Paris
and Southern France

Day 1: Sunday, August 10, 2008

Meet 3:15 p.m. sharp at JFK Airport, Terminal 1. Check-in, Mincha, snack and board  plane for our direct 4:50 p.m. Air France Flight# 0023 to CDG airport in Paris.

Day 2: Monday, August 11

We arrive at CDG Airport, Paris at 5:55 a.m. where we are warmly welcomed by our wonderful tour guide. We enjoy our first guided panoramic tour of Paris’s suburbs as we head straight to our hotel, in the historic Marais (3rd) District, where we check in, daven shacharis (we will hear the Kriah later on in the day! Sundown is at 9:30 p.m.), eat breakfast, and get ready to begin our first day of touring of Paris, at 9:30 a.m.

Our first day will be devoted primarily, but not limited, to visiting ten of its main tourist attractions: Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre (optional), Notre- Dame Cathedral (from the outside; entry inside: optional), the Arch of Triumph, Invalides (with the dome of Napoleon), Opera House, Musée D’orsay, the Grand Palais and City Hall. We will conclude this remarkable day with a walking tour in Montmarte.

Those still tired and weary from the plane trip can doze off on the bus and disembark at any site of their choice, or return to the hotel. At the end of our tour, time permitting, we will pay our respects at the Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr (Concentration Camps and Warsaw Ghetto), located right near the St. Paul Metro station. We then stop at the main – and oldest – Ashkenazi Orthodox Synagogue of Paris to daven Mincha and hear Krias Ha’Torah.

We will end this magnificent day with a delicious Tu B'Av dinner at 7 p.m. at a popular Indian restaurant and then enjoy a one-hour leisurely stroll down the nearby Champs- Elysees, the most “happening boulevard” in all of Europe! We meet the bus at 9:40 p.m. at Ave. Hoche, facing the Arc de Triomphe, for the short ride to the hotel.

OVERNIGHT:   Paris

Day 3: Tuesday, August 12

We begin with our daily Daf Yomi at 7:30 and Shacharit at 8:00 a.m.

Departure from hotel at 9:15 a.m. This day will be completely devoted to the Jewish heritage and culture of Paris and Northern France. During the first five hours, we will travel to Troyes, the birthplace and home to the Academy and final resting place of Rashi, our Commentator par excellence, and to Ramerupt, home of his children and grandchildren. Art lovers and art historians can opt to use these five hours for an intensive visit of the Louvre, the largest museum in the world!.

Upon our return, at approx., 2:15 p.m., we will all meet outside the famous Jo Goldenberg restaurant to begin our walking tour of the most famous Jewish neighborhood in France, the Pletzel. We conclude this walk with a visit to the best-kept secret in Europe, The Museum of Jewish Art and History, a fabulous museum that retraces the development of Jewish communities in France through their cultural heritage and traditions. The Museum collections have fascinating manuscripts and tombstones of the Medievalists/Rishonim. We then walk a few blocks to daven Mincha at 10 rue Pavée. The Rav of the schul, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Paris, Ha'rav Mordechai Rottenberg, shlita, a personal friend of Harav Rabinowich, will welcome our group. We will re-board our bus for the short trip to the 19th District to dine at an excellent restaurant, the Sun Light (opp. the Buttes-Chaumont park) at approx. 8 p.m.

OVERNIGHT:   Paris

Day 4: Wednesday, August 13

Daf Yomi at 7:30, Shacharit at 8:00, and breakfast at 8:30. The bus leaves 9:30 a.m. sharp! Most of the day’s touring will take place outside of Paris. We begin with a scenic half-hour ride to Versailles, where we will have a guided tour of the Versailles Castle, residence of the Sun King, Louis XIV and the famous French-style gardens. You will discover Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet and the Grand & Petit Trianon Palaces. We will also visit the Great Apartments, the Hall of Mirrors and the Queen’s Apartments.

After about three hours, we embark on a two-hour journey to pay our respects to America’s heroes and we travel to Normandy! We will visit the American Cemetery, Caen Peace Memorial, the wonderful D-Day museum, and one  the Allies’ most strategic landing sites – Omaha Beach. Time- permitting, we will visit the famous Synagogue Victoire, in the 9th District, upon our return to Paris.

We will have an 9:30 p.m. dairy dinner at Star Light (that’s Sun Light’s cousin). After dinner, the bus will drop off the romantics amongst us who wish to spend their last night in Paris enjoying a remarkable cruise along the River Seine (optional).

Day 5: Thursday, August 14

Daf Yomi at 7:30 a.m. and Shacharit at 8:00 a.m. We must leave the hotel at 9:30 a.m. to catch our 10:20 a.m. train (TGV 6109) to Avignon where we arrive at 12:57, and will be welcomed by our wonderful tour guide for Southern France, Mrs. Henriette Rochwerger, who is considered an expert on both the secular and Jewish history of Southern France.

