Over the past year, we have posted more than 200 news items in our Jewish Heritage Europe News Feed.
As 2016 comes to an end, we thought we would draw attention to the 50 (or so) posts that were most shared by our readers this past year (shared directly from the web site, not from the Facebook Page).
Here they are, in reverse chronological order.….they encompass a remarkably wide range of subjects — and geographical locations.
Subscribe to our News Feed to get posts directly into your inbox — you can do so from the Home Page or any of the News pages or posts.
Czech Republic: Prague Old Jewish Cemetery Digitalization Project
December 22, 2016
The Jewish Museum of Prague has embarked on the final stage of a complex, years-long project to digitize the gravestones and other information related to the Old Jewish Cemetery in the Czech capital, but it could still be several years before the final database is complete.
France: Carpentras Synagogue to Mark 650 Years, with Events, Restoration
December 18, 2016
Events are being planned to mark the 650th anniversary of the synagogue in Carpentras, France — it dates originally from 1367, making it the oldest synagogue in France and one of the oldest synagogues still in use in Europe.
Poland: Jewish Museum in Tykocin Synagogue marks 40th anniversary with revamped exhibition
December 11, 2016
The Jewish Museum in the 17th century synagogue in Tykocin, Poland will mark its 40th anniversary on Dec. 17 — with a day of events that include the inauguration of a revamped permanent exhibition and other renovations of the building’s interior that have been in the works for the past two years.
Working towards Reconciliation: A Christian’s involvement in Jewish cemetery restoration
December 2, 2016
A Have Your Say oped by Steven D. Reece
Lithuania: Recovery of abused Jewish gravestones in Vilnius continues
November 16, 2016
Jewish gravestones that were used to build the steps to the main entrance to a hospital in Vilnius were removed last week and taken to the site of the vast Užupis Jewish cemetery where they once stood, joining thousands of other such fragments now stored there.
Death of Yaffa Eliach, preserver of memory
November 10, 2016
Jewish Museums in Europe: at a Turning Point?
November 6, 2016
Summary article previewing a survey of Jewish museums in Europe carried out by the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe
The “Three Hares” motif — a worldwide (including Jewish) curiosity
November 2, 2016
Review of a new book about the enigmatic “three hares” motif found in eastern European synagogue and Jewish gravestone decoration as well as in Christian, Buddhist and Muslim cultures around the world.
Italy to fund conservation of the villa Torlonia Jewish catacombs in Rome
October 26, 2016
The Italian Culture Ministry has allocated nearly €1.5 million toward conservation and restoration of the ancient Roman-era Jewish catacombs at villa Torlonia, which date from the 2nd to the 5th centuries CE.
Restoration work to begin on Subotica synagogue interior
October 25, 2016
A more than €2 million restoration of the interior of the elaborate art nouveau synagogue in Subotica, Serbia is set to begin soon.
A Visit to Poland’s “Living Shtetl Skansen” without Jews
October 6, 2016
After following the project from afar for several years, Jewish Heritage Europe’s Coordinator Ruth Ellen Gruber finally got a chance to visit the “living shtetl skansen” being built in Biłgoraj, Poland, and the full-scale replica of the destroyed wooden synagogue of Wolpa.
Belarus Signs Heritage Preservation Accord with U.S.
September 22, 2016
Belarus has become the latest country to enter into an agreement with the United States that commits the two governments to protect and preserve cemeteries, memorials, historic sites, places of worship, and archives related to all peoples, with a focus on those that were victims of genocide during World War II and are no longer able to protect and preserve properties without assistance.
Romania: Campaign to restore Jewish cemetery in Arad
September 18, 2016
A new promotional video highlights the campaign to restore the old Neolog Jewish cemetery in Arad, in western Romania near the border with Hungary
Russia/Belarus: fruitful summer research on Jewish heritage
September 15, 2016
Sefer – the Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization in Moscow — carried out three weeklong field schools this summer during which students documented Jewish material heritage and carried out interviews and other research on local Jewish history.
