AACI’s Poland & Lithuania Heritage Tour: July 6-15, 2026
Poland & Lithuania Heritage Tour
July 6 – July 15, 2026
Join AACI and Rav Aharon Adler who is an expert in leading tours to Poland and Lithuania having directed and led 32 heritage tours to Poland, Lithuania, and Europe.
From the solemn memorials of Treblinka and Auschwitz-Birkenau to the vibrant spiritual legacy of Lublin and the Kazimierz district in Krakow, you will trace the profound footsteps of generations past. The itinerary balances deep reflection at sites like the Ponary Forest with the celebration of heritage in the historic synagogues of Tykocin and Vilnius. This ten-day tour offers a powerful connection to the resilience and enduring spirit of Eastern European Jewry.
Monday, July 6 — The Jewish Heart of Warsaw
Upon meeting in Warsaw, the journey begins at the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the world, where many great Torah figures and cultural leaders are buried, including the Netziv of Volozhin, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, L.L. Zamenhof, and I.L. Peretz.
We then follow the Route of Heroism, stopping at key memorials such as the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes and sites connected to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, reflecting on the courage and resistance of Jewish fighters.
From there, we visit the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, built on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto, where we journey through over 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland.
The day concludes at the historic Nożyk Synagogue, the only pre-war synagogue in Warsaw to survive the Holocaust, for a moment of prayer and reflection.
Tuesday, July 7 — Shtetl Life and the Destruction of Polish Jewry
Depart Warsaw for the northeast to visit Tykocin (Teconsyn), where the beautifully restored 17th-century Great Synagogue stands as a powerful reminder of traditional shtetl life.
Nearby, we visit the Łopuchowo Forest, the site where the Jewish community of Tykocin was murdered, learning about the mass executions carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators.
In the afternoon, we continue to the Treblinka Memorial Site, one of the most devastating killing centers of the Holocaust. Today the site is a symbolic cemetery, marked by over 17,000 stones representing the destroyed Jewish communities of Poland.
Return to Warsaw in the evening.
Wednesday, July 8 — From Warsaw to Lublin via Kazimierz Dolny
Depart Warsaw and travel south, stopping in the picturesque town of Kazimierz Dolny, once a thriving center of Jewish trade and culture and today known for its artistic heritage.
Continue to Lublin, often called the “Oxford of Jewish Poland,” where we visit the magnificent Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin, once the largest and most prestigious yeshiva in the world.
We then visit the Old Jewish Cemetery, where we pay respects at the graves of great rabbinic leaders, including the Chozeh of Lublin and the Maharshal.
In the afternoon, we tour the Majdanek State Museum, one of the best-preserved Nazi concentration and extermination camps, offering a stark and powerful encounter with the machinery of destruction.
Overnight in Lublin.
Thursday, July 9 — Through the Heart of Galicia to Krakow
Today we travel through the historic Galicia region, home to many of Eastern Europe’s great Hasidic dynasties.
Our first stop is Leżajsk (Lejsak) to visit the Ohel of Rabbi Elimelech of Leżajsk, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Hasidic world.
We continue to Łańcut, where we visit the magnificent Baroque synagogue famous for its intricate wall and ceiling paintings.
In Tarnów, we see the remaining Bimah of the Old Synagogue, a lone structure standing in an empty square that once held a vibrant Jewish 
community. Nearby, we visit the Zbylitowska Góra Forest, a site of mass murder where thousands of Jews were executed, offering time for remembrance and prayer.
Arrive in Krakow late in the evening.
Friday, July 10 — Auschwitz–Birkenau and Arrival in Krakow
This morning we travel to Oświęcim (Auschwitz) to visit both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II–Birkenau, including the barracks, gas chambers, and memorial sites that testify to the systematic murder of European Jewry.
We also visit the Oświęcim Synagogue, connecting the story of destruction with the centuries of Jewish life that once flourished in this town.
Return to Krakow in the late afternoon to prepare for Shabbat, with time for prayer at one of the historic synagogues in the Kazimierz Jewish Quarter.
Shabbat, July 11 — Jewish Krakow
Shabbat is spent in Krakow, beginning with morning services at a local synagogue.
Later, we enjoy a guided walking tour of the Kazimierz District, once the heart of Jewish life in the city, visiting its historic streets and synagogues.