Avignon is the location of the awesome Palace of the Popes who welcomed and protected the Jews of Provence and Languedoc after they were expelled in the 14th century, hence, “the Pope’s Jews.” We will also visit rue de la Vielle Juiverie, the original carriere of the Jews. The second one, where the famous Medieval Bible Commentator and Philosopher, Rav Levi ben Gershon (Ralbag, 1288-1344) used to live, and the home of the new mid-19th century Synagogue, was on Place de Jerusalem and rue Jacob. Rav Levi’s contributions will be discussed and Rav Moshe Amar, the Chief Rabbi of Avignon, will welcome our group at the Synagogue. Krias Hatorah.

More touring: Pont du Gard and Villeneuve les Avignon; return to hotel at 7 p.m. Free evening after dinner.

OVERNIGHT:   Avignon

Day 6: Friday, August 15

Daf Yomi at 7:30 a.m. and Shacharit at 8:00 a.m. We leave the hotel at 9:30 am to cover the three other communities of the Arba Kehillot: Carpentras, Isle-sur-Sorgue and Cavaillon. In Carpentras, we will visit the Synagogue that still preserves elements from the original 1741 Synagogue: the Bimah on a higher floor, the Chair of Eliyahu hanging on the wall and the early Medieval era matzah bakery and “mikva” in the basement! We then move on to Isle-sur-Sorgue where nothing is left except for the name of the Jewish quarter, Place de la Juiverie, and the cemetery.

Our last stop this day is rue Hebraique in Cavaillon, the old carriere, very slightly modified. The 1774 Synagogue has similar Provencal features to the one in Carpentras: the Nile green-painted woodwork, the wrought iron and the same fluted columns, but the unique Aron Hakodesh must be seen. To be found in the basement is the Jewish museum with some fascinating manuscripts and books, liturgical objects, a 16th-century map, showing the four communities and, of course, another 14th-century matzah bakery.

We return to the bus for the hour-long trip to Marseilles, and arrive at our gorgeous hotel at approx. 5:30 p.m., with plenty of time for Shabbat preparations. We will light candles in our prayer/social room in the hotel at 8:15 p.m. sharp with Mincha at 8:20 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv. We take the short walk to our Dining Hall at a very nearby schul for Seudat Shabbat (1). Our esteemed guests, Rabbi – and Rebbetzin – Eliezer Klein, shlita, a Rosh Kollel in Marseilles, will enhance our Shabbos with his wonderful Divrei Torah, description of Jewish life in Marseilles and marvelous personality.

Overnight:  Marseilles

Day 7: Shabbat Kodesh, August 16

Daf Yom, delivered by Rabbi Klein in the hotel, at 8:30 a.m. Late Shacharit, in schul, at 9:30 a.m. For those up for a 35-minute walk, the 19th-century main synagogue of Marseilles, on 117 rue de Breteuil, also has services. Kiddusha Rabbah – enjoy an interesting lecture from Harav Dr. Rabinowich about the Chachmei Provence.

Historically, Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence and Trets, which we will pass by during Monday’s excursion, were a few of several Provencal towns where Jews thrived during the Middle Ages. Some of our greatest Medievalists/Rishonim were coined Chachmei Provence — the Scholars of Provence. Except for the terrible suffering (riots and pogroms) after the Black Plague of 1348, Provence remained a place of refuge for all Jews expelled from the Kingdom of France between 1306 and 1394.

Seudat Shabbat (2) at the schul at 1 p.m. The afternoon is devoted to a well-deserved shluf. Our Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Klein shlita, will deliver a Perekshiur on the hotel’s terrace at 7 p.m., followed by Mincha at the schul, at 8 p.m. sharp. Then, a delicious Seudah Shlisit (3) and Ma’ariv. Free time on MOTZOEI  SHABBAT; MELAVA MALKA snacks will be available at the hotel. Suggestion: Take your wife or date to La Place Castellane and to Cours Estienne D’orves, two minutes from the Vieux-Port, for a remarkable evening.

Overnight:   Marseilles

Day 8: Sunday, August 17

Sunday starts later, of course, with Daf Yomi at 8:15 a.m. and Shacharit 8:45 a.m. Breakfast, and our Marseilles touring begins at 9 a.m. Although somewhat quaint and provincial, Marseilles is the second-largest city in France, with a population of over one million people. In fact, it was the first city in France to have a street, rue de la Tour (near the Vieux Port), devoted to fashion — even before Paris! Massalia, as it was known, is probably one of the oldest cities in France, founded in 600 B.C.E. on an inlet in the Mediterranean Gulf.

