Jewish Heritage Europe

Ukraine: Fire Guts former Great Synagogue in Illintsi. Had long been used as a carpentry workshop (UPDATE: Much of structure appears to have survived)

The former Great Synagogue in Illintsi, in southwest Ukraine, was gutted by fire this past week, according to local media and video. UPDATE: a picture posted on Facebook after the fire was extinguished showed the at least parts of the … continue reading →

Russia: New downloadable tourist guide to Jewish Kaliningrad (Königsberg) — a walking tour

If you get to Kaliningrad, Russia — formerly Königsberg, East Prussia — you can now follow a Jewish heritage itinerary in the city. Just a year ago, exactly 80 years after the grandiose New Synagogue was destroyed on Kristallnacht, a … continue reading →

Italy: Take a stunning virtual tour of the ancient Jewish catacombs of Venosa, in southern Italy!

Inscription of a Menorah in the Jewish catacombs of Venosa

      We’ve written quite a bit about the extraordinary ancient Jewish catacombs in Venosa, in southern Italy and the project under way to present and present them. Now you can watch this rather amazing 3D computer reconstruction of … continue reading →

Hungary: Exciting news! Blueprints for Szeged Synagogue & Lipot Baumhorn correspondence discovered — eventual exhibition planned

This is exciting news! The blueprints and other documentation for the majestic New Synagogue in Szeged, Hungary have been discovered, and an exhibition is being planned — possibly in time for next year to mark the 160th birthday of the … continue reading →

Summer Travel: In the Czech Republic, you can visit dozens of Jewish heritage sites August 11, on the Day of Jewish Monuments (with a mobile app & interactive map)

The the third edition of the Czech Republic’s Day of Jewish Monuments takes place August 11 — and this year there is a smartphone app as well as an interactive map to help visitors. On the Day, some 50 selected … continue reading →