The Vatican Museums house a vast collection of art and artifacts, from the Egyptian era through the late Renaissance and up to contemporary art. Join our guide Andrea on an immersive tour through this must-see destination as we visit the Picture Gallery, Sculptures, Gallery of the Candelabra, Tapestries, and Maps of the Vatican and explore our findings through a Jewish lens. With its complexity of themes and symbology, this tour can be a special learning experience for kids in their first approach to images, symbols, colors, treasures, and frescos, with an emphasis on understanding their context within the Jewish diaspora. Andrea is an American living in the beautiful Eternal City of Rome. She was raised in upstate New York and stayed in Chicago after graduating from Northwestern University. She became a college professor and relocated to Rome after falling in love with a wonderful man. Once in Rome, she began studying Italian and, in time, discovered she loved Rome so much that she wanted to share it with everyone!

Jewish Warsaw, like the city itself, is a palimpsest. The tragedy and the richness of Warsaw’s Jewish past and the growth of contemporary Jewish life in the city require a keen curiosity, contemplation, and the desire to explore beneath and beyond its multifaceted landscape. Most importantly, it is the willingness of visitors to acknowledge the past and embrace the present that make Warsaw a destination for all people interested in Jewish history. Join our guide Helise, a native of Champaign-Urbana Illinois, who has lived and worked in Poland since 1994. The founding director of the Warsaw’s only Jewish day school, Helise is the director of the Taube Center for Jewish Life & Learning and oversees its Jewish heritage education programs, including Taube Jewish Heritage Tours.

The Jewish community of Yemen has existed since antiquity, but today comprises just a handful of affiliated members, with the majority having moved to Israel. Our guide, Gavriella Bigio Dahan, has a unique tie to the community. An American-Israeli of Yemenite background, she is a former Shlicha to Finland and currently works at the Jewish Agency for Israel. Upon making Aliyah as a teen, Gavriella came to learn about her grandmother’s miraculous journey from Yemen to Israel as part of Operation Magic Carpet from 1948 to 1950. Join Gavriella on the magic carpet as we delve into Yemenite Jewish traditions, religious study, music, crafts, and, of course, food.

Baruch originally hails from South Manchester, England and was raised amongst a large but very discreet community of Separdic immigrants who had, one way or another, found themselves as Anusim – or those who practice their faith in secret. With an Irish Catholic father who’s own family had also been forced to abandon their beliefs, and although though not raised in the Jewish faith,  this set Baruch on a path of curiosity and discovery which led him to Granada, Andalucia, where for 20 years he’s been researching, studying, uncovering and sharing a more accurate and honest perspective of Jewish life, faith and historical culture of Granada & Andalucias’ deep Jewish heritage from an academic perspective.

He is the owner and operator of Granada Jewish Tours.

Greece is full of history, and this is reflected in the history of Greek Jewry, as well. It is a unique combination of Sephardic, Ashkenazi, and Romaniote communities with roots in Spain, the Balkans, and all the way back to the Roman Empire. Join our guide, Evan Kapros, to learn more about this branch of Jewish history. Evan was born in Greece and later moved to Ireland. He now resides in Barcelona, where he is a volunteer at Mozaika. When in Greece, Evan was involved with groups for refugee rights and against antisemitism, and in Ireland, he was a member of the Education Committee of the Irish Jewish Museum. Together will discover this rich history and will talk about the social perceptions prevalent in contemporary Greek society concerning Jewish identities. Of course, no good discussion about Greek Jewry can be conducted without talking about the language, food, and music of the community!

Adherence to the laws of the Torah started more than 200 years ago in Ghana until Christian missionaries set foot on the land and succeeded in convincing the King to abolish the observance of Shabbat. In 1976, Aaron Ahomtre Tuakyiriafa from the small village of Sui mobilized the Sefwi people to return to the Torah. Our guide, Michael Owusu Ansah was born and raised in Sefwi Wiawso, Ghana. He is a nurse and has been the correspondent for Tiffereth Israel Community, previously known as the House of Israel, for the past six years. The Tiffereth Israel Community was previously not familiar with the term “Judaism” until the year 2000, when representatives from ”Kulanu” in the United States visited their community to compare the Torah to the laws of the land. During this session, we will learn about the Sefwi people’s unique relationship with Judaism, what it looks like to pray in the Sefwi dialect, local food and clothing, and the long-standing traditions in this farming community.

Baruch originally hails from South Manchester, England and was raised amongst a large but very discreet community of Separdic immigrants who had, one way or another, found themselves as Anusim – or those who practice their faith in secret. With an Irish Catholic father who’s own family had also been forced to abandon their beliefs, and although though not raised in the Jewish faith,  this set Baruch on a path of curiosity and discovery which led him to Granada, Andalucia, where for 20 years he’s been researching, studying, uncovering and sharing a more accurate and honest perspective of Jewish life, faith and historical culture of Granada & Andalucias’ deep Jewish heritage from an academic perspective.

He is the owner and operator of Granada Jewish Tours.

Greece is full of history, and this is reflected in the history of Greek Jewry, as well. It is a unique combination of Sephardic, Ashkenazi, and Romaniote communities with roots in Spain, the Balkans, and all the way back to the Roman Empire. Join our guide, Evan Kapros, to learn more about this branch of Jewish history. Evan was born in Greece and later moved to Ireland. He now resides in Barcelona, where he is a volunteer at Mozaika. When in Greece, Evan was involved with groups for refugee rights and against antisemitism, and in Ireland, he was a member of the Education Committee of the Irish Jewish Museum. Together will discover this rich history and will talk about the social perceptions prevalent in contemporary Greek society concerning Jewish identities. Of course, no good discussion about Greek Jewry can be conducted without talking about the language, food, and music of the community!

Adherence to the laws of the Torah started more than 200 years ago in Ghana until Christian missionaries set foot on the land and succeeded in convincing the King to abolish the observance of Shabbat. In 1976, Aaron Ahomtre Tuakyiriafa from the small village of Sui mobilized the Sefwi people to return to the Torah. Our guide, Michael Owusu Ansah was born and raised in Sefwi Wiawso, Ghana. He is a nurse and has been the correspondent for Tiffereth Israel Community, previously known as the House of Israel, for the past six years. The Tiffereth Israel Community was previously not familiar with the term “Judaism” until the year 2000, when representatives from ”Kulanu” in the United States visited their community to compare the Torah to the laws of the land. During this session, we will learn about the Sefwi people’s unique relationship with Judaism, what it looks like to pray in the Sefwi dialect, local food and clothing, and the long-standing traditions in this farming community.