We begin with a panoramic bus tour of the entire city, which is essentially a patchwork of one  hundred and eleven villages, ending at the Notre Dame de la Garbe, which is set on a hill overlooking the entire city. What a Kodak moment! The day’s visits will include: Le Vieux Port, the legendary port with the oldest mini-ferry in the world, and the elegant palace built by Napoleon III; Overlooking its entrance stands the Palais Longchamp, one of the most imposing monuments in Marseilles, dating from the Second Empire; Les Goudes, one of the last little fishing ports in the south of the city, bringing us back many centuries; La Corniche, the promenade with wide lawns along the coast, to the stone statue of David, with spectacular views of the Marseilles Bay; Cassis, a little harbour surrounded by vineyards snuggling under Cap Canille, the highest cliff in Europe!

We will explore some of the 8 miles of Calanques (4,000 hectares of conservation area), the most stunning coastal inlets in all of Europe, with a succession of great landscapes, step inlets with crystal clear water and 60 majestic cliffs falling from the sky to the sea. At the end of our “Marseilles day,” we will take a short boat cruise (optional) to L’Archipel du Frioul, one of the three islands in the Marseilles Bay. It is a superb, desert-like setting; the home of a former quarantine hospital, aquatic farms, as well as the 1524 fortress/prison made famous by Alexandre Dumas in The Count of Monte Cristo. In fact, the writer, Mirabeau, was its most famous prisoner!

We return to hotel for Mincha, a delicious dinner prepared by our Marseilles caterer at 7:30 p.m., and Ma’ariv. The rest of the evening is once again yours to discover this fascinating city on your own.

Overnight:   Marseilles

Day 9: Monday, August 18

We begin a very packed day of touring with an early 6:45 a.m. Daf Yomi in our adopted schul, Shacharit at 7:15 and breakfast at 8 a.m. (Luggage must be in lobby by 8 a.m.). We take leave of the hotel at 9 a.m. and head due North for a quick visit to pay our respects at Les Milles, The Milles Internment Camp. (Originally, the camp handled Jewish anti-Nazi refugees, and then became an internment for future emigration. The Vichy government deported 2,000 Jews from here to Drancy, and then on to Auschwitz.) From there we head further north to Aix-en-Provence and the town of Roi Rene, renowned for its many fountains and artistic life. On rue Verrerie in Aix-en-Provence, we can still find remnants of Jewish dwellings where over one thousand Jews lived in the mid-13th century. Back to the bus for a two-hour ride to beautiful Nice, where today we take only a panoramic view from our bus, making only one crucial visit to the Chagall Biblical Museum.

Right before Nice, of course, we pass Cannes! 150 years ago, Cannes was nothing more than an unimportant fishing village. Since then, it has become an elegant city known around the world and attracts an international clientele. One gets to the top of the city by climbing the Mont Chevalier up to Suquet. The panorama at the top is breath-taking with the whole city below surrounded by the blue sea and the Lérins Islands. We will pass the pier Albert Edouard, where the most beautiful yachts in the world come to moor. And, time permitting, we will take a quick stroll along the Croisette, considered one of the most famous promenades in the world. After the museum, we take a 30-minute ride right into Monaco, the second-smallest independent state in the world, after the Vatican City. In an only three-quarter square mile, you have more millionaires than any comparable area in the world!

With our remaining limited time, we will then attempt to visit the following attractions: the Monte-Carlo Casino, the most famous casino in the world, with its sea-side sun terraces, facing Versaley’s Hexagrace and the unbelievable gardens and fountains in front of the casino; the Prince's Palace, the Princess Grace Rose Garden (with its 4,000 rose trees representing 180 varieties of trees!), and the Japanese Garden (personally designed by Princess Grace); You will experience 700 square meters of the most exotic ponds, water-falls, tea houses and Zen gardens in the world. Before we depart Monaco, we will view an astonishing spectacle showing the history of a dynasty in multivision shows in the Picheurs car-park.

Overnight:   Nice

Day 10: Tuesday, August 19

Late wake-up, unless you would like to experience the simply stunning sunrise over the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea. Daf Yomi is at 8:15 a.m., Shacharis at 8:45 a.m., and our last delicious breakfast with Rav Marki, the Rosh Yeshiva in Nice, in attendance. At 9 a.m. we embark on a glorious two-and-a-half hour, guided walking tour of beautiful Nice and some last-minute gift shopping.

Nice has had a Jewish presence since the 4th century and, like many cities of Provence, Languedec and the Comtat Venaissin had a ghetto established in the early 14th century. The 1886 Synagogue of Nice still exists on rue Deloye, as does the very old Jewish cemetery.

We return to hotel to eat our boxed lunches, and then pack up. We depart our gorgeous hotel at 12:15 p.m. sharp to Nice’s airport for our 1:25 p.m. Air France Flight (#7703) via Paris (Fl.# 0010) to JFK International Airport, arriving  at 6:15 p.m.

PRAYERS & DAF YOMI ARE COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY!

Extensions to Israel possible,
before and after trip

for only $850 more!

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Rabbi Dr. Nosson Dovid Rabinowich: Rav and Scholar-in-Residence,is a noted historian and Talmid Chacham, author of nine critically-acclaimed books on topics varying from Jewish history to Geonic literature to Chassidus.

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