In honor of the “Back to School” season, we bring you several stories about children from across Europe on their first day of school.
The Doctor Who Treated Herzl in Exchange for an Autograph
Meet the doctor who helped Herzl get to the podium in time to open the Fourth Zionist Congress in London
How European Jews Spent Their Summers Before the Holocaust
From lake houses to spa days, Jews from all over Europe took full advantage of their summer vacations, building memories that would last a lifetime.
The Jewish Child Soldiers Who Rebuilt Their Lives in Riga
An elaborately decorated Pinkas now kept at the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People tells the story of the Talmud Torah of Riga which sought to return former child soldiers – and their children – to their Jewish roots.
A Moment Before Desolation: Rare Photographs of Polish Jewry
How did rare photographs of Polish Jews end up in a French soldier’s photo album?
Meet the Jewish Circus Performer Who Could Bend Iron with His Bare Hands
Zishe Breitbart was known as the “Modern Day Samson” and performed all over the world until his untimely death.
The Oldest Ashkenazi Synagogue in London
The Sandys Row Synagogue has kept its doors open through two World Wars and remained active from its original consecration in 1870 until today.
The Eastern European Pinkas Kahal: Image and Reality
Through the pinkas of a given community, we can assess the life of the individual and the kahal in all its breadth and depth
Looking Back at the Jewish Soldiers of the Great War
A century after World War I, people are still surprised to learn the extent of Jewish participation in the military.
A Matter of Faith: Ferrara Manuscript Outlines Orthodoxy and Heresy Between Jewish and Christian Traditions
A 17th-century Italian manuscript sheds light on an important example of Catholic book censorship in the modern age
