Jewish Heritage Europe

Romania: Structural restoration of the Great or Grain Merchants’ synagogue in Bacău, Romania, is nearing full completion. The interior paintings are magnificent!

Bacau synagogue, scene with human figure

Structural restoration of the magnificent Great or Grain Merchants’ synagogue in Bacău, Romania, is nearing full completion. Only some exterior work, landscaping, and installation of a fire prevention remain. If all goes well, the local Jewish community hopes that all … continue reading →

Call for Participants: Jewish Cemetery Preservation Seminars/Workshops in September (in Ukraine and Romania) and August (in Hungary)

Eroded gravestones in the Făgăraș, România Jewish cemetery

Two workshops/seminars/programs dealing with the preservation of Jewish cemeteries take place at the same time in September — one in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine (September 23-24) and one in and around Făgăraş, Romania (September 23-30). They are quite different in scope, but … continue reading →

Lithuania: this month’s excavations at the site of the destroyed Great Synagogue of Vilna yielded exciting discoveries including polychrome decoration

This season’s excavations at the site of the Great Synagogue in Vilnius revealed remains of the polychrome decorated floor and walls of the main prayer hall, huge collapsed columns, and other evidence of “the intensity of the destruction of the … continue reading →

New “Long(er) Reads” Spotlight: The Ukrainian Shtetl. Homecoming to Places of Strength. Photos and text from Eugeny Kotlyar’s US exhibition

Artist, art historian. and Jewish heritage researcher Dr. Eugeny Kotlyar, a professor at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, was forced to flee from Kharkiv to Lviv after Russian forces bombarded the city. In 2022 he wrote a  … continue reading →

France: The Heritage Foundation awards the sumptuously decorated 19th century synagogue in Benfeld, near Strasbourg in Alsace,  a €20,000  Sesame Prize.

In this general view of the Benfeld synagogue before the renovation, cracks in the ceiling are visible. Photo: Pavlina/Consistoire Israelite du Bas Rhin

France’s Heritage Foundation (Fondation du Patrimoine) has awarded the sumptuously decorated 19th century synagogue in Benfeld, near Strasbourg in Alsace,  a €20,000  Sesame Prize. The funds are to be used to continue ongoing restoration work aimed at creating a cultural … continue reading →