Jewish Heritage Europe

UK: The Manchester Jewish Museum celebrates the 150th anniversary of its historic Sephardi synagogue with events throughout the year

Logo of the Manchester Jewish museum

(JHE) — This year is a big one for the Manchester Jewish Museum. The museum opened 40 years ago, in 1984 — and it is anchored by the historic Spanish and Portuguese synagogue that this year is celebrating its 150th … continue reading →

Purim! This year, we focus on the beautiful way individual Esther scrolls have been written out and decorated

An early 18th century Esther Scroll, or Megillah, in the Museum of Jewish Padova

Purim begins tomorrow night… it is a festive holiday, a time of celebration, crazy costumes, and… drink. On Purim, we read the Esther scroll, or Megillah, the Book of Esther that tells how Queen Esther saved the Jews of the … continue reading →

Poland: Monika Krawczyk Dismissed as Director of the Jewish Historical Institute; Michał Trębacz named Acting Director

Michał Trębacz Photo: ZIH

Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz has dismissed Monika Krawczyk as Director of the Jewish Historical Institute (ZIH) and appointed Dr. Michał Trębacz  as Acting Director. An announcement on the Ministry’s web site March 19 said the … continue reading →

Italy: PugliaEbraica — new online (and paper) resource for Jewish heritage in Puglia

puglia ebraica home page

A new online (and paper) resource focuses on the Jewish heritage of Puglia (Apulia) — the region on the heel of the Italian boot, where Jews lived from ancient times until their expulsion in the 16th century. Only a handful … continue reading →

Hungary-Romania: The photo archive of Lajos Erdélyi, who pioneered documentation of Jewish cemeteries in Romania, is uploaded online by the Hungarian Jewish Museum

Cemetery book by Lajos Erdélyi

The Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives (Milev) has recently uploaded a fascinating new resource — the photographic archives of  Lajos Erdélyi, a Holocaust survivor from Transylvania who as a journalist and photographer was a pioneer in the post-Holocaust documentation of … continue reading →