The Jews of Cuba: Journeys, Stories, Poems

The Jews of South Africa: a special community at the tip of the continent

The Bene-Israel of India: an ancient living community

Eliaz Reuben-Dandeker -The Bene-Israel is the largest Jewish historical community from the Indian sub-continent. 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 began? 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

Shtetl Part 1: A Jewish Universe

Two people, one womb: The Jews of Italy

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

Jewish New York: The Upper West Side, a crucible of Jewish life in America

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 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

Kavkazi "Mountain Jews": Ancient Hebrew and Persian roots at the border of Azerbaijan and Russia

Valeriya Nakshun - The Jewish community of the Caucasus lived for centuries in the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian Seas. However, their history dates back to biblical times, when they found refuge in the Persian Empire. They remained under the sphere of Persian influence until 1812, when these lands were ceded to Tsarist Russia to be later absorbed into the Soviet Union. This talk will feature an overview of Kavkazi Jewish origins and history, and the way in which the diaspora is making efforts to preserve their heritage today.  Read more and sign up

Jewish city tour of Riga, the hidden gem of the Baltic

Jewish Bulgaria: A Virtual Sephardic Journey

Jews of Iran: Not Just Purim and the Revolution

Desert Roots: Concert and Presentation

Jewish Life in China: Tales from the Far East

Pablo Faivel Levinton - For many people it is surprising to learn that there is a long and rich history of Jewish communities in China. In this talk we will explore the three places with the most relevant historical presence of Jews: Kaifeng (where a community was established in the Middle Ages and whose descendants still live today); Harbin (where a community from Russia thrived around the Trans-Siberian Railway), and Shanghai (where thousands of Jews came as refugees during WWII). We will also learn how Jewish life is today for those who currently live in China. Sign up here to be notified when we schedule a new date

Music among the Crypto-Jews of Portugal: An almost vanished world

Judith Cohen - After the expulsion of Jews from Portugal, some stayed as Crypto-Jews. The early 20th century saw the "discovery" of the Jews of Belmonte and the northeast region of Tras-os-Montes, who had lived in isolation with few cultural contacts with the outside world. I will introduce the people I interviewed and explain how songs and recited prayers work in both the religious and secular contexts. Then we will move to the internet and social media age and their folklorization, always, with an emphasis on people and where and how they live. Sign up here to be notified when we schedule a new date

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. Sign up here to be notified when we schedule a new date

The Jews of Galicia (Western Ukraine): A Virtual Tour of Lviv and Brody

Greek Jewry: At the crossroads of civilizations

Joseph Michael Vardakis - TThe presence of Jews in Greece dates back to antiquity: it is the oldest Jewish community in the Western hemisphere, and it was the epicenter of Sephardi culture in Europe, boasting the unique Greek-speaking Romaniote community as well as Jews that had taken refuge there from all across Europe. At the start of WWII, Jews in Greece numbered around 80,000; however, the Holocaust decimated the Jewish population. At present, the Jewish community is working to preserve its unique heritage. Sign up here to be notified when we schedule a new date

The Beauty and Magic of Yiddish

Travel with us to Berlin, Odessa and Tbilisi to learn how different waves of Jewish migration brought Yiddish to various corners of Europe and the Caucasus, creating a unique linguistic mosaic. Hear some of the most touching and amusing Yiddish expressions and words. Discover how Yiddish can help you speak to the ghosts and allow you to understand better Jewish wisdom and mysticism. Sign up here to be notified when we schedule a new date

The Jews of Ukraine: A Virtual Tour of Kiev and Odessa

"Streets of Kazimierz": The History of Krakow's Jewish Quarter

Anna Maria Baryła - For many centuries, Kazimierz was a place where ethnic Polish and Jewish cultures coexisted and intermingled. In 1941, the Jews of Krakow were forcibly relocated by the Nazis into the ghetto, and most did not survive the war. Since 1988, a popular annual Jewish Cultural Festival has re-introduced Jewish culture and currently, Krakow is experiencing a rebirth of Jewish life as the local Jewish community grows. Young people are finding out about their Jewish roots, there's a thriving JCC, and a Jewish preschool has recently opened in the city. Join us to learn about all of this and more! Sign up here to be notified when we schedule a new date

Gleams and shadows of Jewish life in France

Emmanuelle Stein - France has currently the largest Jewish population in Europe. The history of French Jews successively alternated between periods of tolerance and prosperity and the ordeal of insecurity and anti-Semitism, with both phenomena sometimes coexisting in parallel. Paris born Emmanuelle Stein will provide an overview of the Jewish presence in France from the Middle Ages to present day, while describing what pluralistic Judaism looks like here today through the eyes of a young Jewish woman and activist for human rights. Sign up here to be notified when we schedule a new date

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