Jewish Heritage Travel: Tapping into Family Roots
by Maria Lenhart /Jewish heritage travel can be a rewarding niche for travel agents, according to experts who specialize in the market.
Sonia Taitz, co-founder of Miami-based Momentum Tours and Travel, and Sophia Kulich, owner of Jewish Travel Agency in Palm Harbor, Fla., said this type of travel encompasses a wide range of destinations and addresses a growing number of clients interested in uncovering their family roots and history.
Both companies offer small group tours and customized itineraries that explore Jewish history and culture.
In honor of
Taitz, a novelist and playwright, started Momentum Tours in 2002 to honor her parents who were Holocaust survivors. She brought on board Jan Olofsen, a veteran tour operator who is the company president and designer of the tours.
The company, which does about a third of its business through travel agents, offers travel to an ever-growing variety of destinations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America.
“We’re always discovering something new, particularly in places like Poland, where there’s tremendous interest in Jewish history and culture, and Spain, where the roots for Sephardic Jews go back for thousands of years,” Taitz said.
“Even in places like India and China there is Jewish history and culture – it’s all about finding where the pockets of interest are.”
Popular destinations
Olofsen said Poland and Germany, where significant new Jewish history museums have opened in recent years, are the most popular destinations with Momentum’s clients.
“It’s actually not that surprising, when you consider that 70% of the world’s Jews have roots in Poland and Germany,” he said.
“And both of these countries are places where Jewish people can feel safe – their governments are very protective as the last thing they want to be perceived as is anti-Semitic.”
A new priority for Momentum is to develop more tours in Latin America.
“We’re getting more requests from our clients for places like Argentina and Brazil,” Taitz said. “We have a lot of repeat clients and they are always looking for something new.”
A personal passion
Kulich emigrated from Ukraine in 1982 and founded her agency in 2000 after a career in corporate management.
Her business grew out of her personal passion for searching out Jewish heritage sites during her own travels. She has found Jewish heritage travel to have a truly global scope.
“What we try and do is look at Jewish life in Europe today – it’s not all about the Holocaust,” Kulich said.
“I took a group of agents to Poland in October and everyone was overwhelmed by how vibrant and lively the Jewish community is in Cracow.”
Customized programs
Kulich travels to Europe frequently, searching aspects of Jewish heritage to incorporate into customized programs or to recommend to clients who are visiting ports on a river cruise.
“While central and eastern Europe are very rich, many other destinations have relevance for Jewish heritage, even Ireland and the Amalfi Coast,” she said.
While Kulich has done some group tours in the past, she primarily focuses on customized tours and FITs. Much of her business comes from travel agents to whom she pays a 12% commission.
Growing interest
Interest in Jewish heritage travel is growing, partly because of increased interest in exploring family roots and history, according to Taitz.
“There’s also concern that the Holocaust generation is dying out and soon no one will be left to tell the story,” she said.
“So people are doing an eleventh-hour pilgrimage. And they are finding that many places in Europe are bringing Jewish heritage back.”
Momentum Tours has built a strong repeat clientele over the years, one that Taitz characterizes as well-educated, well-heeled and well-traveled.
“They’re looking for a quality experience and something that is meaningful,” she said. “We provide a high standard of travel, although not in the super luxury category.”
Family matters
Family and multi-generational travel is a large part of the market for Jewish heritage tours, according to Taitz.
“We’ve done family reunions and trips built around bar mitzvah celebrations, including one in Venice for a family that is both Jewish and Italian,” she said. “These are very deep, satisfying experiences.”
Kulich also finds multi-generational family travel to be a large part of the market. She recently arranged a trip to Lithuania for three generations of a Jewish family searching for their roots.