Jewish tourists lucky enough to be in Europe in early September should keep an eye out for special events at synagogues and other Jewish sites across the continent. September 4 will serve as this year’s European Day of Jewish Culture, and will feature a variety of tours, commemorations and other activities in countries across the continent.

Cities ranging from Oslo and Paris to Krakow and Sarajevo will take part in the event, also known as Jewish Heritage Day, which started in 1997 in Alsace, France. Last year’s edition involved 880 events in 263 cities.

François Moyse, vice president of the B’nai B’rith Europe Commission on Jewish Heritage, told the Chicago Tribune, “The heritage day is a unique occasion to discover places that have played a major role both in terms of Jewish and local history, enabling visitors to learn about Jewish traditions and culture by visiting historic places that are usually not accessible.”

It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!

We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.

This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions. 

We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.

As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday! 

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Make a gift and our board will match it.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$129 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT