Join a FREE Travel Info Session
This hour-long Zoom session will feature the tour’s accompanying scholar Therkel Straede and tour manager Ariel Goldstein. They look forward to sharing information about the trip and answering your questions. Miriam Levinson from our booking office will answer your travel and booking questions.
Please pre-register to receive the Zoom link for attendance.
Monday March 4
Session Times by Location: 11am PT | 2pm ET | 7pm UK | 20:00 EU
Overview
On this one-of-a-kind journey to discover and celebrate the unique facets of Scandinavian Jewry, we’ll trace the histories of the Jewish communities of Sweden, home to about 20,000 Jews today, and Denmark, the only nation in Western Europe that saved most of its Jewish population from the Nazis. Both countries have prioritized honoring and sharing the stories, lives, and experiences of their Jewish people. We’ll visit the landmarks of Copenhagen, Odense, Malmö, and Stockholm — where Scandinavian Jewish communities date back to the 17th century.
During our five nights in Copenhagen, we’ll enjoy special visits to the Danish Jewish Museum and the Judaica collection at the Royal Library and spend time with influential community members. We’ll also spend a night in Odense, the birthplace of author Hans Christian Andersen and the site of a 1819 pogrom.
In Sweden, we’ll engage with the Malmö Jewish Community, founded in 1871, and visit Lund University for a special viewing of a collection of testimonies from Holocaust camp survivors. In Stockholm, we’ll take a private walking tour of the original Jewish neighborhood in Old Town and the current center of Jewish culture and visit the new Swedish Holocaust Museum.
Highlights
- 10 nights of deluxe accommodations in Copenhagen, Odense, Malmö, and Stockholm.
- Experience guided tours in Copenhagen of the Danish Jewish Museum and the Judaica collection at The Royal Library.
- Visit Sweden’s Malmö Jewish Community, founded in 1871 by Polish Jews, and nearby Lund University for a special viewing of its collection of survivor testimonies.
- Enjoy a walking tour of Stockholm’s original Jewish neighborhood in Old Town, a visit to Raoul Wallenberg Square, and a guided tour of Stockholm’s Jewish Museum.
- Participate in a special tour of Sweden’s new Holocaust Museum.
- Take an overnight trip to Odense, the birthplace of author Hans Christian Andersen and the site of the 1819 pogrom.
Itinerary
Thursday, August 15 | arrive in Copenhagen
Arrival and check-in at the centrally located Hotel Skt Petri. This heritage-listed building, designed by legendary Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen, is located in the central neighborhood of Latinerkvarteret with one foot planted in the quirky and fun Latin Quarter and the other in the old historical part of Copenhagen.
Afternoon: Enjoy an optional Copenhagen walking tour with enlightening guide Charlotte Thalmay, who founded her first tour company in 2006, Jewish Copenhagen, which today is the largest provider of Jewish tours in Scandinavia.
Evening: Professor Therkel Straede, professor emeritus of contemporary history at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and Denmark’s leading scholar in Holocaust studies, will provide an orientation lecture. A reception will follow, providing an opportunity for us to get to know one another.
Meals included: dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Skt Petri
Friday, August 16 | Copenhagen
After breakfast at the hotel, we begin our first full day with a visit to Carolineskolen, founded in 1805 and the only Jewish school in Denmark. Headmaster Uri Krivaa will share with us the history and current realities of the school, which harbors a diversity of Jewish identities. We will be given a tour of the school with Headmaster Krivaa and a few of the students.
You then have a few hours for lunch and exploration on your own. In the late afternoon, we will visit Chabad House, the orthodox Lubavitch synagogue and center, where we will meet with rabbi Yitzi Loewenthal and those who wish can join in Shabbat worship.
We close our day with Shabbat dinner together at Taim Kosher restaurant, Denmark’s only kosher restaurant, offering an array of both traditional Danish and international dishes.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Skt Petri
Saturday, August 17 | Copenhagen
Today is a free day to explore, with an optional morning walking tour provided. For those who wish to attend services, the Copenhagen Great Synagogue, the main synagogue in the city, is only one block from the hotel.
The morning walking tour with guide Charlotte Thalmay will stop at the Royal Palace, known as Amalienborg, and the vibrant harbor area. Those who wish can also visit the famous bronze statue of The Little Mermaid by Edvard Eriksen, inspired by the 1837 fairy tale of the same name by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Return from the statue is on foot or by harbor ferry.
For your afternoon, there are numerous historic attractions in the area near the hotel, including the 17th-century Rosenborg Castle, which contains the Crown Jewels, the Royal Regalia, and 400 years of royal treasures. Other nearby landmarks include the National Gallery, Round Tower (the 17th-century astronomical observatory built by King Christian IV), and Tivoli Gardens. You will also find an array of shopping destinations as well as restaurants and cafes for lunch and dinner on your own.
