Abstract: In the wake of the Holocaust and the post-war reconstruction of Greece’s historic city centers, many Greek synagogues were demolished, abandoned, or appropriated, erasing centuries of Jewish architectural and communal presence. This study presents a thirty year-long research and documentation initiative aimed at preserving, recovering, and eventually digitally reconstructing these “lost” synagogues, both as individual buildings and within their urban context. Drawing on architectural surveys, archival research, oral histories, and previously unpublished materials, including the recently rediscovered Shemtov Samuel archive, the project grew through the use of technology. Beginning with in situ surveys in the early 1990s, it evolved into full-scale digitally enhanced architectural drawings that formed the basis for further digital exploration, 3D models, and virtual reality outputs. With the addition of these new tools to existing documentation, the project can restore architectural detail and cultural context with a high degree of fidelity, even in cases where only fragmentary evidence survives. These digital reconstructions have informed physical restoration efforts as well as public exhibitions, heritage education, and urban memory initiatives across Greece. By reintroducing “invisible” Jewish landmarks into contemporary consciousness, the study addresses the broader implications of post-war urban homogenization, the marginalization of minority heritage, and the ethical dimensions of digital preservation. This interdisciplinary approach, which bridges architectural history, digital humanities, urban studies, and cultural heritage, demonstrates the value of digital tools in reconstructing “lost” pasts and highlights the potential for similar projects in other regions facing comparable erasures.
Abstract: The research presented in this article was inspired by an interest in analyzing how antisemitism features in civic orientation courses for newly arrived immigrants in Sweden. In Sweden, as elsewhere in Europe, migration policies have changed in recent years emphasizing integration and adaptation to national norms and values, including ideals such as democracy, gender equality, freedom of speech, etc. One novel task assigned to the course organizers and the teachers (referred to as civic orientation communicators) is to address issues of antisemitism among immigrants. The data for this article have been generated through interviews with communicators and leaders of such course activities. Two research questions are explored: First, how antisemitism is interpreted by the interviewees, and, second, what experiences of encountering antisemitic expressions during courses they report. The data have been analysed using Thematic Analysis. The results show that a clear majority of the communicators holds a reductionistic interpretation of antisemitism, limiting it to specific historical events and violence against Jews, rather than viewing it as a type of discourse that is contemporary and continuously reproduced. It is argued that the reductionistic interpretation of antisemitism leads to a situation where antisemitic attitudes and comments are not perceived as antisemitic, nor responded to at an ideological level during the courses.
Abstract: The article examines the challenges of antisemitism-critical education in Germany in the aftermath of the events of October 7, 2023. It highlights how structural deficits, limited professional training, and the constraints of funding frameworks often leave educational practitioners unable to adequately identify or address antisemitism. Empirical evidence demonstrates that schools and youth welfare organizations frequently rely on repressive measures rather than dialogical approaches, which complicates the protection of Jewish students. The article outlines the theoretical foundations of antisemitism-critical education, differentiates it from preventive education paradigms, and discusses its implications for the German educational landscape. It further critically considers the dependence on project-based funding, the predominance of security-oriented logic, and the strong institutional focus on schools. Finally, it argues for an emancipatory approach to antisemitism-focused education in Germany, emphasizing multi-professional collaboration, structural reform, and the creation of learning environments that go beyond a purely preventive framework.
Abstract: Israel-related forms of antisemitism belong to the most widely distributed patterns of this hatred. Despite the broad covering of the Middle East conflict in the German public discourse, this subject is not prominently represented in the education system (teacher training, school books, etc.). To address teachers’ insecurities and make specific didactical offers, a range of pedagogical handouts has been published since the 2000s. However, the didactical characteristics and appropriateness of these materials have not been analyzed on a broader scale. This paper offers a rare documental focus, as it presents the results of work with a research corpus that includes 195 scenarios of civic education on the topics of the Middle East conflict and Israel-related antisemitism, for which the approach of Qualitative Content Analysis has been used. Based on this research, a typology of didactical approaches has been developed, taking into account didactical and content-related dimensions. This typology can be used to precisely identify and address currently existing lacunae in antisemitism-related education. In addition, this paper discusses the specific contributions of educational materials of each type to antisemitism prevention as well as their non-intended effects.
