August 30 - September 5, 2016
Experience an insider’s tour of Jewish Canada—visiting the cultural, historical, and culinary treasures of Montreal and Toronto.
Michael Kaminer, a contributing editor to the Forward, will be your travel companion and guide. Hand-picked local experts will share the rich history and vibrant Jewish life of both cities. You’ll meet Quebec notables as you dine at famed Jewish restaurants. Tour Mile End, the Plateau, and Outremont, neighborhoods chronicled by Canadian-Jewish author Mordecai Richler in unforgettable books like “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz”.
In Toronto, explore the multicultural kaleidoscope of Kensington Market - the city’s Lower East Side. Meet the Jewish restaurateurs behind Toronto’s hottest eateries, and visit the superb Art Gallery of Ontario for a private tour. Your trip concludes with the Ashkenaz Festival, one of North America’s largest Jewish cultural festivals.
We design our trips to be intimate and interactive, as well as comfortable, enlightening and memorable. You’ll experience first-rate accommodations and dining, and you’ll be guided by experts who know the local culture and its global context.
Click here to reserve a spot.
Planned Itinerary*
Tuesday, August 30
Arrive in Montreal and settle into your room at the Sofitel Hotel, and meet your group and guide, Michael Kaminer. We will begin our trip with a special dinner organized by Wandering Chew, an acclaimed local group that celebrates Montreal’s Jewish food heritage with pop-up events. Dinner will be served in a loft space, and will showcase the history of Jewish food in Montreal.
Included: Dinner
Wednesday, August 31
We will begin the day with a walking tour of Mordecai Richler’s Montreal with Zev Moses, the executive director of the Museum of Jewish Montreal. Lunch is at the hip Eastern European-themed deli/bakery Hof Kelsten. Owner Jeffrey Finkelstein will join us. Later, we will meet with Mindy Pollak, an Orthodox Jewish city councilor for the Outremont neighborhood, and explore Montreal’s famed outdoor Atwater Market. Dinner will be at Deli Sokolow, a new Jewish-inspired restaurant in the trendy St-Henri neighborhood.
Included: Lunch, dinner
Thursday, September 1
Breakfast at the famous Beauty’s, known for its superb brunches. Also on the agenda for the day: meeting with Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice of Canada, a Jewish food walking tour of St. Laurent Boulevard with Wandering Chew founder Kat Romanow, and dinner at Schwartz’s with Bill Brownstein, the Montreal Gazette columnist and author of “Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen: The Story.”
Included: Breakfast, dinner
Dreamstime
Friday, September 2
We will fly to Toronto, arriving into Billy Bishop airport, situated right at the foot of downtown. After checking into the landmark Royal York Hotel, we will lunch at the world-renowned Caplansky’s deli and chat with owner Zane Caplansky. We will visit the Art Gallery of Ontario and meet with Maia Sutnik, the gallery’s curator of photography, organizer of “Memory Unearthed: The Lodz Ghetto Photographs of Henryk Ross.” We will tour the city by minibus, and have dinner at Hy’s Steak House, family-owned for generations. A member of the Aisenstat family, which runs Hy’s, will join us.
Included: Lunch, dinner
Saturday, September 3
Breakfast will be at the Senator, Toronto’s oldest restaurant, followed by a walking tour of Kensington Market with Dara Solomon, director, Ontario Jewish Archives. Dinner is at Fat Pasha, one of Toronto’s most buzzed-about restaurants, and we will be joined by proprietor Anthony Rose.
Included: Breakfast, dinner
Sunday, September 4
Brunch at Free Times Café, and meet with owner Judy Perly, a legendary figure in Toronto’s food and music scenes. Dinner will be at Rione, one of North America’s few eateries to feature Roman-Jewish specialties, with guest Bernice Eisenstein, author of “I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors” and creator of the Genizot exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum. Our trip will end with a performance at the Ashkenaz Festival, one of North America’s largest Jewish cultural festivals.
Included: Brunch, dinner
Monday, September 5
We will meet for a final farewell breakfast at the Royal York Hotel.
Included: Breakfast
* Program, meals, speakers and hotels are subject to change
Important Information
-Trip price is $1,995 per person, based on double occupancy; $695 single supplement, subject to limited availability.
-The program begins in Montreal and ends in Toronto. Transportation between Montreal and Toronto is included.
-A $600 deposit is required to hold your place on the trip; the balance is payable in equal installments, due no later than June 30 and July 29, 2016.
-Cancellation after June 15, 2016, will result in forfeiture of your deposit, after June 30, 2016, will result in forfeiture of 1/2 of the trip price, and after July 29, 2016, will result in forfeiture of the full trip price.
-Consider purchasing trip cancellation insurance within 14 days of placing your deposit. You may use the carrier of your choice, or Allianz Global Assistance, whose “basic” policy is adequate; call (800) 284-8300 and mention ACCAM number F027117.
