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 dedicated or … continue reading →
A record number of people from around the world visited the former Nazi camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau in 2019. A report on the Auschwitz.org web site said 2,320,000 people visited the sites, located in southern Poland and administered as … continue reading →
In Oświęcim, the town in southern Poland where the Nazis built the Auschwitz death camp, a memorial park has been opened on the site of the destroyed Great Synagogue to honor the town’s once-thriving pre-WW2 Jewish community. The Great Synagogue … continue reading →
The great Hungarian Jewish author and political dissident György Konrád died Sept. 13 in Budapest, aged 86. Konrad was born in the eastern city of Debrecen, but grew up in the small town of Berettyoujfalu. He and his immediate family … continue reading →
Citing security threats, the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LJC) on August 6 ordered the closure of the Vilnius Choral Synagogue and the Jewish community offices. The closure prompted criticism from within the Jewish community, and the buildings were reopened two days … continue reading →
