Jewish Heritage Europe

Valuable new Center for Jewish Art resources

Our friends and colleagues at the Center for Jewish Art at Hebrew University in Jerusalem have had an eventful past year, which (among other things) has included the launch of the  Historic Synagogues of Europe web site, the publication of … continue reading →

Help Wanted! Can anyone provide info on this Ark from the destroyed synagogue in Tállya, Hungary?

We are turning to our readers for help in providing information about the uniquely decorated wooden Ark in this photo — it is from a synagogue in Tállya, in northeastern Hungary, which was built at the beginning of the 19th … continue reading →

Hungary: the sculptural Jewish tombs by famed architect Béla Lajta

Kerepesi (Salgotarjani street) Jewish cemetery, Budapest. Guttmann family tomb designed by Bela Lajta

An article in Apollo international art magazine highlights the work of the late 19th-early 20th century Hungarian Jewish architect Bela Lajta — including the remarkable sculptural tombs he designed in Budapest’s Jewish cemeteries. Writes Edward Heathcote: Lajta’s mausoleums in the … continue reading →

Shavuot — images of the 10 Commandments to mark the holiday

The festival of Shavuot, which begins Saturday night, 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 Lord … continue reading →

Poland: New lapidarium memorial in Poznan; a reflection on the return of broken gravestones

By now, it is fairly common — at least in Poland, but also elsewhere — to use the recovered fragments of gravestones from destroyed Jewish cemeteries to create Holocaust memorials. (We wrote about the recovery of gravestones and fragments in … continue reading →