9 Days F.O.I Encounter Poland - July 2026
Day 1 - Tuesday, July 21
Departure - JFK
Flight Information
Team arrives at JFK throughout the day
Passengers must be at the airport 3 hours prior to departure
Meals are on your own
Departure: LOT Polish Airlines Flight LO 7 - Departs JFK at 5:45 PM
Day 2 - Wednesday, July 22
Arrival - Warsaw
8:15 AM – Arrival in Warsaw
Meet and greet with the Polish team upon landing
Transfer to hotel to unpack or leave luggage at the FOI office (TBD)
Lunch on your own
Time to purchase snacks and water
Drive into the city center for a brief walking tour, including:
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Monument
Former Warsaw Ghetto area
Overview of Jewish life in Warsaw before the Holocaust
Warsaw Uprising Monument (1944)
Dinner and overnight in Warsaw
Hotel: ibis Budget Warszawa Centrum - Address: Ul. Zagórna 1, 00-441 Warsaw, Poland
Day 3 - Thursday, July 23
Warsaw - Bialystok
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning devotions
Visit to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Guided tour (approx. 2.5–3 hours)
Cost includes guide or audio guide
Lunch on your own (museum cafeteria optional)
Depart for Bialystok (approx. 2 hours)
En route discussion on Treblinka
Dinner and overnight in Bialystok
Hotel: ibis Styles Bialystok - Address: Aleja Piłsudskiego 25, 15-444 Bialystok, Poland
Day 4 - Friday, July 24
Bialystok
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning devotions
Touring in Bialystok, including:
Visit to a local Shtetl site
Citron Synagogue (with Derek)
Lunch on your own
Afternoon visit to Tykocin, including:
Historical Tykocin Synagogue
Nearby mass grave sites
Dinner and overnight in Bialystok
Hotel: ibis Styles Bialystok - Address: Aleja Piłsudskiego 25, 15-444 Bialystok, Poland
Day 5 - Saturday
Bialystok - Krakow
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning devotions
Drive to Kielce (approx. 4 hours)
Meet with Pastor Edward Cwierz
Lunch on your own
Dinner: TBD in Kielce
Overnight in Krakow
Hotel: Hotel ROK - Address: Nowohucka 33, Podgórze, 30-717 Krakow, Poland
Day 6 - Sunday, July 26
Krakow
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning devotions
Drive to Auschwitz (approx. 1 hour)
Guided tour of Auschwitz
Drive back to Krakow (approx. 1.5 hours)
Lunch on your own
Krakow walking tour, including:
Jewish Krakow (with guide Viola, TBD)
Visit Wawel Castle (Polish history)
Free time in the Old City
Dinner on your own
Overnight in Krakow
Hotel: Hotel ROK - Address: Nowohucka 33, Podgórze, 30-717 Krakow, Poland
Day 7 - Monday, July 27
Krakow - Wroclaw
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning devotions
Visit Jewish Community Center (Rabbi TBD)
Drive to Pszczyna (approx. 1 hour)
Volunteer at Jewish Cemetery of Pszczyna with Slawek Pastuszka (approx. 2 hours)
Present grant money
Lunch on your own
Tour of Pszczyna
Drive to Wroclaw (approx. 2 hours)
Wroclaw city tour, including:
Guided tour with Emanuel
Meeting with Mira
Dinner and overnight in Wroclaw
Hotel: Novotel Wroclaw Centrum - Address: ul. Wyscigowa 35, 53-011 Wroclaw, Poland
Day 8 - Tuesday, July 28
Wroclaw - Warsaw
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning devotions
Wroclaw visit: Uranium mines / former work camp
Drive to Warsaw (approx. 4 hours)
Lunch on your own
Spotlight visit: FOI Poland – Jewish ministry in the shadow of the Holocaust (The Farm or FOI office)
Dinner and overnight in Warsaw
Hotel: ibis Budget Warszawa Centrum - Address: Ul. Zagórna 1, 00-441 Warsaw, Poland
Day 9 - Wednesday, July 29
Warsaw - Departure
Breakfast at the hotel
Morning devotions
Packing and farewells
Depart hotel at 9:10 AM for Warsaw airport
Arrive at airport at 9:45 AM
Departure: LOT Polish Airlines Flight LO6 at 12:45 PM
Arrive USA at around 3:45pm
Once we arrive in the U.S., we will have to go through passport control and connect to your next flight if you have one. If you are booking your domestic flight please allow connection time of 3-4 hours to your next flight.
Services Included
Round-trip airfare with LOT Polish Airlines from JFK (New York)
Departure taxes and fuel surcharge
7 nights hotel accommodation:
1 night in Warsaw (arrival)
2 nights in Bialystok
2 nights in Krakow
1 night in Wroclaw
1 night in Warsaw (final night)
Daily buffet breakfast
Services Not Included
Lunch & Dinner
Tips to hotel staff
Travel insurance
Personal expenses and any meals not mentioned above