Abstract: This article explores how Holocaust education can be reimagined through the lens of Critical Theory—particularly the work of Theodor W. Adorno—in order to more effectively confront contemporary antisemitism. While Holocaust education is often invoked as a response to rising antisemitism, its actual impact in this regard remains contested. Drawing on Adorno’s reflections on antisemitism and education after Auschwitz, the article highlights both the emancipatory potential and the limitations of education. Central themes include the importance of early childhood education, the critique of ideology, and the tension between pedagogical aims and societal structures. The article proposes eleven impulses for rethinking Holocaust education, emphasizing, among other points, the need to turn toward the subject, the dangers of half-education (Halbbildung), and the importance of linking historical specificity with sociological insight. Rather than offering a prescriptive model, it outlines a conceptual framework that situates Holocaust education within a broader project of social critique and enlightenment. Ultimately, it argues that Holocaust education alone cannot prevent antisemitism, but can meaningfully contribute to resisting it.
Abstract: The synagogues that suffered the ravages of World War II in Central and Eastern Europe faced an uncertain future. A limited number managed to retain their original religious functions, while the majority were either neglected or repurposed for entirely different uses. In the last thirty years, numerous towns and cities have started to “rediscover” these buildings as vital components of local history and culture. With their original roles as pivotal religious, cultural, and social centres for Jewish communities inevitably diminished, issues of ownership, control, and authenticity have emerged. The ongoing debate about whether these structures represent “Jewish heritage” or a more expansive cultural heritage that encompasses local, national, and international dimensions remains unresolved. This study examines the situation in Bucharest, which once boasted a significant Jewish population that has since dwindled. Although many synagogues have been lost over time, four have recently been restored, showcasing their fascinating eclectic architectural styles. These buildings now serve a combination of religious, social, cultural, and museum functions, gradually reintegrating them into the city’s identity and practices. Nonetheless, challenges and disagreements emerge, within the Jewish community itself, regarding the management and representation of these sites, as well as their inclusion into the tourism dynamics.
Abstract: This chapter seeks to analyse the entanglement of exclusionist ideas in antisemitic and anti-feminist thought in Poland and Europe from the late nineteenth century to the present day. It will consider discriminatory politics, practices, and violence against women, Jews, and other groups that were perceived as ‘Other’, drawing on cases from Germany, Poland, and Hungary in a comparative approach. Since connections between exclusion, sexuality, and violence during the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries are currently undergoing reinterpretation, the chapter will also examine developments and examples of anti-gender ideology and right-wing populism in contemporary Poland and Europe and discuss the dangers such shared forms of ressentiment pose to democracy.
Abstract: Following the introduction of a religion question in the 2001 Census of England and Wales, and its inclusion in the two subsequent censuses of 2011 and 2021, multiple analyses have concluded that the strictly Orthodox Jewish population, known as haredim, has most likely been consistently and substantially undercounted on each occasion. Beyond technical concerns about enumeration accuracy, this is a pressing social problem since a high proportion of this community is young, lives in overcrowded conditions and is economically vulnerable. Previous attempts to investigate the nature of this suspected undercount have been focused on assessing missing individuals while assuming that haredi households have been enumerated accurately. Here, geographical information is used which takes advantage of the fact that, like many ethnic minority groups, the haredi population forms voluntary enclaves, presenting the possibility to directly compare detailed household counts at the postcode sector level held by the community, with equivalent data from the 2021 Census. In doing so, it is demonstrated that the assumption of accurate household enumeration is probably incorrect and that there is credible evidence to indicate that compared with community records, haredi households were undercounted by between 21% and 26% in the 2021 Census.
