Russia and the Ukraine Itinerary

Red Square, Moscow, Photo by thisisbossi — Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

The fascinating and often tragic history of Jewish Eastern Europe comes alive with a visit to the countries of Russia and the Ukraine. From small country villages bursting with stories to thoroughly modern capital cities, an exploration of post-Soviet Russia and the Ukraine is a trip through time and history as well. Join Deluxe Kosher Tours on this incredibly rich and transformative journey to the sites, histories and thriving Jewish culture of two countries whose contemporary influences cannot be understated.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 In Transit
Today we’ll depart from the US to St. Petersburg, Russia, and will spend the night in transit.

Read Stuart Katz’s blog post “The Bridges of St. Petersburg, Russia”

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Arrival St. Petersburg
Upon arrival at the airport we’ll be met by our carefully selected DELUXE KOSHER TOURS escort and welcomed to the incredible city of St. Petersburg. The cultural heart of Russia since its founding by Tsar Peter I in 1703, St. Petersburg has been called many names over the years but is most often known simply as Piter and is a source of great pride for Russians throughout the country.

We’ll be transferred from the airport to the Hotel Astoria, an elegant and luxurious hotel that embraces Russian tradition while providing unparalleled comfort. The hotel is located in a prime location directly across from St. Isaac’s Cathedral in the city center and is the perfect base to explore the city.

The remainder of the day is free to relax after the flight or explore the city on your own.

In the evening we’ll rejoin the group for a welcome dinner of traditional Russian specialties at the hotel.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 St. Petersburg
This morning after breakfast we’ll embark on a fascinating full-day city tour of St. Petersburg. Today will focus on the history of the city and the role that it played in the development of the modern Russian state.

The hotel’s location in St. Isaac’s Square is the perfect starting point for our tour and the highlights of today are the Hermitage and Winter Palace. Although the city has more than its share of lovely palaces the Winter Palace is truly spectacular and houses Russia’s largest and most impressive art museum in the same buildings that the great Tsars called home.

Perched majestically on the banks of the Neva River, the Winter Palace is a marvel of Baroque architecture and contains an astounding 1,057 extravagantly decorated rooms and halls. Construction of the Palace was begun in 1754 as a home for Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, and the architectural style was designed to showcase Russia’s position as one of the cultural and artistic capitals of the world.

The Hermitage, located on the grounds of the Winter Palace, is the country’s premiere art gallery and showcases an impressive collection of works ranging from Ancient Egyptian artifacts to works by the French Impressionists and Modern Masters. It has been said that if you were to spend one minute looking at each exhibit it would take eleven years to see the entire collection. You will have plenty of time to explore the museum at a leisurely pace.

In the early evening we’ll return to the hotel after dinner at a local restaurant.

Friday, July 30, 2010 St. Petersburg
Today’s exploration of the city continues with visits to the Catherine Palace and Peterhof, two of the city’s most beautiful summer residences. Catherine Palace was built by Peter the Great for his wife Catherine and rivals the Taj Mahal in Agra as an architectural expression of love. Given as a gift to his bride in 1710, the palace was the official summer residence of the imperial family until 1917 and is located in the town of Pushkin, roughly one hour outside of the city center.

During the Second World War fifty-seven of the palace’s great halls and rooms where systematically dismantled and looted by the invading Nazi forces. Among these was the famed Amber Room containing over 100,000 perfectly fitted pieces of amber constructed into wall panels. Originally a gift from King Frederick William of Prussia, during the three hundred day siege of what was then known as Leningrad the palace’s treasures where stolen by the occupying Germans and have never been recovered.

Peterhof is a royal residence located on the Gulf of Finland with extensive gardens and lavish fountains that have drawn comparisons to Versailles. The palace was originally built to entertain royal guests and visiting dignitaries and the mix of architectural and landscaping styles represent over two centuries of design techniques. With over two hundred and fifty acres of formal grounds, Peterhof is best explored on foot and its beautiful landscaping is the perfect introduction to the splendor and majesty of the Russian aristocracy.

In the late afternoon we’ll be taken to the St Petersburg Synagogue to meet with members of the city’s Jewish community and to enjoy a Shabbat dinner before returning to the hotel for the evening.

Saturday, July 31, 2010 St. Petersburg
Spend Shabbat at leisure.

Sunday, August 1, 2010 St. Petersburg – Minsk
In 2005, the Jewish community of St. Petersburg celebrated the opening of YESOD, the first Jewish building to be constructed in the country since the rise of the Soviet Union. Translated as foundation or source, YESOD has become not only the central address but also the symbol of the post-Soviet Jewish renaissance in Russia. YESOD focuses on reviving Jewish traditions and culture and provides social and financial resources for the greater Jewish community at large.

We’ll have ample opportunity to tour the facilities, meet staff and volunteers and learn about the goals and programs of the center before returning to the hotel in the late afternoon.

This evening we’ll be met at the hotel and transferred to St. Petersburg’s rail station for the overnight sleeper train to Minsk. Spend the evening on board the train in a First Class Sleeper car with en suite facilities.