Meals included: breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel Skt Petri
Sunday, August 18 | Copenhagen
Following breakfast at the hotel, we will walk a short distance to the Great Synagogue to meet with the chief rabbi of Denmark, Jair Melchior, who will share his perspective on the current state of Judaism in Denmark. The synagogue, designed by Danish architect Gustav Friedrich Hetsch and completed in 1833, is one of only a few of its period to use Egyptian Revival-style elements in the columns, ceiling, and cornice over the ark.
We then take an excursion to the small seaside village of Dragør, 40 minutes away, and begin our experience there with lunch at the Café Espersen, in Dragør’s old harbor.
At the Dragør Museum, we will have coffee with its CEO, Dr. Søren Mentz, and curator Christian Aagaard, who will tell us about the October 1943 rescue of the Danish Jews, including the important role played by Dragør, and provide a guided walking tour of the picturesque old fishing town. We will also take a 30-minute boat ride on the K571 Elisabeth, the only navigable fishing boat in Denmark that has a documented record of having brought rescued Jews from Denmark to Sweden in October 1943.
We return to Copenhagen for a visit to the Danish Jewish Museum, where its CEO, Janus Møller Jensen, will greet us and take us through the permanent exhibition, dedicated to 400 years of Jewish life in Denmark.
On our walk back to the hotel, Professor Stræde will point out various historic locations, including the Stock Exchange (inaugurated in 1628), the home of Niels Bohr (winner of the 1922 Nobel prize in physics), the Melchior family home (where Hans Christian Andersen spent his last years), as well as 17th-century Jewish houses and other locations related to Danish Jewish history.
Enjoy dinner on your own.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodations: Hotel Skt Petri
Monday, August 19 | Odense
After breakfast and check out from the hotel, we begin our day at the Royal Library, where research librarian Eva-Maria Jansson will guide us on a tour of the library, including a presentation of the Judaica collection, one of the richest in the world, and show us examples of its treasures.
We then travel via deluxe coach to Fredericia, about 2-½ hours away, with Professor Straede treating us to a lecture on Jewish Life and History in the Danish Provinces along the way. Upon arrival in Fredericia, we will enjoy lunch together, followed by a visit to the Fredericia City Museum. The city of Fredericia was founded in 1651 as a safe-haven for religious minorities. To attract more citizens, the town was granted special privileges, including freedom of worship, which helped build a Jewish community. (Freedom of religion was not granted to the rest of the Kingdom until the Constitution of 1849.) Member of the Fredericia city museum staff Lis Holtegaard will guide us through the museum and lead a fascinating 30-minute walking tour to the well-preserved Jewish cemetery and burial hall.
Our bus will then take us to Odense, birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen (author of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “The Little Match Girl,” and many other well-known stories). After checking in to our hotel, we will take a guided walk through the center of the city and the Hans Christian Andersen district, as well as the place where a 1819 pogrom occurred and a tiny Jewish cemetery.
Dinner is on your own. Odense has a large number of restaurants with Danish and international food.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodations: Comwell H.C. Andersen Hotel
Tuesday, August 20 | Malmö
Today, we leave Denmark and travel by coach via the Øresund Bridge to the coastal city of Malmö, home to the third largest Jewish population in Sweden and an eclectic blend of old-world charm and modern cosmopolitan vibes.
Profesore Straede will talk on the Danish-Swedish Red Cross operation which saved the lives of thousands of male and female concentration camp prisoners during the last months of World War II. The Malmö City Museum in the Malmöhus castle has one of the only three original Red Cross white buses from the 1945 evacuation on outdoor display.
We’ll enjoy lunch at Lilla Torga, the former marketplace (founded 1590) of Malmö, founded in 1590, and today the site of numerous restaurants.
In the afternoon, we will have a guided tour of the Malmö Synagogue and museum by Daniel Koverman from the Jewish Community of Malmö and hear about the history and present-day situation of Jews in Sweden’s most multicultural city. Built in 1903, the city’s only synagogue has an Art Nouveau and Moorish Revival design and an onion dome reminiscent of Orthodox churches. After that Daniel will take us for a visit to the Malmö Jewish Cemetery at Föreningsgatan (a 15 minute walk away).
Dinner is on your own and Malmö has a large number of restaurants with Swedish and international food.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodations: Hotel Scandic Triangeln
Wednesday, August 21 | Malmö
We will spend today in the nearby city of Lund, founded in 990 and a university city since 1666. In the early 20th century, many Jews from Poland, Russia, the Ukraine and other Baltic nations settled in Lund. At the university, we will meet with Professors Elieser Niborski and Jan Schwarz and learn about the state of Yiddish language and culture in Sweden. Additionally, Nikolaj Olniansky, writer and yiddishist from the Olniansky Tekst Farlag publishing house will share with us a selection of its Yiddish books for children and adults (purchase possible).
