The Jews of Italy

Miriam Camerini

Polish Jews 

Łukasz Godlewski

Before World War II, Warsaw was the second largest Jewish city in the world. After the Holocaust many survivors left Poland, but some stayed. In the last decades, young Polish people have discovered their Jewish roots which were often hidden by their parents and grandparents. I am one of them, and I want to share my family's story with you. I will also take you on a virtual tour of the Warsaw Ghetto remains and show you how Jewish life in Warsaw has revived.

Jews of Spain 

Victoria Atlas

Jewish Bulgaria 

Joseph Benatov

Jewish Finland

M. Czimbalmos & D. Pataricza

The Jewish minority of Finland, numbering approximately 1200 people, is organised into two centers in Helsinki and Turku, which makes it one of the northernmost Jewish communities in the world. Finland is one of the few countries with an Eastern European (Litvak) Jewish community that was unaffected by the Holocaust. Its double nature as an Orthodox-rooted yet progressive Jewish congregation also makes it unique.

Stories of Jewish Budapest

Dora Koranyi

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, has one of the most fascinating Jewish cultures and history in Europe. It is a community that still flourishes in spite of the many difficulties it has had throughout its long history. I would like to invite you to a virtual tour, where I will share with you stories about this community, from the time of the Austrian empire, through the Holocaust and the communist era until our present time.

Greek Jewry

Joseph Vardakis

The presence of Jews in Greece dates back to antiquity. It was the epicenter of Sephardi culture and boasted a Greek-speaking Romaniote community as well as Jews that settled there from all across Europe. However the Holocaust decimated the community. Today Greek Jews are working to preserve their unique heritage. We will explore this ancient, diverse and unique culture that has spanned more than two millenia.

Jewish Barcelona

Dominique Tomasov

Music of Sefarad

Judith Cohen

Sefarad is both a geographical place and a concept - it's Spain and Portugal, and it's the centuries and continents of the Sephardic diaspora. Old ballads with hypnotizing stories, irresistible wedding songs, the popular love songs and songs of daily life will be presented both live and in archival recordings, with photos and stories of the Sephardim who kept this tradition alive against all odds.

Jewish Romania

Peninah Zilberman

Jews have been present in Romania since the Roman Empire. In modern times they were responsible for the successful economic development of the cities; nevertheless, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and Communism marked Jewish existence in the past century. We will explore the many facets the Romanian Jewry is famous for and will also learn how Jewish life is celebrated and observed today in Romania.

Contemporary Jewish Life in Berlin

Micki Weinberg

Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall, Berlin has returned to being a global center for artists, creatives, and others. This has led to an influx of Jews from around the world-- ex-Hasidim, Israelis, Russian speakers, Americans, etc.-- together creating new communities and forms of Jewish life and thought. This talk will explore post-War Jewish life in Berlin, with a special focus on the rich variety of Jewish life today.

Balkan Sephardi Metropolises

Joseph Benatov

As Sephardi Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire, Salonica became one of the most important centers of Jewish life. The city thus earned the monikers "Mother of Israel". Further inland, multiethnic Sarajevo was also home to a thriving Jewish community and was sometimes referred to as "Little Jerusalem". Our talk will highlight some of the most important figures and events from the two Jewish metropolises.

Vilnius: The Jerusalem of Lithuania

Daniel Gurevich

Lithuania became home to a Jewish community seven hundred years ago that suddenly was known as "Litvak". Why? When? What did it mean then and what does it mean today? In this talk I will use my own personal and family stories to illustrate the past and present of Vilnius and Lithuania, explaining the main reasons why Vilnius is famous in the Jewish world, and showing you the principal hallmarks of a Jewish tour in Vilnius. 

Jews of Belarus

D. Brunner and A. Livshyts

Belarus' Jewish story is rich, vital, traumatic, fascinating and barely spoken of. Jews here were part of the broader Lithuanian (Litvak) culture. Come on the journey through time and explore the story of Jewish Belarus across the centuries, its rich history with artists like Chagall and Rabbis like Gaon of Vilnius. Learn from the Jewish activists offering support, training and aid to Belarusian communities today.

