Jewish Heritage Europe

Happy birthday(s) synagogues! A selection of synagogue buildings in several countries that are marking significant anniversaries this year and a summary of celebratory events

Happy Birthday(s) Synagogues! This year a number of synagogue buildings have celebrated or will celebrate a significant anniversary of their dedication with public ceremonies, lectures, and talks — in-person or online, and with guided tours, temporary exhibitions, concerts, and also, … continue reading →

Simchat Torah 2021! Rejoicing with Images of Arks (and Bimahs)

(JHE) — Simchat Torah — Rejoicing in the Torah, the Jewish festival that celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings (and beginning of the new cycle), begins this week at sundown on Tuesday and ends at nightfall on … continue reading →

Slovakia: Pope Francis met with Slovak Jews in a highly symbolic place: the site where Bratislava’s grand Neolog synagogue stood until the communist regime destroyed it the late 1960s. Now the site is a both a Holocaust memorial and site of Hanukkah celebrations

When Pope Francis visited Slovakia this week, he met with representatives of the Slovak Jewish community in one of the most significant and symbolic places of Jewish history in the country: Bratislava’s Rybné Square, the site where the grand, twin-towered … continue reading →

Poland Update: Full-scale replica of the destroyed Połaniec wooden synagogue is installed at the open air ethnographic museum in Sanok

(JHE) — A full-scale replica of one of the hundreds of East European wooden synagogues destroyed during WW2 has been installed at Poland’s largest open-air ethnographic museum, or skansen. The replica of the synagogue of Połaniec  now forms part of a … continue reading →

Slovakia: Archaeologists working on the project to restore the grand synagogue in Trenčín discover foundations of the original 18th century synagogue beneath the floor of the sanctuary

The synagogue in Trencin before renovation

(JHE) — Archaeologists working on the EEA-funded project to renovate the grand, domed synagogue in Trenčín have discovered what are believed to be the foundations of the earlier synagogue from the end of the 18th century. The synagogue, listed as … continue reading →