Monday, August 2, 2010 Minsk
Upon arrival in the city of Minsk we’ll be met at the rail station to begin a morning tour of the city. Minsk is the cultural and economic capital of Belarus and at the start of the 20th Century the population was more than 50% Jewish; today this number is below 1%. Our city tour will include visits to the Museum of Culture and History, Independence Square and the Red Cathedral. After the tour we’ll check-in to the Crown Plaza Hotel located in the center of the city.

In the early afternoon we’ll continue touring the region with a visit to Mir, a small village on the banks of the Mirunka River and home to the UNESCO World Heritage Mir Castle Complex. The castle was begun in the Gothic style but finished in the Renaissance style giving it a unique façade that spans generations and includes a wide variety of often conflicting architectural details. During World War II the Jewish residents in Mir were relocated to the grounds of the then-abandoned castle complex as the ghetto territory was steadily decreased.

Mir is also home to the Mir Yeshiva, an important center of learning and cultural tradition that drew students and teachers not only from Russia and Eastern Europe but as far away as South America.

In the late afternoon we’ll return to Minsk for the evening.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Minsk – Kiev
This morning we’ll continue touring the area with a visit to the villages of Volozhin and Radun including stops at the former Yeshiva, the Jewish cemeteries and the Holocaust Memorial.

In the late afternoon we’ll be transferred to the airport for the flight to Kiev and upon arrival we’ll be transferred to the Riviera Hotel for the evening. This modern boutique hotel is located in the historic district of the city with rooms overlooking the Podol and Dnepr River.

The remainder of the evening is free to relax or explore on your own.

Read Stuart Katz’s blog post “Emails From Kiev, Ukraine”

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 Kiev
This morning we leave the city and head to Zhytomir, one of the oldest towns in European Russia and the birthplace of Russia’s Hasidic movement. Today we’ll visit the former shtetle towns of Zhytomir and Berdichev, two of the most important in Ukrainian history. Today’s tour will visit the once-thriving Jewish Quarter of Zhytomir, which at its height housed multiple teaching institutions and a thriving Jewish population before being decimated during a four month period in 1942. We’ll also visit the Holocaust Memorial before heading to Berdichev.

We’ll return to Kiev in the early evening.

Thursday, August 5, 2010 Kiev – Moscow
This morning after breakfast we’ll be met at the hotel and taken on a private walking tour of the city. Kiev is a fascinating city and the history of Jewish Kiev is an incredible story of strength, transformation and rebirth. Our tour will include the Brodsky Synagogue, a historical hub of Jewish cultural life, and the Kiev Jewish Community Center. No tour of the city would be complete without stops at the Babi Yar Memorial, site of the Nazi massacre of Kiev’s Jewish population, and the memorial to the world-famous Yiddish writer, Sholom Aleichem, author of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

In the afternoon we’ll embark on a cruise along the Dnieper River stopping at the Monastery of the Caves and Yalta, home to the World War II conference that created the modern geopolitical boundaries of Europe.

In the early evening we’ll transfer to the airport for our onward flight to Moscow. Upon arrival we’ll be met at the airport and transferred to the luxurious Hotel Baltschug Kempinski, considered one of the finest hotels in the world and the perfect base to explore this fascinating city.

Friday, August 6, 2010 Moscow
It’s no accident that our last destination is Moscow, truly a city where history and modernism exist side-by-side and a precarious balance exists between the old and the new. There is no better way to explore Moscow than on foot and today’s fully guided walking tour of the city will visit the historical origins of the city at the grounds of the Kremlin, explore the Armory with its collection of imperial treasures and includes a ride on the fully modern Moscow Metro.

In the afternoon the highlights of the tour will be a visit to the Memorial Synagogue and the Poklonnaya Gora Holocaust Museum before meeting with members of the local Jewish community for a traditional Shabbat dinner.

We’ll return to the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski in the early evening.

Saturday, August 7, 2010 Moscow
Spend Shabbat at leisure.

Sunday, August 8, 2010 Moscow – Onward
This morning we’ll be transferred from the hotel to the airport for our departing flights.

HOTELS (sometimes similar or better hotels may be substituted)
St. Petersburg Astoria Hotel www.thehotelastoria.com
Minsk Crowne Plaza www.crowneplaza.com
Kiev Riviera Hotel www.rivierahotel.com.ua
Moscow Kempinski Hotel www.kempinski.com/moscow

COST PER PERSON
$6,995 based on double occupancy (two to a room) for basic program
Includes air fare from: New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco
LAND ONLY (no transatlantic air fare included – airfare within Russia and the Ukraine would be included) – $5,995

ADDITIONAL COSTS

• Visa fees as required.
• Snacks or items of a personal nature
• Single Supplement – $1,595

ITINERARY & HOTELS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
RATES MAY BE ADJUSTED IF THERE’S A FLUCTUATION IN CURRENCY OF MORE THAN 4% FROM MARCH 1, 2010
RATES MAY BE ADJUSTED IN THE EVENT OF AN INCREASE IN AIRLINE FUEL CHARGES
RATES LISTED ARE FOR PAYMENT VIA CHECK. PAYMENT VIA CREDIT CARDS RESULT IN AN ADDITIONAL 4% PROCESSING FEE

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