Jewish Heritage Europe

Mourning the death, at 97, of Rivka Dorfman, who with her husband, Ben-Zion, carried out extensive documentation of synagogues in Europe

(JHE) — We mourn the death of Rivka Dorfman, who with her husband Ben-Zion spent years documenting the synagogues of Europe. She passed away in Jerusalem, aged 97. Starting in 1987, the Dorfmans, American-born Israeli educators, roamed central and parts … continue reading →

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 →

France: 2020 annual report summarizes restoration/preservation work on 15 Jewish cemeteries & 4 synagogues in the Bas-Rhin department of Alsace

Despite the pandemic, last year saw wide-ranging restoration and maintenance work on a score of historic Jewish heritage sites in the Bas-Rhin department of Alsace. A newly published report by the Heritage Department of the Jewish administrative umbrella Consistoire of … continue reading →

POLAND: Unique collection of more than 65,000 burial cards from the Łódź Jewish cemetery will be digitized, indexed and uploaded online

(JHE) — The unique preserved burial archive of the vast Jewish cemetery in Łódź will be digitized this year, with the details from the burial cards of more than 65,000 individuals uploaded and made available online. The collection is owned … 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 →