Jewish Amsterdam

Nachshon Rodrigues Pereira

One of the few original Portuguese Jews left in Amsterdam describes what Jewish Amsterdam was like in the 17th century when the city was the center of the Jewish world, offering the best Jewish education, housing the biggest Rabbis and home to the largest synagogue in the world. Find out how this community was shaped and how it shaped its environment. How much was lost during World War II and what is left now.

Turkish Jews

Nisya Isman Allovi

The history of the Jews in Anatolia started 2400 years ago with the arrival of Romaniot, Mizrahim and Karaits followed later by Ashkenazim and Sephardic Jews. We will examine ancient synagogues, Jewish settlements and cemeteries as well as important events of the two World Wars. Sephardic cuisine, music, Judeo Spanish language, and ethnographic will be explained. Finally we will explore today's vibrant Jewish life.

Remember Baghdad

Edwin Shuker

In 2015 Edwin Shuker flew to Baghdad with a film crew for a documentary that was being produced about the story of Jews in Iraq. He revisited his childhood home, which he had not seen since he escaped to England with his family when he was young. Over the course of the trip and production Edwin vividly relived his life and the life of 2000 years of Jewish history in Iraq. In this talk he will share that life with you.

From Yemen to Israel

Gavriella Bigio Dahan

The Jewish community of Yemen has existed since antiquity, but today comprises less than 50 affiliated members. The past century saw the largest waves of immigration to Israel, among which my grandmother took part. Through conversations with her, I learned both of her personal ordeal as a child thrust into the unknown, as well as the changing way of life for Yemenites in Israel.

The Jews of Iran

Ruben Shimonov

Join us as we explore the rich, deep-rooted history of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world. The origins of Iranian/Persian Jewry date back to late biblical times. Through music, photography, visual and literary arts, as well as historical sites, we will take a virtual journey to a region steeped in twenty-six centuries of uninterrupted Jewish history.

The Jews of Mosul, Iraq

Growing up Jewish in Uganda

Shoshana Nambi

The Abayudaya community was founded by a tribal chief who converted himself and many of his followers to Judaism in 1919. One hundred years later, there are nine synagogues in different Ugandan villages, three Jewish schools, and the community continues to grow. I will share the history of my community, as well as my own family story and journey to rabbinical school.

The story of Moroccan Jewry

From Ethiopia to Israel

Zehava Tesfay

Ethiopian Jews lived for centuries isolated from other Jewish communities. In the later part of the 20th century most of them immigrated to Israel. We will embark on a journey from Ethiopia to Israel and learn about the Jewish Ethiopian community's way of life, traditions identity, strengths, and activism. We will also talk about the reality of life in Israel for the immigrants and for the second generation of Israeli-Ethiopians.

A Tale of Three Kingdoms

Moisés Hassán-Amselém

The Bukharian Jews

Ruben Shimonov

The experience of the native Jews of Central Asia - Bukharian Jews - is situated at a unique intersection of Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Russian-speaking Jewish identities. We will explore the eclectic story of this millennia-old Jewish community, discovering the ways in which Bukharian Jews have developed their multifaceted and rich culture, while also shedding light on how their journey fits into the broader historical saga of the Jewish people.

The Jews of the Silk Road

 Manashe Khaimov

Follow in the footsteps of the Jewish merchants on the Silk Road and discover the ancient network of trade routes that were for centuries crucial to Eurasian cultural interaction. Understand the impact and contribution that Central Asia's Jews of today's Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan made towards the development of this ancient path, and learn about their presence in this area for over 2000 years.

Jewish Life in China

Kavkazi "Mountain Jews"

 Valeriya Nakshun

The Jews in Argentina

Cecilia Cohen

The presence of Jews in Argentina goes back to the expulsion from Spain. In the late 19th century, masses of Ashkenazi immigrants fleeing Russia and Eastern Europe settled the country, becoming one of the largest Jewish communities in the world. Despite waves of antisemitism, xenophobia and terrorism, Jews have become fully integrated in most sectors of the society.

