Poland
Large country in the Central Europe offers a wide range of attractions - unesco cultural heritage, white sand beaches, castles and manors, mountain hiking trails and vast Jewish history.
Latvia
Latvia is in a middle of the Baltic states, with capital Riga, long white sand beaches and a number of medieval sights in a beautiful villages.
If you are interested in natural food and modern cuisine - Riga is a place for you!
Lithuania
Lithuania is the largest out of three Baltic states, active politically developing economically and still keeps the calm way of life perfect for your holidays or workation!
A huge number of newly renovated Jewish sights makes Lithuania a premium destination for Jewish heritage travellers.
Estonia
E-stonia is a paradise for IT sector - country has one of the highest number of startups per 100K inhabitants.
Tallinn is also famous for fine dining restaurants, and you have to check that yourself!
There were hundreds of wooden synagogues in the Poland and Lithuania up until the end of the 19th century. Wood was abundant and inexpensive in the heavily forested commonwealth, but a large part of the motivation for building in wood rather than masonry was the great difficulty of obtaining government permission to erect masonry synagogues. The wooden synagogues, which featured multi-layered high roofs, multi-beamed domes, galleries, wooden balconies and arches were built to high standards of craftsmanship.
There are perhaps a dozen remaining and only of the small variety. This one in Pakruojis is a very cute example and features lovely folk art painting throughout the interior.
If you are interested in the history of the Jews of Lithuania, it is worth stopping by in Pakruojis perhaps in conjunction with a visit to the Hill of Crosses (about half an hour away).
Date of experience: June 2019
Coming to Vilnius in May was fantastic - such a greenery, all the city was in blossoms!
Noa, Israel