Get to know the "Tarbut Foundation": striving to preserve the heritage and memory of the Jews of Maramures (Romania)

Peninah Zilberman - Tarbut Foundation Sighet (FTS) was established in 2014 following the 70ᵗʰ commemoration to the Jewish deportations from Maramures. Due to the tremendous success of that first gathering, we founded FTS with the intention to keep alive the memory of the 40,000 Maramures Jews who lived in the region before the Holocaust. We strive to preserve the Jewish heritage of Maramures through art, culture, and education. We invite you to a webinar in order to learn more about our work. Read more and sign up

Shtetl Part 2: A Virtual Tour of the Once Jewish Towns of Eastern Europe

The Jews of Cuba: Journeys, Stories, Poems

Ruth Behar - My talk will offer a broad perspective on the Jews of Cuba drawing on historical scholarship, ethnography, and literary and artistic visions. We will start with a close look at the formation of the first Jewish communities in the early 20th century and examine the rise and fall of these communities after the Cuban Revolution. The revitalization of Jewish life since the 1990s will lead us to the present day and to how Jews continue to assert their presence on the island in challenging times. We will also spend time exploring the nostalgia felt by Jewish Cubans who left the island but could never forget their beloved Cuba. Read more and sign up

The Belgian Jewry: Dynamic, Complex, Unique

Eitan Bergman - Belgium, home to the largest Hassidic community in Europe, has been described as the 'most successful failed state in the world'. In this land of surrealism, the Belgian Jewish community mirrors its nation, exhibiting a multifaceted nature—strong yet weak, united yet divided. Embark on an enlightening journey with Eitan Bergman, a Liège-born Jew who found his way to national and European Jewish institutions. Through his personal and family stories, witness the exceptional character of Belgian Jewry and explore its remarkable evolution throughout history. Read more and sign up

Jews of Iran: Not Just Purim and the Revolution

Alan Niku - Iran's Jewish community is one of the oldest in the world. But is there more to those 2700 years than Queen Esther and the Islamic Revolution? This talk examines the lesser-known parts of its history. Through music, languages, foods, writings, and stories, the Jews of Iran have forged a culture at once Persian and Jewish, with traditions and aesthetics uniquely their own. Now in a second Diaspora in the United States and Israel, with a small population remaining in Iran, the community faces inevitable changes. We will use the knowledge of the past to discuss how the unique heritage of Iran's Jews can be preserved.  Read more and sign up

Qesher Book Club - "Anything But Yes": A Novel of Anna del Monte, Jewish Citizen of Rome, 1749

Joie Davidow - Anything But Yes is the true story of a young woman's struggle to defend her identity in the face of relentless attempts to destroy it. In 1749, eighteen-year-old Anna del Monte was seized at gunpoint from her home in the Jewish ghetto of Rome and thrown into a convent cell at the "House of Converts". Very few people know the story of the Ghetto, or the abduction of Jews to convert them to Catholicism. Young girls and small children were the primary targets. But Anna del Monte was strong, brilliant, educated, and wrote a diary of her experiences. The document was lost for more than 200 hundred years, then rediscovered in 1989. Anything but Yes is also based on Davidow's extensive research on life in the eighteenth-century Roman ghetto, its traditions, food, personalities, and dialect. Read more and sign up

The Jews of Kurdistan: A Land of Jewish Heritage, and Potential Reconciliation

Levi Meir Clancy - Jews from Kurdistan have a documented history going all the way back to the Bible, and there are hundreds of thousands of Jews whose ancestors immigrated from Kurdistan to the present-day State of Israel.  We will learn about the unique Jewish history of Kurdistan, including famous heritage sites and major historical figures. We will also explore Jewish and Muslim relations through the context of the overall Kurdish Muslim world. Read more and sign up

Turkish Jews: Jewish legacy in Anatolia and today's Turkey

Two people, one womb: The Jews of Italy

Miriam Camerini - Jews have been living in Italy since the last centuries BCE, even before the destruction of the second Temple. They've adopted local music, food, language, style, and customs. There have been tough times, but overall, it is a story of co-existence and mutual respect. We'll explore the history of Jews during the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the ghettos of Venice, Mantua, and Rome through emancipation, World Wars, and the present day. We'll discover language, poetry, music, theater, liturgy, and - of course - cuisine. Read more and sign up

The Bene-Israel of India: an ancient living community

Eliaz Reuben-Dandeker -The Bene-Israel is the largest historical Jewish community from the Indian subcontinent. According to their oral tradition, they arrived in India sometime in the first or second century BCE. We will explore their history, culture, and heritage. How did it all begin? What part did they take in the history of today's India and Pakistan? What was their role under British colonial rule, and in the creation of the Bollywood film industry? Of some 100,000 Bene-Israel at the turn of the 21st century, less than 4,000 remain in India. The great majority have immigrated to Israel, thus realizing their motto: "Mother India, Father Israel". Read more and sign up

Virtual tour of Jewish Bessarabia: Today's Moldova and its capital - Kishinev

Salonica and Sarajevo:

Balkan Sephardi Metropolises

Dr. Joseph Benatov - As Sephardi Jews settled in the Ottoman Empire, Salonica and Sarajevo became two of the most important centers of Jewish life. Our talk will highlight some of the most important figures and events from the Jewish histories of these cities. How did the famous Sarajevo Haggadah survive both the Nazi occupation and the Balcan Wars? What effect did the charismatic false messiah Sabbatai Zevi have on the Jews of 17th-century Salonica? We will also travel through these picturesque sites and visit their sumptuous synagogues, the iconic White Tower of Thessaloniki, the colorful Old Bazaar of Sarajevo, and much more. Read more and sign up

The Life of Jews in Japan

S. David Moche and Rachel Wahba - There have been Jews in Japan since the 16th century and in the 20th century, the city of Kobe had the largest community. Although Japan was allied with the Nazis during WWII, it initially welcomed Jewish refugees, and the diplomat Chiune Sugihara saved thousands of Jews from Eastern Europe. But after Pearl Harbor, many were deported to Shanghai. Today there is a small expatriate business community in Japan. In this talk, you will meet two very special presenters, both of whom grew up in Kobe. They will provide an overview of the Japanese Jewish story and share their families and their own personal experiences about being Jewish in Japan. Read more and sign up

Colonial Roots and Vibrant Present: The Jewish Heritage of Brazil

Felipe Lichand - In Brazil we can find one of the largest Jewish communities in Latin America, with a 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 the present. Travel with us to Rio, São Paulo, and Recife, and discover with images and videos the most emblematic Jewish landmarks of these cities. Read more and sign up

From Nowogrodek to New York City and Beyond: The Music and History of Klezmer