Welcome to the JewishGen "Neshama" Trip to Poland!
July 30, 2024 - August 8, 2024
Join us for an unforgettable trip to Poland whereby you can learn about Polish Jewish life, clean-up a cemetery that has been largely neglected over the past 80 years, and help preserve - with your own hands - our collective Jewish family history and heritage for future generations.
Led by highly experienced staff, this 10 day travel and study trip will allow participants to explore Jewish heritage sites in Poland, and help clean-up a long neglected cemetery. Along the way, we will learn from rabbis, scholars, dignitaries, and community leaders, who will offer first-hand insights regarding the imperative (and challenges) of cleaning-up cemeteries in accordance with Jewish law. And we will discuss how local Polish communities view Jewish cemeteries in their towns, the need to preserve Jewish memory, and more.
This "immersive" exploration of Jewish Poland has been developed based on trips co-led since 2019 by JewishGen, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, and The Matzevah Foundation. The design of this trip is based directly upon our extremely successful 2023 Neshama program trip.
Planned itinerary: The journey formally begins with a tour of Jewish Warsaw, which will include a visit to the magnificent Okopowa Street Cemetery, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (recognized as one of the finest historical museums of the world), the Jewish Historical Institute of Warsaw, the Nozyk synagogue, and a side-trip to visit Treblinka. From there we will journey to the Jewish communities of Lublin, Brzesko and Kraków. The darkest history of Polish Jewry is examined on Friday at Auschwitz-Birkenau. But the resurgence of Polish Jewry will be celebrated over Shabbat dinner on Friday night. Shabbat/Saturday is unscheduled as a day of rest, with optional opportunities for prayer at one of the Kraków synagogues near our hotel in the Kazimierz district, and time for walking tours or independent walks. On Sunday we travel on to Zawiercie. Over the following three days we will work in what is likely one of the most meaningful travel and soul-affecting times of your life. Under the leadership of The Matzevah Foundation, following the guidance of the Rabbinical Commission on Cemeteries in Poland, we will work on the restoration of a Jewish cemetery that has been largely neglected over the past 80 years. Thursday morning will see the group returning to Warsaw's Chopin Airport to conclude the journey.
Optional add-on components of the trip include arriving a day early for a detailed consultation with a professional Polish genealogist in Warsaw, and staying in Poland beyond the group trip for an individual immersive excursion to your own town or towns of ancestral interest within Poland.
To make this an affordable trip, hotels will all be at the 3 or 4 star level, assuring comfort, though not at a luxury cost. Kosher food will be provided through caterers under authoritative rabbinical supervision, with supplementary rabbinically-approved snacks and drinks provided.
The last few days of cemetery work are sure to be meaningful. The Matzevah Foundation has more than a decade of experience in coordinating volunteer projects in Poland. While the work is hard, we have a lot of fun!
The tasks in the Jewish cemetery often consists of clearing of brush, grass, small trees, and other vegetation. Heavy lifting is often involved, though not required for all participants. Each participant is encouraged to work to their maximum personal capacity, but not to exceed that. Our goal is to clean the cemeteries, not to add to their occupancy! There may also be opportunities for cleaning tombstones and the use of equipment such as loppers, weed eaters, and hedge trimmers.
All levels of strength and expertise are needed. Our best teams consist of people who arrive with a willing heart and flexible spirit to help accomplish whatever task we might have to do. Some of our most effective work comes from visiting with local citizens and playing with children as well as using equipment to clear brush or collecting broken matzevah (headstone) fragments.
There is a spot for everyone!
Scroll through these pictures to get a sense of what the Neshama trip will be like.
How Much Does It Cost
$3,899 USD of which $1,277 USD is eligible for tax-deductions for those eligible for charitable contributions. Reserve your space with a $1,000 deposit. A Note: Cost is per-person, double occupancy with an option for a single supplement. Airfare is not included.
Refund Policy, Health Information, Dietary Information
- Travelers must take out comprehensive insurance for medical and cancellation (including COVID-19).
- COVID-19 proof of full vaccination is required.
- Dietary laws will be observed.
- Meetings with genealogy experts are available for an additional fee
Additional Information
- To express interest in this trip or to request more information, please fill out the Application questionnaire. We also require two personal references and those can be filled out with the Volunteer Reference form.
- We reserve the right at any time to exclude from the trip any participant whose conduct is deemed incompatible with the interests of the larger group.
- For more information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.
- Questions may be sent to Neshama@JewishGen.org.
