AACI’s Kosher Normandy – 80th Anniversary of D-DAY
Normandy – 80th Anniversary of D-DAY
September 9-15, 2024
Monday 9/9 – Paris – Normandy
Upon arriving in Paris, we will board our bus towards Normandy. On route we will stop for a picnic on the lakeshore with designed seating areas and personal baskets including delicious French cheeses of the region, wine and seasonal fruits (kosher). We will continue our journey and check-in at the castle for a festive reception at our prestigious and authentic castle in the heart of Normandy 19:00 – Kosher dinner at the castle.
Our own exclusive and stunning castle in Normandy – Only 16 rooms
The Chateau de Villers-Bocage a renovated 17th century castle is in the heart of Normandy surrounded by huge and green private areas. The castle is used for boutique events, social events and accommodation. The castle enjoys particularly spacious and luxurious suites include private bathrooms. There are 4 floors with an accessible elevator.
One can enjoy endless green lawns, heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, jacuzzi, sauna, spa room, huge cinema room, dance hall, golf lawns, badminton courts, pentaquin, basketball, soccer, volleyball and more. Click to visit castle
Tuesday 10/9 – D-Day Landing Beaches
After Tefillot and breakfast at the castle we depart for our historical visit to the landing beaches of Normandy. This is one of the most important and exciting historical sites in modern times. On this unique visit, we will walk the route that the Allied soldiers took on June 6, 1945, when they arrived from the ocean to the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe.
The numbers of troops on the first day: 156,000 total: United States – 73,000 United Kingdom – 62,000, Canada – 21,00.
The landing on the beaches, the stubborn battle against the Germans and the stories of that fateful night will be conveyed in a guided experience by an expert guide. The guide will accompany us through the route that the soldiers took from the arrival on the beach and past the cliffs and bunkers of the German army. On the way it will be possible to see the most important sites and monuments of that day. The visit will end at the American Cemetery – one of the most famous and moving sites in the world where the thousands of soldiers who fell in the battle to liberate Europe from the Nazis are buried. The tour will also include a visit to the impressive visitor center next to the cemetery. After a light lunch we will continue the visit to the landing beaches while passing through the important and historical landmarks of the Allied landing story, and site of the opening shot for the liberation of Europe, exactly 80 years ago. We will visit the renovated landing museum in Armomancies where we will also watch a film about the war in a 360 degree projection.
Dinner at the castle.
Wednesday – 11/9 – Mont Saint Michel
Following Tefllot and breakfast, we will journey to Mont Saint Michel – one of the most visited and special sites in the world. It is a tiny island with an ancient village from the Middle Ages. It is also known as the “Wonder of the West”. This is perhaps the most special place to watch the tidal phenomenon that is very unique to the beaches of Normandy. At high tide the island is surrounded by water and at low tide it is connected to the mainland by a long path. The village consists of a maze of alleys and steep streets and in the center are a church and a monastery.
Our visit to Mont Saint-Michel will be accompanied by an English-speaking local guide and will include explanations about the phenomenon of tides, entering the walls of the island and a tour of the alleys and narrow streets and the shops and cafes in them. During the tour it will be possible to witness one of the fascinating phenomena of Normandy – the changing the coastline between high tide and low tide. The highlight of the visit will be another unique route, which is the “Wandering Sands Route” – a route that encircles the island and reveals a special natural phenomenon of sands that you will experience walking barefoot.
We will continue on to the city of Caen, the capital of Normandy, a visit to the museum of the history of the Second World War and the ancient synagogue of the city.
Dinner at the castle.