New Resource on Romanian Synagogues
September 14, 2016
A new online resource on Romanian synagogues features a photographic documentation by Daniel Gruenfeld of 15 synagogues in the northeastern part of the country.The web site is a project of Centropa.org.
Croatia: New Jewish Museum opens in Zagreb
September 7, 2016
Zagreb has a new Jewish Museum, opened on September 4 — the European Day of Jewish Culture.
Poland: Can Tiny Wooden Synagogue in Wisniowa Be Saved?
September 1, 2016
Virtual Shtetl reports that there is some movement in longstanding efforts to rescue and restore the tiny wooden synagogue building in Wiśniowa, Poland, with Agnieszka Dudek, the director of the Municipal Center of Culture and Education in Wiśniowa, adding her voice to those who want to save the building.
A New Day for the Golden Rose in L’viv
August 23, 2016
In a Have Your Say oped, Jason Francisco discusses the significance of the Space of Synagogues memorial project in L’viv, Ukraine.
Belarus: ruins of Bobruisk synagogue returned for Jewish use
August 16, 2016
The ruins of a synagogue in Bobruisk, Belarus have been authorized for use by the Jewish community, and plans are under way to create an open air Jewish museum and cultural facility in the area.
UK: Scotland to get Jewish Heritage Center in Garnethill Synagogue
August 15, 2016
Thanks to a nearly £350,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, a Jewish Heritage Centre will be established in the grand Garnethill synagogue in Glasgow, Scotland.
Serbia: Online exhibition on Subotica synagogue launched
August 11, 2016
The World Monuments Fund has mounted an online exhibition about the history and architecture of the striking, art nouveau synagogue in Subotica, Serbia, which has been undergoing fitful — and as yet incomplete — restoration for decades.
Szeged synagogue — a 3-D look inside & out
August 10, 2016
Latvia: Great Synagogue in Ludza to reopen after restoration
August 8, 2016
The historic Great Synagogue in Ludza, Latvia — dating from around 1800 and the oldest surviving synagogue in the country — will be rededicated on August 11 after a detailed restoration.
Czech Republic: Day of Jewish Monuments
August 3, 2016
The first Day of Jewish Monuments will be held in the Czech Republic on Sunday, August 14. On that day, 41 selected Jewish heritage sites around the country will be open to visitors.
Uprooted Jewish gravestones, and their return to Jewish cemeteries
July 24, 2016
In recent years, the recovery of headstones uprooted from Jewish cemeteries during and after World War II has become a common motif in Jewish heritage preservation. We highlight some examples.
Jewish cemetery clean-up in Nasielsk, Poland: first-hand report
July 8, 2016
Description of a three-day Jewish cemetery clearing and cleaning project in Nasielsk, Poland, north of Warsaw.
Why I Am Writing a Field Guide to Jewish Cemeteries — for Poles
July 3, 2016
In this Have Your Say oped, Witold Wrzosiński, the co-founder and co-director of the Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland, describes why he is writing a Field Guide to Jewish Cemeteries, mainly aimed at local Poles.
Macedonia: Restoration of Štip Jewish cemetery nears completion
May 17, 2016
Restoration work on the long-ruined Jewish cemetery in Štip, in eastern Macedonia, is being completed, the Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) reports.
Belarus: Slonim synagogue to become Jewish culture museum
May 15, 2016
The long-neglected building is set to house a museum of Jewish culture.
Lithuania news: grants for synagogue (& other) restorations; progress at Pakruojis
May 13, 2016
The Heritage department of Lithuania’s Ministry of Culture has allocated funding grants for several synagogues and Jewish or Jewish-related heritage sites around the country.
Cemetery restoration: report on hands-on experience and how-to
May 8, 2016
Jay Osborn, of the Rohatyn Jewish Heritage project and Gesher Galicia, recently volunteered as part of a cemetery marker restoration workshop in the south of Poland organized by Stowarzyszenie Magurycz (Magurycz Association).
New, interactive e-book guide to Jewish Venice
May 6, 2016
Venice this year is marking the 500th anniversary of the imposition of the Venice Ghetto — the first time ruling authorities in Europe officially confined Jews to a closed, segregated space. The publication is part of anniversary initiatives.
