Jewish Heritage Europe

Tisha B’av: Mourning and Remembering the Temple, in synagogue art and commemoration

Mural of people praying at the Western Wall; Suceava, Romania

Today is the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’av, or the Ninth of Av. It commemorates and mourns the destruction of the  First and Second Temples and other tragedies that befell the Jewish people. The Western Wall — or Kotel … continue reading →

Poland: The sculptural pre WW2 tombs by the artist Abraham Ostrzega in Warsaw’s Okopowa Jewish Cemetery. Ostrzega was murdered in Treblinka

Ostrzega's Mausoleum of the Three Writers

Jewish cemeteries in Europe range from tiny village graveyards to sprawling city necropolises. Many of the larger urban cemeteries are noted for their elaborate family tombs — and also for monuments and mausolea designed by leading sculptors and architects. In … continue reading →

JHE Photo Essay: Shavuot 2025 — Images of the 10 Commandments to Mark the Holiday

10 commandments above the Ark, Baia Mare, Romania

(JHE) — The festival of Shavuot, which begins tonight, marks the reception of the Torah — and Ten Commandments — at Mt. Sinai. Jews traditionally go to synagogue on Shavuot to hear the Ten Commandments read out: 1. I am the … continue reading →

Ukraine: Laser scans document the elaborate murals in three synagogues in the Bucovina region of western Ukraine

It is now possible to access or view many synagogues and even some Jewish cemeteries online via various digital platforms. Some are detailed digital reconstructions of synagogues that were destroyed during World War II. Some are digitalized constructions of existing … continue reading →

International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025: Naming names and highlighting the growing Holocaust Memorial Monuments Database

(JHE) — January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945, is marked in many countries as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is an occasion for commemorative ceremonies, educational programs, and other initiatives. Monuments and memorials are also … continue reading →