Jewish Heritage Europe

Slovakia: Exciting discovery of hundreds of centuries-old matzevot from the Old Jewish Cemetery in Bratislava, demolished nearly 80 years ago. They had long been presumed lost or destroyed.

(JHE) — In a remarkable discovery, hundreds of gravestones from the destroyed old Jewish cemetery in Bratislava have come to light. Dating mainly from the 18th to the early 19th century, they were found piled up in a neglected and … continue reading →

Poland: New Holocaust memorial in Gorlice is shaped like a Star of David; uses rescued matzevot — with translation of their epitaphs

(JHE) — A prominent new Holocaust memorial in Gorlice, in southern Poland, is a pavilion-like building shaped like a Star of David that conserves numerous matzevot and fragments discovered at the site of a former Hasidic bet midrash in the … continue reading →

Poland: Jan Jagielski (1937-2021) Farewell to a Jewish heritage pioneer, mentor — and mensch

(JHE) — With great sadness we mourn the death of the inimitable Jan Jagielski, a true pioneer in research on Jewish heritage in Poland, an inspiration and mentor to generations — and, perhaps above all, a consummate mensch. In failing … continue reading →

Portugal: Holocaust Museum in Porto has opened, the first on the Iberian peninsula

(JHE) — The first museum on the Iberian Peninsula specifically dedicated to the Shoah has opened in the city of Porto (Oporto), in northern Portugal. Created by the local Jewish community, some of whose members lost family in the Shoah, … continue reading →

JHE Photo Essay: For Holocaust Remembrance Day and Tu B’Shevat — Trees and the Tree of Life

(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 →