Nearly 500 grave markers restored at Prague’s New Jewish cemetery
April 26, 2016
After more than a year of work, nearly 500 grave markers in Prague’s New Jewish Cemetery have been restored.
Documentary on Jewish Cemeteries in Moldova highlights challenges
April 25, 2015
A mini-documentary film about Jewish cemeteries in Moldova highlights the value of Jewish cemeteries, their visual power, and the challenges of caring for them in Moldova.
Slovakia: Grant aids Bytča synagogue restoration
April 12, 2016
The fitful process of restoring the synagogue in Bytča, Slovakia has received a boost with a €2,000 grant from Slovak Telecom to aid in the restoration of the building’s painted, coffered ceiling.
POLIN museum wins Museum of the Year award
April 9, 2016
The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw was named 2016 European Museum of the Year by the European Museum Forum.
Update: Graffiti removed from Jewish cemetery in Sochaczew, Poland
April 8, 2016
A volunteer clean-up operation took place this week to finally get rid of the anti-Semitic and xenophobic graffiti that vandals scrawled last December at the Jewish cemetery in Sochaczew, Poland.
Poland: New guide to Jewish Wrocław online
April 6, 2016
The city of Wrocław, Poland has put up a guide to local Jewish heritage on its official web site. Called “In the Footsteps of Wrocław Jews,” it includes an interactive map.
Hungary: Budapest Jewish Museum to reopen with centenary exhibit
April 4, 2016
The Jewish Museum in Budapest reopens April 9 with a revamped exhibit marking its 100th anniversary.
Council of Europe Chief to Visit Jewish Cemetery in Frampol, Poland
April 3, 2016
In a show of support for efforts to preserve Jewish cemeteries, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland will visit the Jewish cemetery in Frampol, in southeast Poland, on April 5.
Italy: Rome Jewish catacombs opening
March 30, 2016
Rome’s most ancient Jewish catacombs will be open to visitors on the first Sunday of each month, for at least May and June, as part of a tourism and pilgrimage project linked to this year’s Roman Catholic Jubilee year.
Bulgaria: ancient synagogue mosaic restored & displayed
March 27, 2016
A floor mosaic dating from an ancient Roman-era synagogue in Plovdiv, Bulgaria has been restored and is now displayed by the Plovdiv Museum of Archaeology.
Poland: saving the synagogue in Radzanów?
March 1, 2016
A group of young people wants to save the Moorish-style, red-brick former synagogue building in the small town of Radzanów, in central Poland.
Romania: Crowd-funding campaign for Jewish cemetery in Alba Iulia
February 9, 2016
Saving Jewish Cemeteries — We Owe It to the Murdered
February 7, 2016
A Have Your Say oped by Dr. Michael Lozman, who reflects on his involvement in preserving Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania and Belarus.
Poland: Jewish Museum opens in Gliwice
February 2, 2016
A new Jewish museum — the Upper Silesian Jews House of Remembrance — has opened, in the restored, red-brick, pre-burial house at the “new” Jewish cemetery in Gliwice, in southern Poland.
Lithuania: Wooden synagogue re-discovered; new synagogue on heritage list
January 27, 2016
The Kaunas branch of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Heritage Department has called for an immediate halt to the demolition of a former wooden synagogue in the town of Kulautuva, near Kaunas.
Poland: film about replica Wolpe wooden synagogue in Biłgoraj
January 20, 2016
Latvia: look at the restored Ludza Great Synagogue
January 19, 2016
Italy: the 16th century Jewish tombstones in Bologna
January 6, 2016
Learn about four elaborate, monumental tombstones from the mid-16th century, which feature both intricate carved decoration and complex poetic inscriptions and epitaphs, that are now conserved and displayed at the Bologna’s Civic Medieval Museum.
Latvia: Ludza Great Synagogue restoration nears completion
January 1, 2016
Restoration of the historic Great Synagogue in Ludza, Latvia — dating from around 1800 and the oldest surviving synagogue in the country — is nearing completion, with work slated to be finished in early 2016 and a formal rededication planned.