Eastern Europe
Reclaiming my great-great-grandfather’s prayer book and the Yiddish world he lived in
A student laments that his Hebrew school education included nothing about the history and culture of the Jews of Eastern Europe.
They couldn’t find any books on Ashkenazi herbs — so they wrote one
“Not having that knowledge is devastating, because you can’t go back. There are no people to talk to.”
The spa resort where European rebbes spent their summer vacations
Dovid Leitner‘s book includes a telling anecdote about a misunderstanding between the Belzer Rebbe and the German-Jewish hotel owner.
It’s Not Just Jews. Let’s Remember The Other People Europeans Love To Hate
I am a Jew, and I have experienced anti-Semitism. I would not diminish its individual nature or its importance. It’s time we expand the view.
23andMe’s World Cup Campaign Leaves Ashkenazi Jews A Bit Nowhere
The ones on the left are the nationalists, for the record.
Menorah In Kiev Vandalized With Swastika And Doused In ‘Blood’
A Hanukkah menorah at a synagogue in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev was doused with red liquid resembling blood and vandalized.
What Did Poor Jews in the Shtetl Eat?
Jewish villagers may have gone hungry during the week but the community always provided them with at least fish and challah for shabbos.
Three Cities of Yiddish: St. Petersburg—Warsaw—Moscow
Review: This new volume of essays includes analyses of a fascinating travelogue by the Soviet-Yiddish writer, Der Nister
Warsaw’s 211-Year-Old Jewish Cemetery Devastated By Storm
“This scene is terrible,” said one visitor. “And nobody is doing anything about it.”
A Look Inside Jewish Romania
“A Jew must have three strengths,” Leyvick wrote, “Strength to die, strength to live and strength to wait.”