Hopefully soon, we’ll all be able to pack our bags and fly off to wherever in the world we care to go. But, for now, COVID has changed the way we travel, and experiencing and exploring the world’s Jewish sites is best done virtually. 

Virtual travel has been booming since the pandemic forced the closure of borders around the world. While some travel restrictions have been lifted, there are still countless places people cannot go for many reasons. Among many congregations and Jewish groups in St. Louis, virtual Israel trips are popular.

“In July 2020 we offered an interactive virtual family trip to Israel,” said Judy Rader, Director, Israel Center & Travel Initiatives with the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. “It was early in the pandemic and we knew families were trying to find ways to keep their kids engaged at home.”

The “trip” was so well received they offered another program, a 4-part series Exploring the Land, Crossroads of our Faith loosely based on their Interfaith Couples Israel Experience.

“We ventured out of Israel and went to the island of Majorca to learn about the Jewish community during the inquisition and the descendants of these secret Jews still living there today. And now, our Jewish Gems of Central Europe,” said Rader.

New Opportunity 

Jewish Gems of Central Europe is the newest opportunity to experience the cultural legacies and history of Jewish communities in other parts of the world. The Israel Center & Travel Initiatives, is inviting you to travel virtually to six cities in Central Europe with guide Gadi Ben-Dov.

The 90-minute trips will take place over two days, and include virtual visits to Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna and Prague.

February 20: Warsaw, Krakow, and Bratislava

You will begin the tour in Warsaw, much of which was destroyed during WWII. However, the city still holds sites of exploration like the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery and the sole surviving prewar Jewish house of prayer, the Nożyk Synagogue. Next,  you will travel to Krakow to learn about the renowned Rabbis of the city and visit Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory. Finally, you will end in Bratislava, home to the famous Rabbi Hatam Sofer, who was responsible for the creation of the Hasidic movements of today.

February 27: Budapest, Vienna, and Prague

On your second virtual journey, you will travel to Budapest to visit the beautiful Dohány Street Synagogue, the Jewish Quarter, and the Hungarian Parliament Building. From there, your excursion will take us to Vienna, the cultural capital of Central Europe, famous for its palaces, museums, and classical music. You will end your tour in Prague, with a visit to the oldest synagogue in Europe, the Old-New Synagogue, and a walk over the ancient Charles Bridge.

Your host Gadi Ben-Dov

The trips will be hosted by Gadi Ben-Dov, who owns a travel consulting business in Israel. Gadi became a licensed tour guide after finishing his IDF service as an officer and traveling the world. Gadi leads and guides various groups in Israel, Spain, and Central Europe, including Federations, synagogues, Birthright, churches, family trips, and more.

“Both my wife and I are Tour Guides in Israel as well as European cities. When the pandemic started we lost 100% of our household income. As a way to reinvent ourselves and to make a living, we started offering virtual tours.

You could say that virtual tours saved his family and his ability to pivot into virtual rather than actual real-life tourism, was key to their surviving the pandemic.

When Ben-Dov first started offering virtual tours in May 2020 it was hard to sell people on the idea of sitting in front of a screen and experiencing a site in virtual Tours. Today more than a year and a half later, Ben-Dov believes most people understand and embrace the idea of being able to travel around the world without having to get off of their couch.

With Ben-Dov, his goal is not just to show you beautiful views, but to tell you the real stories of what you’re looking at, and do it as simply as possible, so as not to overwhelm guests with too much tech.

“People want to be able to understand what they are looking at,” said Ben-Dov. “The technology we use is not sophisticated 3-D or virtual reality or anything fancy like that, it’s simple video clips, pictures taken by us most of the time. We are using Google tools like Google Earth and more and of course good old Zoom.”

Highlights’ Not To Miss

In Warsaw, the Ghetto hero’s commemorative walk is where you’ll hear stories of the people who stood up to the Nazis are detailed. One example is the Mila 18 bunker and command post of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in April of 1943.

In Krakow, the famous Jewish quarter with its beautiful old synagogues and rich Jewish life prior to the Holocaust. You’ll also see the Schindler factory made famous by the movie “Schindler’s List.”

As you visit Budapest, you’ll visit the beautiful and tall Dohany Street Synagogue, which is three stories high made and in the special Moorish style of building and is home to the modern Jewish community of Budapest today.

Vienna is famous for classical music and the world-class Schonbrunn Palace of the Habsburg Dynasty. The palace served as the summer home of the Hapsburg royal family.

And in Prague, you’ll see the oldest standing synagogue in Europe, the Altneuschul, which was built in the early 12th century and is home to the famous Golem of Prague.

How To “Travel”

Each trip will take place over 90 minutes beginning at 10:30 a.m. on February 20th and 27th. You can register online for free.