Abstract: Introduction
School-based vaccine programme delivery offers convenience to parents, and reduces the burden on primary care capacity. Vaccine coverage among school-age children is lower in Hackney (northeast London), and post-pandemic coverage recovery has been limited in Hackney compared to London and England. Hackney is home to the largest Orthodox Jewish (OJ) population in Europe where most children attend independent faith schools. This study aimed to assess (i): vaccine programme delivery gaps via independent OJ schools in Hackney; and (ii) the primary care catch-up and commissioning strategies undertaken to help close gaps.
Methods
Qualitative evaluations of national incident responses for poliovirus and measles tailored to underserved communities in northeast London (2022–24). Data consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews (n = 53) with public health professionals, healthcare practitioners, community partners, and OJ parents. Vaccine clinic visits (n = 11) were conducted in northeast London, affording additional (n = 43) focused and opportunistic interviews with OJ parents attending for catch-up.
Results
Evaluating the delivery of routine and outbreak vaccination campaigns to school-age children demonstrates that independent OJ schools in Hackney are a key programme delivery gap, directly impacting access to catch-up and routine adolescent programmes. OJ parents reported that they did not receive relevant vaccine programme information and invitations for school-age children via independent faith schools. Primary care-led outreach clinics were hosted to offer school-age immunisations to OJ adolescents, but did not offer HPV vaccines. Sub-commissioning community organisations to liaise with independent schools may be a strategy to help resolve this delivery gap, but would require responsibilities within school-age immunisation partnerships to be clearly assigned.
Conclusion
Limitations in vaccine programme delivery via independent faith schools in northeast London may play a role in suboptimal vaccination coverage. Programme gaps must be addressed to help ensure that every eligible child is invited for, and can access, routine vaccination via accessible pathways.
Abstract: This study explores the religious practices of the general Ukrainian population and the Jewish community, focussing on their role in fostering social identity and psychological resilience in contemporary Ukraine. It examines how religious rituals, as key sociocultural mechanisms, contribute to a collective sense of belonging and help individuals adapt to social and cultural disruptions, especially during national crises like the war in Ukraine. The article compared religious trends and the level of secularisation among European and Ukrainian Jews. Particular emphasis was placed on religious rituals in the context of social upheavals and national conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, where religion and rituals became a support for individual and collective psychological resilience. The sociocultural, psychological and spiritual aspects of rituals, as well as the impact on the formation of positive emotional and cognitive coping strategies, were studied. The application of Tajfel’s theories of social identity, Durkheim’s concept of rituals, and Bolby’s approaches to psychological resilience provided a deeper theoretical justification for the role of rituals in strengthening both individual and group resilience. Based on an interdisciplinary analysis, it was determined that religious rituals not only supported cultural continuity but also formed new models of social interaction and adaptation to modern challenges. The study has contributed to a broader understanding of the relationship between religious activity, social structure and psychological mechanisms of resilience, which was especially important in the context of current crisis events.
Abstract: After the Holocaust, in which 87 per cent of Greek Jewry was annihilated, communities confronted the challenge
of survival with limited resources. In many cases, synagogues and communal properties were sold and demolished
to support the surviving Jewish populations or to establish new institutions, such as the Jewish Museum of Greece.
This process illustrates a critical social dilemma: whether the continuity of community should be ensured through
the maintenance of living institutions or through the preservation of monuments as bearers of collective memory.
But what occurs when members of the community object to leadership decisions or challenge institutional
authority? This article examines the interplay between antisemitism and internal mechanisms of exclusion within
the Jewish communities in Greece, and how these dynamics shape both communal identity and the urban
landscape. Drawing on archival research and documentation of synagogues initiated by the author in 1993, it
highlights the tension between assimilation and self-preservation expressed both socially and spatially. Traditional
Jewish neighbourhoods, with their defensive layouts and gates, embodied a morphology of protection that
reinforced boundaries while becoming landmarks within historic city centres in cities such as Veroia, Komotini,
Kos, and Serres. The discussion situates the destruction and preservation of synagogues within broader patterns of
urban renewal, reconstruction, and transformation, where redevelopment often erases valuable cultural heritage,
and considers how such processes engage the voices that object to this erasure. Framed through the thought of
Ricœur, Arendt, and Levinas, the argument also emphasizes the moral responsibility of the researcher, alongside
that of community members, to act as a guardian of memory, recognising that the loss of monuments constitutes
both an urban and existential rupture, with implications for present and future generations.
