Gil Travel Group

There have been Jews in the capital of Austria for nine centuries. The communities have formed and grown here, built their synagogues, houses, buildings, schools, and hospitals, and taught their children about Jewish culture and tradition for generations. The area in Vienna that was inhabited by this community is known today as Judenplatz (Jewish Square), and it has a great historical significance that you can learn about by visiting it.  At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna became one of the greatest centers of Jewish culture on the continent, but during the Holocaust, the community was almost annihilated. However, their resilient nature helped them to slowly recuperate after the war and reestablish their homes in this metropolis. Let’s see four of many old and new sites you ought to visit if you wish to learn about Vienna’s Jews.

No matter how many times you visit Spain, there’s always more to see. It is a country with a myriad of unique sites for its visitors to see, enjoy, and learn about. These sites help the visitors learn about the country itself and its people. A great part of the country’s history is its Jewish community, which over many centuries not only influenced Spain’s customs and traditions, but art and architecture as well. Before and after the expulsion of Jews from Spain at the end of the 15th century, the community has built a great variety of structures in the Jewish quarters across the country. Of particular relevance are Spain’s oldest synagogues – at the same time beautiful architectural wonders and historical sites. Let’s see three of the oldest temples. 

The history of the Jews of Spain is truly remarkable. Spain has been home to a Jewish community which has influenced Spain’s history, culture, art, and customs for centuries. The name Sephardi itself, meaning ‘’Spanish’’ or ‘’ Hispanic’’ in Hebrew, is derived from Sepharad (ספרד), a Biblical location, identified as Hispania, or the Iberian Peninsula. Prior to 1492, Jewish communities thrived in many Spanish and Portuguese provinces. Jews, as a minority, constituted the population of cities like Lisbon, Toledo, Seville, Córdoba, Granada, and Málaga.

If you ever wanted to walk on a path that leads through various places associated with Abraham/Ibrahim, you’re in luck, as such an exciting and enriching path really exists. This cultural route called Abraham’s Path is comprised of several regions. It offers a hugely important experience, because it allows those who walk on it to connect with their fellow travelers, but also reconnect with their origins. What we find here is great hospitality and kindness, as well as knowledge about each site we visit and its peoples, and how those two are connected to Abraham. We’ll meet the wonderfully diverse communities that live in these areas, which themselves are linked by their common heritage and Abraham/Ibrahim as their common ancestor. 

Welcome to a fascinating and ancient site, of a great historical significance for a number of nations and through multiple centuries. The Negev Incense Route encompasses incense roads, as well as the spice and luxury goods routes, which once linked Arabia to the Mediterranean, all the way back during the Hellenistic-Roman period. Knowing this, you can imagine its relevance at the time. The end of the incense route in the Negev Region has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Besides the forts, caravanserai, and the irrigation system, you’ll find here the four Nabataean towns, situated on the main route from Gaza to Petra, which prospered particularly between 300 BC and 200 AD. The Nabataeans were an Arab people who lived in the northern Arabia and the Southern Levant, and they were immensely skilled at engineering in the difficult conditions of the region. You can witness their way of life in the antiquity, and see just how masterful they were, in their four ancient cities.

There are many types of tours that Gil Travel offers, and each is special in its own right. However, this time, one of Gil’s newest offers to travelers deserves to be highlighted – Volunteers for Israel (VFI). There are many things that make this tour phenomenal, a major one being that anybody, no matter the age or how many times they’ve visited Israel before, can join and enjoy it. That’s not all! This is actually not one tour, but three different options in conjunction with VFI that are available to all travel fans. This amazing program with exceptional service is an absolutely perfect match for all of you who want to have the experience of volunteering at an IDF base, while using the free time to travel around Israel, all-inclusive style of course, as you deserve it. 

Germany is a land of magnificent sites whichever way you go. Still, it’s undeniable that its great number of religious sites have a particular charm that invites millions of both locals and tourists to visit them each year.  Among many such sites, relevant to people across religions and across the country, we’ll focus here particularly on Berlin’s stunning churches and cathedrals. These are places of great architectural and historical values, which makes them truly worth a visit whether one is a religious person or not. These, however, are not considered tourist attractions, but places of history, spirituality, art, as well as pain and memory.

Prague has had a vibrant Jewish community since the 10th century. With time and increasing antisemitism, however, the community was concentrated within the walled ghetto, which centuries later became known as Josefov, Jewish Quarter, or Josefstad. This largely demolished area, surrounded by the Old Town of Poland’s capital, is a site of great tragedy, but also of history, culture, great architecture, art, and of life. It’s home to a number of significant monuments, many of which are now a part of the Jewish Museum in Prague – a Jewish heritage museum and one of the city’s most popular institutions, established in 1906. It houses 40,000 objects, 100 000 books, and a large archive of the history of Czech and Moravian Jewish communities situated in the Smichov Synagogue. 

Whether you’re looking for a land adventure or a sea adventure, the modern cities or traditional villages, or you want to explore the deserts and the mountains – Israel’s got it all. Wherever your interests lie, you are bound to find a myriad of spectacular sites to visit – sites which can only be visited in Israel, and which offer to their guests a variety of experiences. These are the places of great and inspiring beauty, but also of immense historical and contemporary value. Some of the massively popular places you must see in this country include Jerusalem, Baha’i Gardens, Akko, Haifa, Nazareth, Tel Aviv’s White City, Jaffa’s old city and port, and much more. However, for this occasion, we’ve chosen to show you five special and truly breathtaking places you might want to include in your itinerary next time you visit Israel.

German’s capital is home to a great number of famous sites, architectural wonders and fantastic events, but unfortunately, not all of them can be fully experienced by the non-German-speaking visitors. The language-barrier is an issue which tourists run into in every country. But Berlin is working hard on making sure its guests can be a part of everything the metropolis has to offer. Imagine seeing a play in one of Berlin’s iconic theatres staring some of the world’s most brilliant performers.