Jewish Heritage Europe

Turkey Update: the historic Etz Hayim synagogue in Izmir is officially reopened after restoration, during the Izmir Sephardic Culture Festival

The historic,  long-derelict Etz Hayim synagogue in Izmir has been officially reopened following a 2-year restoration carried out thanks to a substantial grant from the Izmir Development Agency (IZKA). The ceremony took place November 29,  at the opening of the third Izmir … continue reading →

CZ: Photographer captures “Invisible Synagogues” — blank spaces where destroyed synagogues once stood in cities, towns, and villages in the Czech Republic

Many photographers have focused their work on surviving — if ruined — Jewish heritage sites in Europe. The Czech photographer Štěpán Bartoš has a documentation, exhibit, and book project where he photographs the blank spaces in the Czech Republic where … continue reading →

Germany: “Ganz Rein!”– the touring exhibit of Peter Seidel’s Mikvah photographs — is mounted in Friedberg, site of Europe’s remarkable and largest known mikvah, dating from the 13th century and fully preserved

The German photographer Peter Seidel’s touring exhibit of his photographs of mikvaot — ritual baths — is on show in Friedberg, the town near Frankfurt am Main where Europe’s largest known mikvah, dating from the 13th century, is located. Called … continue reading →

Hanukkah’s coming! (Gift ideas…the 2022 Vanished World calendar, and a coffee-table book, “Synagogues: Marvels of Judaism”)

It’s Hanukkah next week…. so here are a couple gift ideas…. THE “VANISHED WORLD” 2022 CALENDAR Once again, the incredibly productive and generous Christian Herrmann has created a “Vanished World” calendar based on his evocative photographs of Jewish heritage in … continue reading →

Kristallnacht anniversary 2021: countering memories of destruction with images of wonderful surviving — and restored — synagogues

We’ve made it a JHE tradition. Last night — night of November 9-10 — marked the  83st anniversary of the so-called Kristallnacht pogrom — Reichspogromnacht — in 1938, when the Nazis launched coordinated violent attacks on Jews, Jewish property and … continue reading →