Abstract: While Jewish immigration to the State of Israel is a key component of Zionist ideology, emigration has been discouraged and vilified. Yet, Israeli Jewish citizens have been leaving throughout. This paper chronicles the approaches of the State of Israel towards its citizen diaspora, which shifted from rejection to the realisation of Israelis abroad as a fait accompli, and a resource for the state. At the same time, it depicts the self-organisation of Israeli citizens abroad, and their on-going ties to the State of Israel, even if they are highly critical of it. To elaborate on this dialectic, the paper zooms in on Israeli citizens in Germany. In consequence, I argue that the secularised notion of the ‘love for the Jewish people’ (ahavat yisrael) can be extended to ahava be’ad ha’medinat yisrael (love for the State of Israel) in the present to conceptualise the on-going relationship of Israeli citizens abroad to Israel, and its implementation by the state.
Abstract: The pro-Gaza demonstrations that marked the summer of 2014 were trailed by a concern over the intensity of anti-Semitism among European Muslims and accusations of ‘double standards’ with regard to anti-Muslim racism. In the Netherlands, the debate featured a nexus between the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, freedom of speech and the limits of tolerance, which beckons a closer analysis. I argue that it indicates the place of the Holocaust in the European imaginary as one of a haunting, which is marked by a structure of dis/avowal. Prescriptive multicultural tolerance, which builds on Europe’s debt to the Holocaust and represents the culturalized response to racial inequalities, reiterates this structure of dis/avowal. It ensures that its normative framework of identity politics and equivalences, and the Holocaust, Jews and anti-Semitism which occupy a seminal place within it, supplies the dominant (and in the case of anti-Semitism, displaced) terms for the contestation of (disavowed) racialized structures of inequality. The dominance of the framework of identity politics as a channel for minority populations to express a sense of marginalization and disaffection with mainstream politics, however, risks culturalizing both the origins and the solutions to that marginalization. Especially when that sense of marginalization is filtered and expressed through the contestation of the primacy of the Holocaust memory, it enables the state, which embeds Jews retrogressively in the European project, to externalize racialized minorities on the basis of presumed cultural incompatibilities (including anti-Semitism, now externalized from the memory of Europe proper and attributed uniquely to the Other); to erase its historical and contemporary racisms; and to subject minority populations to disciplinary securitization. Moreover, it contributes to the obfuscation of the political, social and economic dynamics through which neo-liberal capitalism effects the hollowing out of the social contract and the resultant fragmentation of society (which the state then can attribute to ‘deficient’ minority cultures and values).
Abstract: This article addresses the themes of culture, identity, and trauma in a bilingual analysis between a German-speaking second-generation Holocaust survivor and an analyst of German descent. By paying attention to the shifts between German and English over the course of the therapy, it becomes possible to see how deeply language is intertwined with culture, history, and traumatic memory in the German–Jewish experience. Both patient and analyst are embedded in multiple cultural contexts and participate in language shifts that shape the process of negotiating and revealing identity. The article suggests that identity is neither fixed nor stable, but linked to the fluid and dynamic shifts of our experiences in the presence of the other person, and of language and culture in general. By focusing on the therapeutic interaction between the patient and analyst, the case demonstrates the degree to which the burden of history, struggle with trauma, and legacy of shame are all embedded in and determined by culture and history across contexts and generations.
