Jewish Heritage Europe

Poland: Record number of visitors to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2019

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 →

Poland: Memorial park at site of destroyed Great Synagogue dedicated in Oświęcim, the town where the Nazis built Auschwitz

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 late György Konrád on Jewish heritage in Europe (a keynote address from 2004)

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 →

Lithuania [UPDATED]: Jewish community closed Vilnius Synagogue for 2 days citing security concerns following removal of plaque honoring anti-Soviet hero who also was Holocaust collaborator

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 →

Ukraine: Memorial concert for the author Joseph Roth is held at the hulking ruins of the synagogue in Brody, Ukraine — the town he was born in 125 years ago. Centerpiece is Leonard Bernstein’s “Kaddish”

The hulking, tragic ruins of the synagogue in Brody, Ukraine were the backdrop for a memorial symphonic concert honoring the great Jewish writer Joseph Roth, who was born in Brody 125 years ago (when it was at the eastern edge … continue reading →