For over 20 years, Kosher River Cruises has been running cruises, kosher travel vacations & highly specialized tours all over the world. One of their proud tours is the 10 Stars Jewish Heritage Program in the Czech Republic. The Jews have a very colorful history in the Czech Republic. A century ago, the country had about 400 synagogues. From the beginning of the Nazi occupation in 1938, to the end of WWII, about 70 synagogues – many of them prominent, ornate buildings – were destroyed. Under the post-war communist regime, about another hundred synagogues in the remaining towns were also demolished. Most of the remaining structures were converted for other use (about 40 were turned into churches and an additional 48 converted into residences). Many were used as warehouses or stood empty and neglected throughout the communist period. Today, approximately 200 synagogue stand in the Czech Republic. Only a few are active houses of worship, but dozens have been beautifully restored and serve as museums or other cultural venues. In addition, there are more than 340 Jewish cemeteries. Many date back centuries, and some have been designated as cultural landmarks. Traces of former Jewish quarters still exist in 180 cities, towns and villages across the country. KRC‘s 10 Star Tour explores the rich Jewish history of the Czech Republic with visits to a dozen synagogues and other nearby buildings beautifully restored as part of the 10 Stars Revitalization project. This professionally guided Jewish tour includes day-trips to these important synagogues and their surrounding communities. According to the kosher cruise line, each stop will feature a historical and musical program created specially for that location, with speakers including Tomáš Kraus, Secretary of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic, and guests and leaders from the local community. It concludes with a private, guided tour of the Terezín camp led by a survivor, the annual Terezín Commemoration Ceremony followed by a performance of the music composed and performed in the camp. In Prague, tour guests will get to visit the beautiful Prague Castle complex and have stunning views of the city. We’ll visit St. Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece and spiritual symbol of the Czech nation. Construction of the Cathedral began in 1344 and took almost six centuries to complete. From there,they will walk the cobble-stone lanes and passageways of colorful baroque houses of Lesser Town before crossing the 750 year-old gothic Charles Bridge stretching over the Vltava River and into the Old Town Square, with its famous Astronomical Clock from the 1400’s, Guests will tour around the world-famous Prague Jewish Town, known as Josefov. This part of Prague was an independent Jewish enclave from the 13th to 19th centuries. It was one of the largest and most important centers of Ashkenazi Jewish life in medieval Europe. Maharal, Kafka, Freud, Herzl and Einstein once lived, thought, taught, created and walked the streets of this district. Other stops include the Maisel, Pinkas, Klausen, Old-New and the Spanish Synagogues, Old Chevra Kadisha, Kafka’s Birthplace, and the Old Jewish Cemetery – the most remarkable of its kind in Europe. The tour will end with a glatt kosher farewell dinner cruise on the Vltava River with music and stunning views of the illuminated city. To learn more about this specialized tour, feel free to contact Kosher River Cruise.
1 Comment
Shey Atwell
2/21/2018 01:26:46 am
I've been on KRC's river cruises before and I haven't been disappointed by them so far (quite the opposite to be honest), so I'm pretty excited for the Jewish cruise I'll joining with them again this fall, especially once we stop at Prague. I actually am also planning to stay for a few days there afterward and then start traveling to other cities in Central Europe. Maybe I'll join another kosher tour along the way too.
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