Jewish Heritage Europe

Jewish cemetery notes from 4 countries…..

Jewish cemetery notes…. recent clean-ups, guided tours, vandalism…. VIENNA: About 60 volunteers staged a clean-up action at Vienna’s disused and overgrown Währinger Jewish cemetery on Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day, organized by the Green Party. The action was part of a regular … continue reading →

U.S. bill on protecting Jewish (and other) cemeteries worldwide passes House

Legislation that would make the desecration of cemeteries – including Jewish cemeteries around the world – a violation of religious freedom has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and will now head to the Senate. The date of the Senate … continue reading →

JTA story on Romaniote Jews, with a focus on Ioannina synagogue

  Marking the 70th anniversary of the deportation of Greek Jews, JTA runs a story about the dwindling Romaniote Jewish community in Ioannina, with a focus (and picture) of the historic synagogue there. The Nazis rounded up more than 1800 … continue reading →

The Dorfmans’ photo archive and Yad Vashem

Starting in 1987, American-born Israeli educators Rivka and Ben-Zion Dorfman roamed central and eastern Europe, documenting synagogue buildings that were abandoned,  transformed, ruined, and occasionally still used for Jewish worship —  in Austria, Hungary, Croatia, northern Italy, Greece, and the … continue reading →

European Day of Jewish Culture — Today!

Today, Sept. 29, is the annual European Day of Jewish Culture — with hundreds of events planned in a dozen countries around Europe: performances, lectures, concerts, guided tours, food-tastings, book fairs, and more. Synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and other Jewish heritage … continue reading →