European Jewish Journeys

European Jewish Journeys
Four Tuesdays from 9:30 – 10:45 a.m.

Acclaimed Israeli Jewish educator and tour guide, Mike Hollander teaches and visually guides us through our Jewish heritage.

• October 27 -- Poland: The Epicenter of the Ashkenazi Jewish world in 1939 
  This virtual journey will go to Warsaw, Krakow, and Auschwitz-Birkenau, and will touch upon 3 central themes - 1,000 years of Jewish life in Poland, the period of the Shoah from 1939-45, and the complicated post-WWII to the present period.
   
• November 10 -- Russia: St. Petersburg and Moscow - “The Pale and Beyond.”  
  Most Jews were not allowed to live in what is today the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg and Moscow, until 1860. From that period until the Russian Revolution in 1917, this area was an anvil of Jewish creativity. This journey will visit these cities and examine how these events have and continue to impact Jewish identity in these places, as well as in North America and Israel.
   
• November 17 -- The Golden Age of Jewish Life in Spain
  For centuries, the Jewish community of Spain was one the world’s most significant. It’s creative achievements in the arts, sciences, literature, medicine, diplomacy, etc. were unprecedented for a Diaspora community, largely because of the interaction and integration of the Jewish community in Muslim Spain.  We will visit some of the more important Jewish centers, including Córdoba, birthplace of Maimonides, Granada, home of the beautiful Alhambra Palace, as well as the beautiful synagogues of Toledo.
   
• November 24 -- Berlin: The Rise and Fall of German Jewry - From Success to Shoah to Rebirth.  
  The success of Berlin Jewry was almost unprecedented for a Diaspora community, but its achievements collapsed quickly after the rise of Nazism in the early 1930s. This journey will examine the growth and success of Berlin Jewry, its quick downfall and will grapple with the complex challenges of Germany’s post WWII legacy. We’ll also explore German-Israeli relations today, and the rebirth of a significant Jewish presence in Berlin. 

MIKE HOLLANDER moved to Israel from Canada in 1990 where he qualified as a Licensed Tour Guide after completing the Ministry of Tourism Course in 1994.  Since then, he has worked full time, lecturing, teaching courses, and taking people of all ages around Israel.  

Mike completed his master’s degree in Jewish-Christian Relations from the Cambridge Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations.  For the past 25 years, HE has also led groups on Jewish journeys throughout Eastern and Central Europe and lectured taught as a scholar in residence at many Jewish communities throughout North America. 

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