Jewish Tour

This tour gives a well-rounded overview of life of Jews in Russia in the past and at the present time. Tourists get a chance to visit the main Jewish attractions of Moscow: the Grand Choral Synagogue, the Memorial Synagogue in the Victory Park (with the museum of Holocaust and Jewish Heritage inside it) and Jewish Museum & Tolerance Center, which is situated in a big Jewish community.

We start from the Grand Choral Synagogue, the most beautiful and the oldest synagogue of Moscow, situated in the very center. Since the day of its opening on June 1, 1906, the synagogue has been active without interruption, and has remained the center of religious and social life of Jewish people in Russia.

We continue to the Memorial Synagogue, which is situated in the Victory Park, the main WWII memorial in Moscow. We will walk through the Victory Park, observe the magnificent WWII museum and monuments and arrive to the Memorial Synagogue. The building of the synagogue is a fine example of contemporary synagogue architecture. The renowned Israeli sculptor Frank Meisler created the interior décor. The museum of Jewish Heritage and Holocaust tells us thrilling and tragic stories of Russian Jews.

After lunch break we will visit the Jewish Museum & Tolerance Center, the best museum of that kind in Russia.

The Jewish museum continues telling stories of Russian Jews. You will have a chance to learn about the “attitude of Tsars to Jews and Jews to Tsars” in Russian Empire. The exposition shows why the Pale of Settlement appeared and how ideas of Zionism and Assimilation developed in late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum describes the active role of Jews in the Soviet revolution and in life of the USSR at its early stage; the heroism of Jews in the Red Army in WW2 and Holocaust on the territory of the USSR; life of Soviet Jews after creation of the state of Israel; repressions against Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee led by the popular actor Solomon Mikhoels and Jewish Doctors’ Plot; movement of Refuseniks and dissidents, when Zionism was called a risk to security of the Soviet state. And many other interesting stories!

The Jewish museum has a unique design. It has a lot of documentary movies on display, interviews with prominent personalities and eyewitnesses of different historic events.

Upon request, we can organize a visit to Schneerson library, which is a unique collection of books that belonged to the dynasty of Lubavitch tzadiks before the Socialist Revolution and was nationalized by the Soviet Government in 1920s.

Duration: 6-7 hours

Price: 240 USD per group plus 20 USD per person for tickets. Transportation: either on foot or by car. Car / mibivan services cost 120/150 USD per day.