From the Jewish Heritage Travel Blog

The Gaon of Vilna

Since the venerable sage, born in 1720, is about to celebrate his 303rd birthday this April, here are just a few tales about one of European Judaism’s most influential figures.

Who gets the credit?

The survival of 50,000 Bulgarian Jews is something most of us have heard about, but who deserves the credit?

Whose is this song?

A haunting melody, Usküdara, Fel shara or Terk in America, is known everywhere. But where does it from?

The 1943 Rescue Of Denmark’s Jews: Danish Fishermen Ferry Survivors to Safe Shores

In October of 1943, an extraordinary rescue plan brought 7,000 of Denmark’s Jews to safety — a resistance and rescue mission that saved a majority of the country’s Jews from the Nazis.

500-year-old Sephardic Recipes Brought a Network of Cousins Together.

“We ate, that’s how we communicated.”

From Patras to Baltimore…

The pair raised their children in a tiny Jewish community with only 265 members — until WWII…

Jewish Refugees in Portugal

Learn about a little-known chapter of Jewish history from award-winning historian Marion Kaplan.

Discover New York’s First Jewish Settler

Some say New York's very first Jewish pioneer was Jacob Barsimon, in 1654. Find out more about New York's first Jew!

Curious about a classic NYC beverage?

The mysterious Egg Cream, which some say originated on the Lower East Side among Eastern European Jewish immigrants, somehow contains neither eggs nor cream.