Jewish Heritage Europe

“Back to Shul” – new (free!) online book, a text-and-photo-essay on the surviving synagogue buildings in Lithuania

  The International Center for Litvak Photography has just published the e-book Back to Shul  — a highly personal text and photo essay by the Center’s director, the British photographer Richard Schofield, that chronicles a 12-day journey documenting synagogue buildings in Lithuania. … continue reading →

Simchat Torah! Rejoicing with Images of Arks

  Simchat Torah — Rejoicing in the Torah, the Jewish festival that celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings (and beginning of the new cycle), falls on Monday-Tuesday. To mark the occasion, here are some images of the Aron ha Kodesh, or … continue reading →

Rosh Hashana Synagogues: new video as Plzen Great Synagogue marks 125 years

  Continuing our series on synagogues that were dedicated at Rosh Hashana … we’ve posted recently about the monumental Great Synagogue in Plzen (Pilsen), Czech Republic, which is about to undergo extensive renovation. But we can’t resist posting the new … continue reading →

Faces of Time in the Belgrade Jewish cemetery: a crowded “House of the Living”

Jewish gravestones are personalized in specific ways: through names and dates; through epitaphs; through symbolic carved imagery; through, sometimes, family history timelines. From the latter part of the 19th century, gravestones in a number of Jewish cemeteries also (as was … continue reading →

Urban Jewish Heritage Conference: Raising the profile of Jewish heritage at the senior European institutional level

  Participants at the recent international Urban Jewish Heritage conference held in Krakow touched on a wide range of issues regarding the history, management, preservation, role, and future of Jewish heritage in (mainly) urban settings — towns and cities. Organized … continue reading →