumped before we return to Prague.

Day 19, Thursday
Two options: Either Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad) or Czeski Krumlov. Both are beautiful Towns which are famous tourist attractions. The first happens to be the place where a Zionst Congress took place so it will give us a chance to deal with an important chapter in Zionism. It is also the place where the famous Moser glass factory( used to be Jewish) is and we can go visit. Its drawback is that it is very touristy. The other place is probably less touristy but farther away. Both places are lots of fun.

Day 20, Friday
There are no shtetls in the Czech Republic but there are many small towns where Jews used to live in Medieval ghettos till the 1848. No Jews live there today. Sometimes old synagogues and cemeteries remain. Some of the old synagogues are used by the Prague Jewish Museum as storage for artifacts from the Precious Legacy. The cemeteries are neglected. We will help clean such a cemetery, it will give us a chance to learn about Jewish tomb stones and also how to calculate Jewish dates. In Return we will be given a chance to walk inside the storages and see things no one is allowed to see. Here we will also learn about the help extended by Czechoslovakia to the new born State of Israel back in 1948. That help was crucial. Not only did they supply us with arms, but they also trained our first pilots. This evening we will attend kabbalat shabbat with the alternative community called Beit Praha where we will also meet local Jewish youth.

Day 21 Saturday
For this last day there is a very special program. We start at 10:30 so that those who wish can join Shabbat service at the Altneuschul. The rest of the morning will be devoted to Kafka. Combining a walking tour to places related to Kafka's life - the house he grew up in, the school he went to, his father's shop etc.- with dramatization of segments from his literary work by the group participants (it will take some preparation), we will make Kafka both fun and educational. After lunch we will do a "street game". Divided into groups of 5-6, each group will get its own booklet with a map, a special track within the Old Town and various assignments. The track is quite easy and leisurely. The objective is to give participants a sense of freedom, get to know the more intimate streets and corners of the town and discuss things more naturally in smaller groups. There will be about three hours for the game. There is no rush. Participants will be encouraged to sit in cafes or even do some shopping along the route. Hopefully each group will be joined by at least one local teenager from the Jewish community that they will have met the night before. That person will be a resource person or a translator if needed. Before dinner there will still be some free time for last minute shopping.The trip ends with a disco party, preferably on a boat on the Voltava river.

Flight back home late that night or

Day 22
Fly back home