Jewish Heritage of Brazil

Felipe Lichand

In Brazil we can find one of the largest Jewish communities in Latin America, with presence in different regions, each with distinct stories. In this talk we will introduce you to the Jewish history of Brazil from colonial times to present. Travel with us to Rio, São Paulo and Recife, and discover with images and videos the most emblematic Jewish landmarks of these cities.

Jewish Mexico

Benito Gritzewsky

Among the earliest colonial settlers of Mexico were countless crypto-Jews escaping the Spanish Inquisition. For the next 300 years they were persecuted to the point of total obscurity. Mexican independence brought freedom of worship, In the 20th Century, Mexico welcomed thousands of Jews fleeing the Middle East and Europe, who established the foundations of one of the world's most prosperous communities.

Jews of Belarus

D. Brunner and A. Livshyts

Belarus' Jewish story is rich, vital, traumatic, fascinating and barely spoken of. Jews here were part of the broader Lithuanian (Litvak) culture. Come on the journey through time and explore the story of Jewish Belarus across the centuries, its rich history with artists like Chagall and Rabbis like Gaon of Vilnius. Learn from the Jewish activists offering support, training and aid to Belarusian communities today.

Virtual Tour of Jewish Lithuania

Daniel Gurevich

In my first talk we presented Jewish Vilnius. Now, get ready for the country's second-largest city, Kaunas, and the towns of Kedainiai and Kalvarija. Kaunas (Kovno) was 60% Jewish at the end of the XIX century. Using videos I will guide you through its main Jewish heritage sights. After that, we will jump to Kedainiai, (Keidan), Finally, the shtetl of Kalvarija.(Kalvarye), is definitely a must-see in this journey.

The Bukharian Jews

Ruben Shimonov

Kavkazi "Mountain Jews"

Valeriya Nakshun

Kavkazi Jews live in Azerbaijan and the Russian Republics of the North Caucasus. They remained under the sphere of Persian influence until 1812, when the lands of the Caucasus were ceded to Tsarist Russia, to be later absorbed into the Soviet Union. This talk will feature an overview of Kavkazi Jewish origins, history, and the way in which the diaspora is making efforts to preserve their heritage today.

Vilnius: The Jerusalem of Lithuania

Daniel Gurevich

Lithuania became home to a Jewish community seven hundred years ago that suddenly was known as "Litvak". Why? When? What did it mean then and what does it mean today? In this talk I will use my own personal and family stories to illustrate the past and present of Vilnius and Lithuania, explaining the main reasons why Vilnius is famous in the Jewish world, and showing you the principal hallmarks of a Jewish tour in Vilnius.

Jews of Siberia

Gregory Touretsky

Siberia is always bitterly cold, and dangerous, brown bears walk its streets - as the popular stereotype says. But is it really so? In this talk we'll learn about life on this vast territory during the last 400 years. Jews of the Pale of Settlement tried to escape to America, to Palestine - but some of them chose Siberia. Others were forced to go. We'll explore when and how Jews got to Siberia, where they settled and what they did there.

Music of Sefarad

Judith Cohen

Sefarad is both a geographical place and a concept - it's Spain and Portugal, and it's the centuries and continents of the Sephardic diaspora. Old ballads with hypnotizing stories, irresistible wedding songs, the popular love songs and songs of daily life will be presented both live and in archival recordings, with photos and stories of the Sephardim who kept this tradition alive against all odds.

Jewish Languages Today

Sarah Bunin Benor

Throughout history, Jews around the world have spoken many languages. In this multimedia session, you will learn what these languages have had in common and how they are currently shifting. The past two centuries have led to major changes in the linguistic profile of Jewish communities. Several long-standing Jewish languages have become endangered and new Jewish language varieties are developing.

Art and the Bible

Victoria Atlas

Some of the greatest works of art relate to stories from the Old Testament. This text has been the greatest source of inspiration for major paintings. We will delve into those masterpieces that reflect on the three stories of the beginning of humankind. and we'll discover that even though the stories are, apparently, the same, their understanding and representation is different, depending on the historical, national and personal experience of the master.