We then cross the river into the former Podgórze Ghetto area, seeing the Ghetto Heroes Square and the remains of the ghetto walls, reflecting on both Jewish suffering and resilience during the Nazi occupation.
Sunday, July 12 — Travel to Lithuania via Warsaw
Depart Krakow and transfer to the airport for a flight via Warsaw to Vilnius.
Upon arrival in Vilnius, enjoy a short panoramic orientation tour of the city, introducing the rich Jewish and cultural history of the Lithuanian capital.
Overnight in Vilnius.
Monday, July 13 — The Jerusalem of the North: Vilnius
Today we explore Vilnius (“Vilna”), once known as the “Jerusalem of Lithuania,” a global center of Jewish scholarship and culture.
We visit the Choral Synagogue, the only synagogue in the city still functioning today, and explore the former Jewish Quarter, where vibrant Jewish life once flourished.
We also visit Jewish memorial sites and the old Jewish cemetery area, reflecting on the legacy of the Vilna Gaon and the generations of 
scholars who shaped Jewish thought here
Tuesday, July 14 — Kaunas, Slobodka, and the Ninth Fort
Travel to Kaunas (Kovno), Lithuania’s former capital and an important Jewish center.
We visit the area of the famed Slobodka Yeshiva (Knesses Yisrael), home of the Mussar movement and a powerhouse of Torah learning.
In the afternoon, we tour the Ninth Fort Memorial, where tens of thousands of Jews from Lithuania and Western Europe were murdered, learning about both local collaboration and Nazi policy in the Baltic region.
Return to Vilnius for the evening.
Wednesday, July 15: Ponary & Departure
This morning we visit the Ponary (Paneriai) Memorial Site, located in the forest outside Vilnius, where over 70,000 Jews were murdered by mass shootings in what became known as the “Holocaust by bullets.”
After time for reflection and a concluding group session, we transfer to Vilnius Airport for our departure flights home, carrying with us the memory, legacy, and enduring spirit of the communities we have encountered.
Itinerary and visits subject to change.
| Price: in Dollars $4,490 per person in a double room for AACI members $5,085 single person in a room |
$80-pp addition for non AACI member or join AACI
Flight information-not included in price
Departure flight:
LO 152 (LOT Polish Airlines) Monday, July 06, 2026: Departing Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv at 05:05. Arrival in Warsaw Chopin Airport: 08:10
Internal flight: Tickets not included in price.
LO 3908 (LOT Polish Airlines) Sunday, July 12, 2026: Departing John Paul II Airport, Krakow at 12:15. Arrival in Warsaw Chopin Airport: 13:10
Connecting flight: LO 797 (LOT Polish Airlines) Sunday, July 12, 2026: Departing Warsaw Chopin Airport at 14:15. Arrival in Vilnius Airport: 16:20
Return flight
LO 776 (LOT Polish Airlines) Wednesday, July 15, 2026: Departing Vilnius Airport at 19:15. Arrival in Warsaw Chopin Airport: 19:20
Connecting flight: LO 151 (LOT Polish Airlines) Wednesday, July 15, 2026: Departing Warsaw Chopin Airport at 23:00. Arrival in Tel Aviv at 03:50, Thursday, July 16, 2026
For those coming from outside Israel please contact us for assistance with travel arrangements.
The price includes
- Accommodation in very good 4 star hotels
- Full Board -packed lunches
- Expert Guide-Rabbi Dr. Aharon Adler
- Local English speaking guide
- Entrance fees
- All Tips
- Mineral water- 1 bottle per person per day
- AACI Escort
AACI subject to number of participants
The price excludes
- All flights
- Passport issue or renewal
- Expenses of a personal nature
- Health, travel and baggage insurance
Note: It is recommended to purchase travel insurance at the time of registration that includes coverage for cancellation fees and medical expenses.
Payment Policy:
Upon registration $400 non refundable deposit
Final Payment March 15, 2026
Cancellation Policy:
From registration until April 21st-$400 Deposit
From April 22nd-May 15th-50% cancellation fee
May 16th-June 2nd-75% cancellation fee
June 3rd-Departure-full cancellation
For further assistance, please email info@aaci.org.il or call 972-25661181 ext 205