3-Day NYC Jewish Heritage Tour

Day 1 You'll See: 

Day 2 You’ll See:

Day 3 You’ll See:

New York has a very strong history with the rich, vibrant Jewish community, so what better place to immerse yourself into its culture than here on the very streets on which Jewish immigrants established themselves in the country generations ago. Take walking tours, see essential sites and museums, and explore historic synagogues while here. You will even have the chance to taste some of the best traditional Jewish food and see the Statue of Liberty while you're here!

Day
1

Hasidic Brooklyn Walking Tour - New York City has a vibrant history of immigrants coming to make a new home, especially immigrants of Jewish heritage. This walking tour of the Crown Heights neighborhood allows visitors to experience an authentic Hasidic Jewish Community in an up-close and personal way unlike any tour before. During this moving and educational walking Brooklyn Hasidic Tour, your group will have their eyes opened to the richly diverse community and will get to see sites not generally accessible to the public. Engage in interactive discussions about Jewish and Hasidic tradition, culture, and lifestyles while learning all you can about this community, and the Jewish community in general. Topics such as mysticism and the Kabbalah will be discussed in length, in between thrilling visits to closeby Jewish sites such as the Chabad - Lubavitch Headquarters, the Main Synagogue, the Rabbinical Study Hall in which you will see Holy Scripts bound!

Lower East Side Walking Tour - The Lower East Side neighborhood is one of the oldest, most historically significant and complex quarters in all of America. On this Lower East Side Walking Tour, your group will see several neighborhoods and enclaves including East Village, Little Italy, the Bowery, and Chinatown. On this journey, you will discover a sample of America's great melting pot, a blend of cultural diversity and rich history that is truly unlike any other place in New York. Visit a historical synagogue that is adjacent to a Bulgarian Punk Discotech, check out all the oldest and most new art and architecture throughout the neighborhood, learn about life on each street, master Yiddish phrases, and redefine your palate with worldwide treats. This is the best way to immerse yourself deep in the city of New York, beyond the busy streets, neon signs, and shopping bag society of downtown.

Day
2

Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island - No visit to New York City would be complete without a trip to our nation's most famous National Monument and World Heritage Site, the Statue of Liberty. Located on Liberty Island, this colossal neoclassical sculpture was brought to America in 1886 as a symbol of friendship between France and the United States following the American Revolution. Designer Bartholdi created this 225-ton structure, with the help of the designer of the Eiffel Tower, as a physical representation of freedom and democracy in America. Your group can board a ferry in Battery Park in New York City or Liberty State Park, New Jersey, to get to Liberty Island. The grounds tour is the most widely available, allowing your group to see Lady Liberty up-close as they tour the island as well as the nearby Ellis Island. Ellis Island is famous today for being the portal to the American dream and opportunities immigrants did not have in their homeland, having admitted over 25 million people in its time. It was a symbol of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, just like the Statue of Liberty. Visit Ellis Island and learn not only about the history of America but the history of your own family.

Museum of Jewish Heritage - Created in 1997, the Museum of Jewish Heritage was created as a living memorial to those who perished during the Holocaust and to celebrate and cherish the Jewish traditions and way of living. Considered to be one of the most moving cultural experiences in the city by Time Out, this museum embraces, examines, and educates its over 1.5 million guests about the achievements, faith, and broad tap of life of the Jewish community in the 20th and 21st centuries. Your group will see a Core Exhibition, award-winning special exhibits, films, and daily public and educational programs, all of which highlight the richness of the culture and provide a multitude of perspectives on modern Jewish history, life, and culture. Hear first-person stories, see personal objects, learn the history of mahjong games, and have the opportunity to take advantage of the searchable database here, all before checking out the Heritage Cafe on site and amazing Garden of Stones outside.

Day
3

Congregation Shearith Israel - The Congregation Shearith Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States, established in 1654. Here at this historic synagogue, oftentimes referred to as the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, your group will see over 360 years of this Jewish community’s history. Learn about the 23 Jewish founders who came from Brazil after the inquisitions hit and though they were met with some opposition, they continued to create this thriving historic community. This congregation is just as vibrant today as it was in the past with its rich traditions and history, as you will see. This particular congregation was the only Jewish community in New York until 1825 actually, and this neoclassical temple designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany sitting in the upper west side of Manhattan attracts plenty of members, tourists, and curious souls alike daily still today.

Jewish Museum - The Jewish Museum is located on Fifth Avenue along New York City’s Museum Mile and holds the largest collection of authentic Jewish cultural artifacts and art displayed anywhere outside of Israel itself. This museum dedicates its focus on both contemporary and modern art items and artifacts. The permanent exhibit, Culture, and Continuity: The Jewish Journey is made up of more than 26,000 objects that are supplemented by regular rotating and special exhibits as well. This collection was actually established in 1904 in the library of Jewish Theological Seminary but went public officially in 1947 when the library and its belongings were donated as display venues. Almost a hidden gem, this New York City cultural museum will offer your group one of the most immersive and moving illustrations of the Jewish community, its extraordinary diversity, and the strong traditions still happening today throughout the city of New York!