Monday, December 29, 2014

Jewish Heritage Travel Program Launched At The Museum Of Jewish Heritage



 The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust has launched a brand-new travel program devoted to exploring Jewish cultural destinations around the world.

From the Baltic States to Northern Spain, Cuba, and Poland, Jewish Heritage Travel journeys will be unforgettable learning experiences led by experts and accompanied by renowned scholars who will shed light on Jewish life throughout the ages. In addition to private tours and lectures by some of today’s top scholars, many of the trips include opportunities to meet with Jewish community leaders abroad.

Dr. David G. Marwell, Director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, said, “We’re so pleased to be able to team up with Dr. Aryeh Maidenbaum, a world-class expert on educational travel. We invite travelers to experience the richness and complexity of Jewish history and heritage in exciting locales outside of the Museum’s walls.”    

Dr. Maidenbaum said, “The Museum of Jewish Heritage is a wonderful institution devoted to learning about and celebrating Jewish culture and continuity. I look forward to working with the Museum on this travel program, which I hope will complement the themes and offerings of the Museum in a very meaningful way.”

For more information and to register for one or more of the trips, contact Jewish Heritage Travel at 825.256.0197 or info@jhtravel.org, or visit http://jhtravel.org.
About the Trips

The program will launch on August 30, 2015 with Jewish Jewels of the Baltic: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Highlights of the trip will include the picturesque city of Vilnius, the countryside of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, the ancient capital Trakai, and the charming city of Riga, followed by the architectural wonders of Tallin. Professor Sid Leiman, an expert on Lithuanian Jewry, will accompany the trip, which will run through September 10, 2015

From October 28, 2015 through November 8, 2015, travelers can explore Mysticism, Music & Poetry: The Jews of Northern Spain with accompanying scholar Professor Ray Scheindlin, an expert on the Jews of Spain. Travelers will admire Barcelona, the homeland of the Spanish Kabbalah. From there they will travel to Girona, home to one of the most important Kabbalistic schools in Europe. Other highlights include stops in Tarazona to view the recently discovered remnants of the Jewish community there. The group will also stop in Madrid and El Escorial where participants will delve into medieval Jewish history, and Toledo, where they will have the opportunity to tour the city’s surviving synagogues.

Travelers will discover A Marriage of Different Cultures when they arrive in Havana, Cuba on February 9, 2016. Once there, visitors will be treated to presentations by local scholars and experts, and an overnight excursion to Cienfuegos and Santa Clara. Along with the chance to meet local community leaders, travelers will have the opportunity to explore Havana and the outlying provinces and experience the unique flavor of Jewish life in Cuba. The trip will run through February 16, 2016.

The inaugural travel season will conclude with a look at Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow: The Jews of Poland, which will take place from May 2 through May 12, 2016. Accompanied by the Museum’s Director, Dr. David G. Marwell, travelers will begin in Warsaw where they will tour the new Museum of the History of the Polish Jews and other sites of interest. The next stop on the journey will be the scenic old town of Wroclaw (Breslau), which will be followed by a trip through Poland’s countryside and villages including a stop in Lodz. Visitors will continue on to the dynamic cultural capital of Krakow. From Krakow, they will travel to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, and to the recently expanded Auschwitz Jewish Center, for a private tour with the director.

All trips include rich Jewish content, deluxe accommodations, comfortable land transportation, some meals, and all lectures, presentations, guided tours, and site entrance fees.
About the Trip Leader

Dr. Aryeh Maidenbaum earned his doctorate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is also a graduate of the Jung Institute of Zurich. He brings with him more than 25 years of experience organizing and leading educational travel programs, including trips focusing on Jewish culture and history and psychology. Supported by a highly skilled and dedicated staff, and drawing from the Museum’s resources, Aryeh’s travel leadership skills and enthusiasm will enhance the Museum’s unique and fascinating journeys.

About the Museum of Jewish Heritage

The Museum’s exhibitions educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century—before, during, and after the Holocaust.  Current special exhibitions include Against the Odds: American Jews and the Rescue of Europe’s Refugees, 1933-1941, on view through February 15, 2015 and A Town Known as Auschwitz: The Life and Death of a Jewish Community. It is also home to the award-winning Keeping History Center, an interactive visitor experience, and Andy Goldsworthy’s memorial Garden of Stones. The Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule in its Edmond J. Safra Hall and receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

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