Jewish Heritage Europe

Calendar

Feb
11
Thu
Virtual Opening of Romaniote Memories: Photos of Vincent Giordano @ Online Zoom event
Feb 11 @ 17:00 – 18:00
Virtual Opening of Romaniote Memories: Photos of Vincent Giordano @ Online Zoom event
The exhibition can be seen at this link: https://scalar.usc.edu/works/romaniote-memories/index
 
In 1999, photographer Vincent Giordano made an unplanned visit to the small Kehila Kedosha Janina (KKJ) synagogue on New York’s Lower East Side. He knew little about Judaism or synagogues, and even less about the Romaniote Jewish tradition of which KKJ, built in 1927, is the lone North American representative. In this he was not alone. Romaniotes are among the least known of Jewish communities. Beginning in 2001 and guided by members of the KKJ community, Giordano documented the synagogue and its religious art of the congregation using film, video, and audio.
 
In 2019 the Giordano family donated the archive of Vincent’s work to Queens College, where it is a major part of the Hellenic American Project and is preserved as part of the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library’s Special Collections and Archives.
 
The exhibition is sponsored by the Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library, Hellenic American Project, and Center for Jewish Studies at Queens College, in partnership with the International Center for Jewish Monuments, an independent non-profit organization.
 
The exhibition includes more than one hundred photographs, presented in ten thematic sections, accessible here.
 
To register for the exhibition’s opening reception on Zoom, featuring a conversation with curators, distinguished guests, and friends go to:
Aug
8
Sun
Czech Day of Jewish Monuments
Aug 8 all-day

The fourth edition of the Day of Jewish Monuments in the Czech Republic. There is a smartphone app as well as an interactive map on the Day’s web site to help visitors.

More than 50 selected Jewish heritage sites in more than 40 towns in Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia will be open to visitors. They include synagogues, Jewish cemeteries, museums, and other sites. Some of them are generally closed to the public;  some have recently undergone extensive renovation or are in the process of restoration.

There are various associated events such as guided tours and concerts.

The event is organized by the Jewish community in Prague in cooperation with Matana, the administrative body for Jewish property, the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic and other regional partners.

 

Apr
7
Thu
“Secrets of the Land” opening @ Regional Museum Chrudim, Czech Republic
Apr 7 @ 17:00 – 19:30
"Secrets of the Land" opening @ Regional Museum Chrudim, Czech Republic | Chrudim | Pardubický kraj | Czechia

Opening of an exhibition (running April 7-June 30, 2022) of objects found in the genizas in former synagogues in eastern Bohemia, with a particular focus on the synagogue in Luze.

The exhibition grows out of a geniza research project initiated by the Prague Jewish Museum in the 1990s.

 

Apr
10
Sun
Reopening Plzen Great Synagogue @ Great Synagogu, Plzen
Apr 10 @ 17:00 – 20:00
Reopening Plzen Great Synagogue @ Great Synagogu, Plzen | Plzeňský kraj | Czechia

The official reopening ceremony of the Great synagogue in Plzen, Czech Republic, following  a three-year restoration of the synagogue interior and nearby Rabbi’s house. A permanent exhibition on Jewish monuments in the Pilsen region will be opened, in the women’s gallery. It is based on the photographs of Radovan Kodera.

A procession  will bring a Torah scroll  from the Old to the Great Synagogue and ceremoniously place it in the ark.

Following will be a ceremonial program with speeches by the Culture Minister, the head of the tiny local Jewish community, and others. A concert will feature compositions inspired by Jewish prayers, adapted for the occasion. 

 

 

 

Aug
14
Sun
Czech Day of Jewish Monuments @ All over
Aug 14 all-day
Czech Day of Jewish Monuments @ All over | Czechia

The annual Day of Jewish Monuments in the Czech Republic opens Jewish heritage sites all over the country to visitors.

(It does not seems to be coordinated within the umbrella of the European Day of Jewish Culture).

On the web site, you can find lists of events and an interactive map with a list of participating sites and opening hours.

Jan
12
Thu
The Architecture of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam @ Online
Jan 12 @ 12:00 – 13:00
The Architecture of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam @ Online

Dr. Pieter Vlaardingerbroek will present an illustrated talk live from Amsterdam on the architecture and interior of the 1675 Portuguese Synagogue (the Esnoga) in Amsterdam and the synagogue’s direct influence on the architecture of the 1763 Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island.

Pieter Vlaardingerbroek, Ph.D., is a leading expert on Dutch architecture and material culture. He is an architectural historian for the City of Amsterdam, having served in a similar position for the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. He is an Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Conservation at the University of Utrecht. Professor Vlaardingerbroek is the author of many articles and books and served as editor for the definitive volume on the Portuguese Sephardic synagogue, The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, published by the City of Amsterdam in 2013.

There is no fee to participate, but reservations are required to receive the Zoom login information.

Click to register.

 

Jul
30
Sun
Vitebsk rebuilt synagogue opening @ Great Lubavitch synagogue Vitebsk
Jul 30 all-day
Vitebsk rebuilt synagogue opening @ Great Lubavitch synagogue Vitebsk | Viciebsk | Vitebsk Region | Belarus

The official opening of the restored Great Lubavitcher Synagogue in Vitebsk, Belarus which has been totally rebuilt from a ruin.

 

Feb
21
Wed
House of the World to Come: Immortal Jewish Cemeteries @ Parobrod Galeria, Belgrade
Feb 21 – Mar 7 all-day

Photo exhibition by Rudolf Klein, author of the book Metropolitan Jewish Cemeteries — which will be presented at the opening.

The opening takes place February 21, at 7 p.m.

There will be speeches by Klein and others.

Mar
19
Tue
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec
Mar 19 @ 16:00
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec | Ústecký kraj | Czechia

After many decades, the synagogue and rabbinical house in Žatec will be ceremonially opened. Both monuments have undergone complete reconstruction in recent years and will now serve as a museum and cultural space.

The celebrations will include performances by the Žatec Occasional Choir and the Camerata children’s choir at the ZUŠ in Žatec.

Long empty and in deteriorating condition, the synagogue and rabbi’s house were bought in 2013 by  Daniel Černý, who from 2019 oversaw a full-scale renovation of the buildings that was completed in 2022. Most of the €2 million costs of the project were covered with grants from the state and the EU.

The rescue and restoration of the synagogue won the Patrimonium pro futuro Award in the Monument Protection category. 

NOTE: The  program on March 22 will begin at 5 p.m.

 

Mar
22
Fri
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec
Mar 22 @ 16:00
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec | Ústecký kraj | Czechia

After many decades, the synagogue and rabbinical house in Žatec will be ceremonially opened. Both monuments have undergone complete reconstruction in recent years and will now serve as a museum and cultural space.

The celebrations will include performances by the Žatec Occasional Choir and the Camerata children’s choir at the ZUŠ in Žatec.

Long empty and in deteriorating condition, the synagogue and rabbi’s house were bought in 2013 by  Daniel Černý, who from 2019 oversaw a full-scale renovation of the buildings that was completed in 2022. Most of the €2 million costs of the project were covered with grants from the state and the EU.

The rescue and restoration of the synagogue won the Patrimonium pro futuro Award in the Monument Protection category. 

NOTE: The  program on March 22 will begin at 5 p.m.

 

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