“Thou Shalt Not Stand Idly By.” – Elie Wiesel
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is inviting you on a meaningful journey to Poland and Israel from April 22 – 28, 2025.
Register by Friday, Dec. 20
Space is limited, sign up today!
Mission Chairs
Jodi and David Miller
Jill and Howard Altman
COST
PRICE (LAND ONLY)
- $6,500 per person in a double occupancy
- $8,000 per person in a single occupancy
- We are thrilled to offer a $500 discount for first-time Jewish Federation mission participants. There is limited availability. You can indicate your interest in this discount during registration. If you qualify, your discount will be reflected in your second payment.
This Includes:
- 3 nights in Jerusalem: Orient Jerusalem (5 star hotel)
- 3 nights in Krakow: Holiday Inn Krakow (5 star hotel)
- Most meals
- All entrance, processing fees and gratuities
- Flight from Poland to Israel
- Full-time security detail
- Luxury, air-conditioned coach bus (includes refreshments, water and bathroom)
- Commemorative March of the Living jacket
- Opportunity to learn from a world-class tour guide
PAYMENT POLICY
- Half of the deposit, including a $500 non-refundable payment, is to be paid upon the participant’s registration for the Mission. Payment of this deposit will be required to secure an individual’s place and participation in the Mission.
- A payment of the remaining balance for the Mission’s programming fee is due by Monday, February 3, 2025. You will need to fill out a separate form that will be emailed to you to pay the remaining balance.
- Mission participants are strongly encouraged to purchase, at their expense, the level of travel insurance they feel comfortable buying.
REFUND POLICY
- On or before Monday, September 30, 2024: receive reimbursement with the exception of the $500 non-refundable deposit made during registration.
- Between Thursday, October 10, 2024 and Sunday, February 2, 2025: receive a 50% refund, excluding the $500 non-refundable deposit.
- On or after Monday, February 3, 2025: No refunds.
- Cancellations must be submitted in writing by emailing Erica N. Miller at erica.miller@jewishphilly.org and Doreen Bason at dbason@jewishphilly.org.
ANNUAL campaign gift
All mission participants will be expected to make a household gift of at least $5,000 to the Jewish Federation’s 2025 Annual Campaign.
HIGHLIGHTS
REMEMBRANCE IN POLAND
Tuesday, April 22- Friday, April 25, 2025
Together, we’ll celebrate the historical achievements of the Jewish people in Europe and bear witness to all that was lost. Based in Krakow, our program in Poland coincides with Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), when we will join the March of the Living. For this meaningful experience, we will march in unity from Auschwitz to Birkenau with over 10,000 people from around the world.
Itinerary highlights include:
- 3 nights at 5-star Holiday Inn, Krakow
- 2 group dinners in Poland, including dinner with members of the Jewish community at the Krakow JCC
- Daily private tours of Auschwitz/Birkenau, Kazimerz (Jewish District), and the Auschwitz Jewish Center
- On Yom HaShoah, we will participate in the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau with over 10,000 people from around the world
- Opportunities to reflect as a community as we bear witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust
RENEWAL IN ISRAEL
Israel: Friday, April 25 – Monday, April 28, 2025
Participants will continue on to celebrate Shabbat in Israel and experience the Jewish homeland.
Itinerary highlights include:
- 3 nights at the 5-star Orient Hotel, Jerusalem
- Elaborate Israeli breakfast daily at the hotel
- Kabbalat Shabbat with a visit to the Western Wall and dinner as a community
- Shabbat your way as you choose from various touring options on Saturday and come together for Havdalah to culminate our day
- Meaningful visit with hostage families and survivors of Oct. 7
- Opportunity to thank, honor, and engage with soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces
- Volunteer experience to support Israel, helping with what they need most
- Partnership2Gether day, visiting the Negev and seeing the aftermath of Oct. 7
- A day in the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv ending with a private closing dinner
OPTIONAL MISSION EXTENSION
Do you want to extend your mission? We will be planning a mission extension with a departure date back to the U.S. on Friday, May 2.
The optional extension coincides with the national holidays of Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day). Together, we’ll observe the national siren where the entire country stands in honor of those lost, and we’ll experience the authentic joy of celebrating Israeli independence, dancing in the streets.
In order to plan a mission extension, we must have a minimum of 25 participants. Please express your interest when prompted during registration.
If you would like to extend your time in Israel as individual, and not as part of our Jewish Federation mission, we will gladly connect you with a travel provider who can assist you with your arrangements.
ABOUT MARCH OF THE LIVING
The International March of the Living is an annual educational program, bringing individuals from around the world to Poland and Israel to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hatred.
Since its inception in 1988, more than 300,000 alumni from 50 countries have marched down the same 3-kilometer path leading from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Holocaust Remembrance Day – Yom Hashoah – as a tribute to all victims of the Holocaust.
The March of the Living is joined every year by thousands of Jewish teens, adults and survivors from around the world, along with many other people from diverse faiths and backgrounds.
A key element of the program is the unique participation of Holocaust survivors. By being able to hear survivors stories in the very places where they unfolded, is an experience of a lifetime to remember the past and ensure the future. The years approaching are some of the last that survivors will be able to join us, making participation in this trip more timely and relevant than ever before. Our participants will become the living testimony for future generations.
Questions
If you have any questions, please click here for the FAQ or contact Erica N. Miller, Missions Manager, at erica.miller@jewishphilly.org or 215.832.0629.