Jewish Heritage Europe

Sergey Kravtsov on the Value & Preservation of Jewish Built Heritage

  Sergey Kravtsov, Senior Research Associate at the Center for Jewish Art in Jerusalem, has written a thoughtful op-ed on the value and preservation of Jewish religious heritage in Europe, published on the excellent “Future of Religious Heritage” web site.  Born … continue reading →

Lights for the Festival of Lights!

  JHE wishes all of our readers a very happy Hanukkah and holiday season! Hanukkah — the Festival of Lights — lasts this year from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24. During the festival Jews light a special nine-branched Hanukkah Menorah, … continue reading →

Simchat Torah! Celebrating the Torah with images of Arks

Simchat Torah — Rejoicing in the Torah, the Jewish festival that celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings (and beginning of the new cycle), falls on Thursday-Friday, Oct. 16-17. To mark the occasion, here are some images of the Aron ha Kodesh, … continue reading →

Posing the question — in 1990: should old synagogues in eastern Europe be saved

  Our previous post highlighted an article by Phyllis Myers in this month’s Moment Magazine in which she poses the old question: should old synagogues in eastern Europe be saved? Her answer was a decided YES. It is important to remember, however, … continue reading →

Revisiting an old question: Are the old synagogues of eastern Europe worth saving?

In a compelling essay for Moment Magazine, Phyllis Myers,  a conservation policy and politics adviser to governments and private groups, returns to consider a question she first addressed some 25 years ago — a question that we at JHE feel has long been answered: … continue reading →