Gloria Abella Ballen
Finding Walter Benjamin in the Neue Galerie
... about Walter Benjamin and the perfect place, the Neue Galerie, where I found his book, The Story Teller: Tales out of Loneliness.
Traveling while Jewish
Ron Duncan Hart
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer
...to think of its aftermath, the sharp contrast between this celebration of life painted by Klimt and the Nazi wave of hatred that would destroy the Jewish life
Hidden in Plain Sight
Hidden in Plain Sight, Unearthing the Subterranean Mikveh of Ortigia, Sicily
Story and Photos by Lena S. Keslin “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the key to everything.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1816 My friend, Judith Zorzy, had been telling me about the beauty and history of Ortigia
Traveling while Jewish
A Jewish Community is Thriving in the “Land of Fire and Ice” and celebrating Chanukah
Story and photos by Jim Winnerman Is there a Jewish presence in the remote country of Iceland? For most people, the answer will invariably be that they have no idea, and then are surprised to learn that the island nation is in fact home to a small but thriving Jewish
Traveling while Jewish
From Mabel Dodge Luhan to Rosh Hashanah: An Unexpected Connection
by Corinne Joy Brown Creatives of every kind seem drawn to New Mexico, in part for the stimulation of the scenery and varied culture, and often, to connect with artistic communities that abound there. It’s well known that the “Land of Enchantment” is home to writers and visual artists
Traveling while Jewish
Hidden in Plain Sight, The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
Story and photographs by Lena S. Keslin April 22, 2025 There are times in our lives when an opportunity appears. We were invited to visit Spain on a Jewish Tour with Rabbi Howard Berman, a dear, lifelong friend, and some of his Boston congregation. I was excited because this trip
Food
People of the Artichoke: How a Scrubland Thistle Became a Culinary Icon By Claudette Sutton
The Jews of Rome perceive themselves as “the people of the artichoke, not just of the Shoah,” according to their Chief Rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni. I came upon this quote shortly after my husband and I returned from a two-week trip to Italy in December, when we indulged in fried
News Analysis
Latino Immigrants Today, Jewish Immigrants Back Then
By Judith Fein Photos by Paul Ross It started a few weeks ago in Santa Fe. The passport line snaked out the door of the post office and almost everyone on it was Latino or Hispanic and was accompanied by children. The people didn’t necessarily know each other but
Traveling while Jewish
Hidden in Plain Sight, The Old Jewish Cemetery on the Lido, one of the many islands of Venice, Italy
Story and Photos by Lena S. Keslin 1st place, New Mexico Press Women, and 3rd, National Federation of Press Women, 2025. Subsequently reprinted by HaLapid: Society of Crypto-Jewish Studies, across 4 color print pages. It’s interesting how some memories can stay with us for many years. In 1984 I
Traveling while Jewish
Trauma Tourism: A Guidebook to the Holocaust
by Edie Jarolim When I received my brown cardboard-encased review copy of the Holocaust: A Guide to Europe’s Sites, Memorials & Museums in the mail, I approached the package with a mix of curiosity and trepidation: curiosity because, as a guidebook author and editor, I was interested in the
Traveling while Jewish
Hidden In Plain Sight, Amsterdam
Story and Photos by Lena S. Keslin Just the name Amsterdam conjures up images of a quaint city with its picturesque canals and bridges. Each of the 17th century Dutch colonial homes is different from the next as they line the canals. There are narrow cobblestone streets with more bicycles
Traveling while Jewish
Looking for your ancestors? Let Judith Fein Show You How To Get the Real Story
By Norma Libman If you’ve ever wondered what life was like for your grandparents and great-grandparents, how they lived in the “old country,” as my grandmother used to call it, you really must read The Spoon From Minkowitz by Judith Fein. Yes, you can trace your genealogical history on