Jewish Heritage Europe

Poland: art reveals Tykocin synagogue before restoration

A 50-year-old drawing  reveals the ravaged interior of the 17th century synagogue in Tykocin, Poland — nearly a decade before it was renovated and reopened as one of the very few Jewish museums that operated in Communist-ruled east-central Europe. The … continue reading →

Genealogy: IAJGS conference is more than lectures

Warsaw is gearing up for the annual conference of the International Association of Jewish Genealogy Societies (IAJGS), which begins on Sunday at the Polin museum and other venues. There are scores of presentations, on all sorts of topics of interest … continue reading →

Round-up: Summer time is Jewish cemetery clean-up time

Jewish cemetery, Holesov, CZ

So many Jewish cemetery/Jewish heritage volunteer clean-up operations take place each spring and summer that it’s hard to keep track. Here are just a few that have caught our eye — some that have taken place, some that are under … continue reading →

Tisha b’Av…Using preservation to mourn destruction

Yesterday marked Tisha b’Av, or the Ninth of Av, the Jewish fast day that commemorates and mourns the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragedies that befell the Jewish people. On JHE, we reflect all the time … continue reading →

On the Road in CZ (and PL): Revisiting the historic Jewish cemeteries in Osoblaha and Biała

The centuries-old Jewish cemetery in Osoblaha, a remote little town on the Czech-Polish border, is unique in the Czech Republic because of the strong influence of Polish/Silesian-style gravestone art. It has some 313 surviving gravestones (out of possibly 1200); the … continue reading →