We will have lunch together at Restaurang på Skissernas, followed by a visit to the Lund University Library. Håkan Håkansson and Tomasz Lesniak from the “Witnessing Genocide” project will show us the very unique collection of early testimonies from Nazi camp survivors that was established in 1945 when thousands of liberated concentration camp prisoners were recovering in health facilities in southern Sweden and tell us about the ongoing digitization project.
We will also visit the Kulturen museum, where CEO Gustav Olsson will give us a general introduction to this museum for cultural history over coffee at the cafe. Then Annika Mandahl from the museum staff will show us the permanent exhibition “Survival – Voices from Ravensbrück,” about the Nazi concentration camp for women (Jews and non-Jews). We’ll view testimonials and material evidence collected from survivors after they were rescued and brought to Malmö in the spring of 1945.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Scandic Triangeln
Thursday, August 22 | Stockholm
This morning after breakfast, we travel by first-class train from Malmö to Stockholm, where we will check in to the five-star Hotel Diplomat, a unique Art Nouveau palace with stunning views of the Stockholm waterfront.
Our afternoon features a guided walking tour of Old Town Stockholm, a charming labyrinth of cobblestone streets, colored townhouses, and squares, followed by a visit to Stockholm’s Jewish Museum and its collection of Judaica and works by Scandinavian Jewish artists. We’ll also receive a tour of the new Swedish Holocaust Museum, which opened in June 2023 with its inaugural exhibit focused on the stories of seven individuals. On the way back to the hotel, we’ll stop at Raoul Wallenberg Square to honor the heroic Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews by giving them diplomatic status.
Meals included: breakfast
Accommodations: Hotel Diplomat
Friday, August 23 | Stockholm
In the morning, we’ll visit Bajit, an important Jewish community center built in 2016 and housing a preschool, school, library, and kosher cafe. From there, we’ll visit the Vasa Museum and see the famous Vasa warship, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was salvaged 333 years later in 1961. After lunch, we’ll proceed to Södermalm, a neighborhood and island in Stockholm’s inner city, to visit Adat Jisrael, Stockholm’s Orthodox synagogue.
We will have shabbat dinner together.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Diplomat
Saturday, August 24 | Stockholm
The morning will be free with an optional walking tour to the Great Synagogue, where guests can join the Shabbat service. The largest and oldest of the three synagogues in Stockholm, it has been the focal point of Jewish life in Sweden since it was first inaugurated in 1870. After a final optional walking tour in the afternoon, Professor Straede will offer a closing talk and we will close with a farewell dinner together near the hotel.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Accommodations: Hotel Diplomat
Sunday, August 25
Breakfast at the hotel, followed by departure to the airport and return to the U.S.
Meals included: breakfast
Gallery
Traveling with you…
Each of our scholars are outstanding experts in their fields and play an active role in helping us design our journeys as well as accompanying us as we travel.
Therkel Straede
Therkel Straede is professor of contemporary history at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and one of the world’s leading experts on the October 1943 rescue (and deportation) of the Jews from Denmark. His newest book, about the networks and motives of Jewish and non-Jewish rescuers, will be published in 2023, the 80th anniversary of the German assault on Denmark’s Jews. Recently, Professor Straede worked with the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City on an exhibition designed for children and their families about the Danish rescue. He operates a website about the Danish deportees in the Theresienstadt ghetto (www.danske joe deri theresienstadt.org) and has received a congressional citation of honor by the U.S. House of Representatives for his achievements in Holocaust research and education.
Tour Manager
Ariel Goldstein
Ariel Goldstein, born in Uruguay, studied Latin American history in Montevideo and at the Israel School of Tourism in Jerusalem. After six years working as a tour guide in Israel, Ariel moved to the U.S., where he developed and led trips to South America for adult students at the Spanish in Marin language school in Marin County, California. In 2006 and 2009, he led trips to Tunisia and the Persian Gulf for educational tour operators High Country Passage and World Leaders Travel. In 2007, Ariel founded the Travel Program at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, where he directed the program until 2017, leading tours throughout Israel, Europe, Latin America, China, India, Africa, and the U.S. Ariel speaks English, Spanish, Hebrew and Portuguese and has visited more than 40 countries around the world.
Accommodations
Copenhagen: Hotel Skt Petri
One of Copenhagen’s only five-star hotels, Skt Petri’s modernist structure was built as a department store in 1928. Originally designed by legendary Danish architect Vilhelm Lauritzen, the hotel received a stylish overhaul in 2017 by Norwegian studio Anemone Wille Våge. This urban retreat has three dining and bar options with exceptional food. Just a short walk to the city’s primary shopping district and major local attractions, such as the Round Tower, the National Museum of Denmark, Tivoli Gardens, Amalienborg Palace, and more.
