Odessa Jewish Heritage Tour: Exploring the Grand History and Remarkable Culture of Jewish Odessa
5.0
5 Ratings
Odesa
Discover the rich history and vibrant culture of Jewish Odessa on this engaging heritage tour. Explore iconic synagogues, learn about influential figures, and delve into the city's complex past.
Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
What's Included
  • Climate-controlled vehicle interiors
Additional Information

Uncover the narrative of Odessa’s Jewish community from its conception to the present era with this Jewish Odessa tour. Experience the journey of Eastern European Jews in the 19th century, known as the ‘Star in Exile’. Traverse through the hub of Haskalah and Zionism. Grasp the growth of Odessa as it transformed into the third largest Jewish city globally within a 100 years.

Get acquainted with notable places of worship on this tour - the majestic Great Choral Synagogue and Shomrei Shabbos Synagogue. Embark on a journey retracing the path of Odessa’s Zionists, recognizing notable figures such as Meir Dizengoff and Ze’ev Jabotinsky. Visit the historic location of Odessa’s Palestine Committee. Delve into the darker periods of Odessa’s Jewish history featuring pogroms and the Holocaust.

Across this journey, our guides don’t just show sights, they weave a comprehensive narrative on the Jewish Odessa, inclusive of spiritual, religious, and business aspects.

And yes, if you’ve been enthralled by Edmund de Waal’s bestselling novel ‘The Hare with Amber Eyes’ and desire to echo the journey of the Ephrussis, this tour comes highly recommended!

Location
Prymorskyi Boulevard
Duc de Richelieu statue
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(5 Ratings)
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S
Oct 11, 2019
Excellent tour and guide - We have just returned from a three day visit to Odessa. We arranged our tours with Olga at Odessa Walks by e mail. She was very accommodating taking into account my husband's difficulties in walking. She is a wealth of information, very personable and a pleasure to spend the time with. At her suggestion, we took the Odessa historical walking tour first to get a general background of the city and then the two Jewish tours. We were also very interested in seeing the residences of the Jewish writers and intellectuals as well and she also arranged that tour for us. We feel that we toured the city with a friend and recommend her highly. Excellent.
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Thesaradavidson
Sep 10, 2019
Highlight of Ukraine trip! Fantastic! - I spent three days with Olga, the first on a general city tour with a group I'd been touring with, the second and third were just booked by me --Jewish heritage tour. It's usually done in one day, but Olga agreed to split it up over two days, because of my health issues. My grandparents and extended family came from Odessa to the U.S. in the early 1900s. Olga made the world they'd lived in come alive. Her knowledge and passion was infectious, and I felt the unique spirit of the city: exciting, playful, and vibrant. She's great company and a wonderful story teller. My experience with her was unforgettable.
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Olobel
Aug 4, 2019
Get Up Close and Personal with Odessa - If you're going to do any tours of the city, definitely skip the ubiquitous driving tours and stick with Odessa Walks. Do as many of their tours as possible. My friend and I first did the "Odessa Through the Centuries" walking tour in a small group of five with Alexandra, who was just lovely and gave a thorough rundown of both the actual history as well as the anecdotes and myths of Odessa, in which she was fluent (as well as at least 3 languages, which is helpful for multilingual groups). Also, her beer recommendation was excellent! We then did the ~5 hour Jewish History walking tour privately with Olga, who is also a goddess and champion of a tour guide. My friend only speaks Russian, so Olga gave over the tour in both languages and knew everything about everything. I also requested the addition of Moldavanka and kingpin Misha Yaponchik's house to the tour, which she duly showed us. The tours are specially tailored, and whatever interests you, trust me, Olga has forgotten more about it than you'll ever know. Even if you're not Jewish, like my friend, the history of the Jews in Odessa is fascinating, and if you're there in the summer, you'll barely notice the heat and distance once she gets started. Had we had more time, we'd definitely have done all the other tours on offer. If you're in Odessa and are even mildly interested in the city and its history, definitely ensure you do at least one of these.
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Bdsaly
Jul 26, 2019
A most thorough introduction to Odessa - We were two couples who are very experienced travelers. Olga led the four of us on three separate tours of this fascinating city - the Jewish Heritage walk, a walk around the less visited parts of Odessa’s historic center and the Odessa Catacombs. Every one of the tours was thorough, interesting and highly informative. Olga was a pleasure to be with during the three half days we spent with her. Olga also recommended and booked for us a couple of excellent restaurants. If you’re visiting Odessa, have no hesitation in reaching out to Olga. Highly recommended!
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Elhanans
Jun 24, 2019
the best walking tours in Odessa - we had several tours with Olga: the Jewish heritage tour, the catacombs, in the footsteps of writers, poets, etc., and the Privoz market. Olga is an excellent guide, her knowledge is infinite and she is a real treasure of Odessa history. the walks are tailored in an excellent way and are very interesting combining art, history, architecture, politics of the great powers in history - all with special attention to the our needs . Olga succeeded to present Odessa to us and expose all of the city charm and beauty in a wonderful way.Odessa walks with Olga are highly recommended.
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minimum 2 guests
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up to 15 guests
2 Adult, 1 Child
May 2024
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