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Five Jewish Destinations Not To Be Missed
By Debra Roth Kane
1. Berlin, Germany
Painful history and the renaissance of Germany’s Jewish community are both on view in a visit to this striking capital city. There is a powerful Holocaust Memorial, dedicated in 2005. The Rykestrasse Synagogue, one of the few Jewish buildings in Berlin to survive Kristallnacht, has been beautifully renovated and reopened in 2007. The Jewish Museum offers moving insight into the changing experience of being Jewish in Germany.
2. Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau, Oswiecim, Poland
Perhaps the most difficult of trips to take, and certainly one you will never forget. As one blogger wrote, “I do this in honor of my grandparents…and in honor of all who perished.” You can also visit the site of Dachau Concentration Camp, which is less than an hour outside of Munich, Germany.
3. Great Synagogue of Florence or Tempio Maggiore, Florence, Italy
There are beautiful synagogues throughout Europe. This standout, completed in 1882, is notable for its gorgeous Moorish architecture and design. During World War II, Fascist troops used it as a vehicle garage, and when defeat was imminent attempted to destroy it; luckily the Italian resistance was able to defuse most of the explosives, resulting in limited damage. Of note, the Eutaw Place Temple in Baltimore’s Bolton Hill, former home of Congregation Oheb Shalom, was modeled after this synagogue.
4. The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas was founded in 1796. Jews have lived on the island for more than 300 years; Jewish painter Camille Pissarro was born there. The current building was erected in 1883, and as such is the oldest synagogue in continuous use under the American flag; services have been held there every Shabbat since 1833 except on September 15, 1995, when a devastating hurricane hit the island.
5. Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles
The Mikve Israel Synagogue was established in 1651 as a Sephardi Portuguese congregation, and the current building dates to 1732; it is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in the Western Hemisphere. One unusual feature of this synagogue and the one on St. Thomas are their sand floors, which legend says are meant to represent the desert where Moses and the Jews wandered for forty years.
