ITINERARY

Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - Departure City/ Europe

Depart from your city with overnight flight to Europe.

Wednesday, June 20 - European City/ VILNIUS

Arrive in Europe and change planes for flight to Vilnius. Afternoon of rest and relaxation. Welcome dinner at 8 p.m., with invited dignitaries.

Thursday, June 21 - VILNIUS

Morning visit to the Jewish Holocaust Museum and also the  Jewish Tolerance Center. After lunch, we will go to the pits at Ponar (Paneriai) where 70,000 Jews were murdered. We will also stop at the Jewish cemetery where the famous Gaon of Vilna is buried.

Friday, June 22 - VILNIUS

Morning visit to the State Historical Archive where you will see original records going back to the 15th century. With advance preparation, you will see, and obtain copies of, original records of your ancestors. After leaving the Archive we will tour the Jewish Community Center where we will meet with the main leaders of the Jewish community.

As an option, groups of three or four will go in taxis from the Jewish Community Center, and visit a Jewish family and also an elderly Jewish senior citizen in their apartments. There will be an additional fee to pay for the taxi (about $20 per person).

Saturday, June 23 – VILNIUS

Attend morning services at the only remaining Synagogue in Vilnius. After lunch, we will take a guided walking tour of the former ghetto area.

Sunday, June 24 – TRAKAI
Morning visit to Trakai including the castle there dating from the 14th century. This was the original capital of Lithuania. Afternoon free to relax or sightsee.

Monday, June 25 - ROOTS TOUR

This is the first of two days reserved for “roots” tours. You will spend the day in the shtetl(s) of your choice retracing the steps walked by your ancestors. A car, driver and guide/interpreter will be pre-arranged for you.

You will spend the night in the nearest city offering hotel accommodations. Visits to Latvia and Belarus are possible during this time. (Additional charge for car, driver, interpreter, and hotel rooms for them. That is per car, not per person).

Tuesday, June 26 – ROOTS TOUR

This is the second day of your “roots” exploration. At the end of the day, everyone meets back together in time for an 8 p.m. dinner at our hotel in Kaunas.

Wednesday, June 27 - KAUNAS

The morning will be spent at the Kaunas Archive. After lunch, we will tour the Slobodka ghetto and the IX Fort. We will also stop at the famous Slobodka Yeshiva. Those who are interested will be able to attend evening minyan at the "Blue" Synagogue, built in 1890, and the only Synagogue in Kaunas not destroyed during the Holocaust.

Thursday, June 28 – KAUNAS

In the morning we will tour Kaunas, including the house where Chiune Sugihara lived and issued transit visas that saved 2,300 Jews. After lunch, we will leave Kaunas and travel to Vilnius. On the way, we will stop in the village of Ziezmaria and see one of the few remaining wooden synagogues in Lithuania. Farewell dinner in Vilnius where we will spend the night.

Friday, June 29 - VILNIUS/HOME CITY/or ELSEWHERE

Morning departure for the flight back to your home city, or elsewhere. (NOTE - If you would like to extend the trip and visit other cities in Europe, arrangements can be made.)