Odense: Comwell H.C. Andersen Hotel
Located in the heart of the city, the Comwell H.C. Andersen hotel provides exceptional comfort combined with a fantastic location. Its charming historic neighborhood of cobblestone streets and colorful houses features a nearby pedestrian street filled with small shops and cafes and the relaxing town square. Guests enjoy modern rooms with classic amenities and an on-site restaurant serving gourmet meals that prioritize sustainability.
Malmö: Hotel Scandic Triangeln
Located in the heart of the city, close to the Malmö Opera House and Mollevang Square, this modern eco-friendly hotel is decorated with warm colors, natural materials, and Scandinavian woods for an authentic Swedish experience. Guests can enjoy the on-site gym and relaxation area.
Stockholm: Hotel Diplomat
This unique Art Nouveau palace on the prestigious Strandvägen boulevard offers breathtaking views of Nybroviken Bay and the perfect location to explore the best of Stockholm — close to the greenery of Djurgården, high-end shopping, and the city’s vibrant restaurant scene. Or, if you prefer to stay in, the hotel restaurant creates classic Swedish dishes with a Mediterranean twist. Guests will also appreciate the art collection, fitness center, drybar, massages, and beauty treatments.
Details
Program Cost: $6,450* includes:
- 10 nights of deluxe accommodations in Copenhagen (4 nights), Odense (1 night), Malmö (2 nights), and Stockholm (3 nights).
- Full breakfast daily; 5 lunches; 5 dinners
- Group transportation via deluxe air-conditioned coach and first-class rail
- All lectures, guided tours, museums, and site entrance fees
*Per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $1,450. Fees not included: gratuities: $195; museum membership for nonmembers.
Secure your place
Book Now: use the link below to reach our easy online booking form.
By phone: 845-256-0197 Monday–Friday, 10am–4pm EST.
Payment Reserve your space with a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 per person. Final balance is due 120 days prior to departure.
Membership Participation on these tours is a benefit for active members of our museum partners. During the registration process, you will be asked about your membership status with your affiliated museum. If you are not a current member, you will have a chance to activate your membership.
Participation Tour sizes are limited to 28 participants unless otherwise noted. Trips entail considerable walking including over uneven terrain. Participants need to be in good health, be able to keep up with the group, be able to experience group and cultural differences with grace. Please let us know if you have any physical conditions that may require special attention while on tour.
Cancellations All cancellations must be received by Jewish Heritage Travel in writing. Cancellations received 120 days or more prior to departure: full refund less nonrefundable deposits, per person; 119–90 days prior to departure: 50% refund per person after nonrefundable deposits. 89–0 days before departure: no refund.
Trip Cancellation Insurance Jewish Heritage Travel strongly urges all participants to purchase travel insurance for coverage of losses necessitated by having to cancel due to illness or accident. For your convenience, we are providing a link to Allianz Global Assistance, which many past participants have used. Please use code ACCAM/Agency ID# F026815 or feel free to use your own insurance agent. When purchasing insurance, please consider the plans carefully to familiarize yourself with what is covered. In this context, do take note that most insurance companies generally will waive exclusion for preexisting conditions only if your application is received by them within 14 days from the date of your program registration. If you have a preexisting medical condition and are interested in taking trip insurance, you should do so either with Allianz or through your own insurance agent within 14 days of registration.
Changes All rights are reserved by Jewish Heritage Travel to make scholar substitutions and/or to modify the itinerary (including hotels) as needed. Every reasonable effort will be made to operate the program as planned; however, should unforeseen world events and conditions require the itinerary to be altered, Jewish Heritage Travel reserves the right to do so for the safety and best interest of the group. Any extra expenses incurred in this situation are the responsibility of the participant.
Disclaimer of Responsibility By registering for this program, participant specifically waives any and all claims of action against the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs for damages, loss, injury, accident, or death incurred by any person in connection with this tour. The Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Jewish Heritage Travel office and their respective staffs assume no responsibility or liability in connection with the service of any train, vessel, carriage, aircraft, or other conveyance that may be used wholly or in part in the performance of their duty to the passengers. Neither will the Museum of Jewish Heritage or the Jewish Heritage Travel office or their staffs be responsible for any injury, death, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity through neglect or default of any company or person engaged in carrying out the purposes for which tickets, vouchers, or coupons are issued. No responsibility is accepted for losses or expenses due to sickness, viruses, weather, strikes, wars, and other causes. In the event it becomes necessary or advisable for any reason whatsoever to alter the itinerary or arrangements, including hotels or scholars, such alterations may be made without penalty. All rights reserved to require any participant to withdraw from the tour at his/her own expense when such an action is determined by the tour staff to be in the best interest of the participant’s health and safety and that of the group in general. Prices subject to change. Cost in effect at time of registration will be honored.
