Jewish Heritage Europe

Poland Cemetery clean up and restoration updates: Zywiec, Bialystok, Czechowice-Dziedzice

An anonymous Polish benefactor is financing the restoration of the Jewish cemetery in Zywiec, in southern Poland. Volunteers organized on Facebook cleaned up the devastated Jewish cemetery in Czechowice-Dziedzice. More than 300 gravestones are uprighted, cleaned, and documented during this summer’s volunteer … continue reading →

HISTORICAL ATLAS OF HASIDISM: New book by Marcin Wodziński takes a deep dive into the physical realms of Hasidism, from its origins to the present

The remarkable new book Historical Atlas of Hasidism takes a deep dive into the physical realms of Hasidic Jews since the movement’s founding in eastern Europe the 18th century. Supplementing the text with 74 maps, plus historical and contemporary photographs, … continue reading →

Focus on a Heritage Site: Warsaw’s Bródno Jewish cemetery; powerful site with informative new exhibit

Bet Almin – House of Eternity, the visitor’s center and permanent exhibition on Jewish funeral traditions and cemetery history at the Bródno Jewish cemetery in Warsaw’s Praga district provides a powerful introduction to a visit to the cemetery. We wrote about … continue reading →

Netherlands: Drought makes hidden gravestones visible at 400-year-old Ouderkerk Jewish cemetery

This summer’s prolonged heatwave and drought in Europe has had an unexpected effect: it has exposed buried gravestones, showing their layout in the historic Beth Haim Portuguese (Sephardic) Jewish cemetery at Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, located near Amsterdam at the confluence … continue reading →

Update: Synagogue complex & Renovation in Włodawa, Poland

As we anticipated last year, renovation is under way at the important synagogue complex in Włodawa, in southeastern Poland on the border with Belarus. Current work, expected to be completed by 2019, entails repairs to the exterior of the Great … continue reading →