Thursday – 12/9 – Landing Beaches
On the landing beaches there are about 15 museums dealing with the battles that took place in Normandy in World War II. There are five beaches in Normandy, the two most important and well-known of which are Omaha Beach and to the west of it Utah Beach. A tour along the landing beaches starts from Ouistreham. It is a town located on the Seward coast with beautiful churches and charming streets with cafes and patisseries. The beaches along which you will travel west are mostly sandy and wide. We will stop at Houlgate – a very charming village. The town of Benouville, which is a little south of the coast, is another charming town and is home to the Pegasus Memorial site which honors the British Airborne troops who played a key role on -Day. After that we will visit Pointe de Huc – a cliff that was occupied during the invasion by commando units of the American army who climbed the cliffs using ropes. Located on the cliff were guns of the German army which could have disrupted the landing on Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. The occupation of the site was completed done after a heavy air bombardment. The site was left as it was at the end of the battle. The area is strewn with many craters (as a result of the bombings), fortifications and concrete fragments. Some of the bunkers still stand today. There is a monument there. After that we will visit the German cemetery to learn the story of the battles from a different point of view. We will end the day in the beautiful town of Bayeux. In the center stands the famous museum where a centuries-old tapestry depicting the travels of William the 
Conqueror during the Anglo-French War is displayed.
Festive dinner at the castle.
Friday – 13/9 – Rouen and Paris
Travel to the city of Rouen and have a guided visit of the Jewish ghetto, the ancient center of the city, and the Jeanne d’Arc square. The Jewish community in Rouen was an important French Jewish community in the Middle Ages. In 1100, about six thousand Jews lived in Rouen and made up 20% of its population. The Jewish community in Rouen was important and prosperous, until the expulsion of the French Jews in 1306 During the 19th century, Ashkenazi Jews returned to live in Rouen. Before the Holocaust, there were 550 Jewish residents in Rouen. Nearly 500 of the ghetto’s Jews were sent to their deaths in extermination camps. In the ghetto there were two ancient synagogues: the Great Synagogue (Synagogue monumental) is located on the street called the Street of the Jews. The Church of Notre Dame de la Ronda is located on the street called “Street of the Great Clock” and was originally a synagogue. It became a church in 1306. Rouen’s synagogue was the most famous of the ancient synagogues in France. The new synagogue in Rouen was built in 1950 on the street called “The Street of the Good Children”. The new synagogue is a building in the international Bauhaus style and was designed by the French architect Francois Herr. 17:00 – arrival at the hotel in Paris 20:00 – Shabbat dinner in Paris
Saturday – 14/9 – Paris
Morning – Prayer lunch Afternoon – guided walking tour with an emphasis on Jewish history and culture in Paris Saturday Night – Cruise on Siena
Sunday – 15/9 – Paris and flight home
Visit the Jewish Museum and the Holocaust Museum Tour of the Jewish quarter in the Marais – Rue de Rosiers. In the evening we say farewell to Paris and drive to the air airport for our flight home.
| Price without flights: €6,200 per person in a double room for AACI members €6,900 single person in a room Flights from Israel are approximately $620 (as of January March 20, 2024) |
$75 pp addition for non AACI member or join AACI
| Flight details Departure flight: LY319 (ELAL) Monday, September 19, 2024: Departing Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv at 5:50. Arrival in Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris: 09:50 Return flight: LY 326 (ELAL) Sunday, September 15, 2024: Departing Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris at 22:40. Arrival in Tel Aviv at 04:05, Monday, September 16, 2024 |
Please note the rate of exchange used for this tour is subject to change if there are currency fluctuations
The price includes
* Accommodation in a luxurious and amazing castle in the heart of Normandy
*Accommodation in Paris at a 4-star hotel located by the Jewish quarter.
*3 kosher meals a day including wine at dinner
*Festive Shabbat dinner
*Entrances to the sites according to the detailed route
*Transportation: dedicated bus and driver
*Transfers from and to the airport
*All the activities and tours that appear in the detailed program
*Tips for local service providers
*Porters for luggage
*Access to all the sites listed in the program
The price does not include
* Flights
* Any detail not specified above
* Passport issue or renewal
* Expenses of a personal nature
* Health, travel and baggage insurance
Terms of payment:
From registration to July 7, 2024 – € 1,500 (€300 per person non-refundable)
Balance due: July 8, 2024
Cancellation:
From registration until June 9, 2024 €300pp
From June 9-July 9, 50%
From July 10, 100%
For further details please email: info@aaci.org.il or call 02-5661181 ext. 205