Abstract: В статье рассматривается культовое поведение горских евреев, частотность соблюдения ими религиозных предписаний и правил иудаизма. Исследование культового поведения горских евреев с применением методики диагностики религиозности Ф.Н. Ильясова, где индикаторами выступают «вера» и «отношение к религиозной (атеистической) деятельности» позволяет классифицировать их как активных и пассивных. Проведенное исследование установило, что горские евреи по показателю участия в религиозной практике показывают поведение присущее типу «убежденно верующих», хотя по совокупности показателей имеет место и поведение характерное типам «колеблющихся», «неверующих» и «убежденно неверующих». При этом опрошенные горские евреи демонстрируют активность культового поведения, выражающаяся в посещении синагоги, тени религиозных текстов, молитве и соблюдении поста. Вместе с тем имеет место и определенная противоречивость между декларируемым горскими евреями религиозным поведением и реальным их культовым поведением. По результатам исследования установлено, что религиозный фактор выполняет ключевую роль в повседневной жизни горских евреев и независимо от мировоззренческих установок (убежденно верующий, верующий, колеблющийся, неверующий, убежденно неверующий) они ориентированы на соблюдение предписаний своей конфессии в семейно-брачной и похоронно-обрядовой сфере
Abstract: Drawing on thirty in-depth interviews with faith leaders in the UK (including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism), we examine the diverse ways religious groups reorient religious life during COVID-19. Analysing the shift to virtual and home-based worship, we show the creative ways religious communities altered their customs, rituals, and practices to fit a new virtual reality amidst rigid social distancing guidelines. This study offers a distinctive comparative perspective into religious creativity amidst acute social change, allowing us to showcase notable differences, especially in terms of the possibility to fully perform worship online. We found that whilst all faith communities faced the same challenge of ministering and supporting their communities online, some were able to deliver services and perform worship online but others, for theological reasons, could not offer communal prayer. These differences existed within each religion rather than across religious boundaries, representing intra-faith divergence at the same time as cross-faith convergence. This analysis allows us to go beyond common socio-religious categories of religion, while showcasing the diverse forms of religious life amidst COVID-19. This study also offers a diverse case study of the relationship between religions as well as between religion, state, and society amidst COVID-19.
Abstract: Based on interviews, the purpose of the article is to study how Roma and Jews experience everyday violations and hate crime and how the victims deal with this exposure. The victims’ narratives are analysed using, for example, theories and research on anti-Semitism, anti-Ziganism, everyday racism and power relations. During the post-war period Jews have largely been seen by the majority population as belonging to the white ”Swedishness”, while the Roma belong to one of many deeply despised minorities that often are exposed to everyday violations and hate crime. However, there is anti-Semitism in Sweden that in certain situations and circumstances is explicitly expressed in the form of abuse, threats or violence. The article describes and analyses how the victims of hate crime deal with this exposure and how the crimes affect them. Some Roma and Jews ”are forced” to live a kind of double life because they are afraid of being ”exposed” as a Roma or a Jew. For example, Jewish and Roma symbols are often spontaneously concealed. The damage that hate crime causes is spread beyond the individual to the victim’s entire group, a form of ”message crimes”. The consequences for the individual concerned can be very serious. Roma and Jewish groups as a whole can also be affected by the restrictions imposed on their lives.
Abstract: This special section explores the experiences of cohabitation and transnational migration routes of Jews from the Caucasus through the lens of anthropology, sociology, and social history. Focusing on underrepresented Jewish groups from Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the North Caucasus (Russian Federation), it suggests an innovative view on Jewish studies, the study of the Caucasus and Post-Soviet migration studies. The contributions challenge dominant narratives that subsume diverse Jewish identities from Georgia, Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus under the label “Russian Jews” and instead foreground the multi-layered entanglements of Jewish life in and beyond the Caucasus – as locals, minorities, and migrants in multi-religious and multi-ethnic settings. The special section papers reveal how Soviet secularism, post-Soviet nationalism, and global Jewish discourses intersect with local memory, of living together, religious practice, and belonging. By situating Caucasus Jews in broader debates on diversity, migration, and coloniality, this section calls for a rethinking Jewish studies beyond the taken-for granted binary formulas of Ashkenazi/Mizrahi or European/Non European frameworks.
Abstract: This article examines the impact of the 2023–2025 Israeli–Palestinian conflict—particularly the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack, subsequent war in Gaza, and the international public opinion reactions to those events—on Jewish community in Krakow, Poland. While pro-Palestinian protests in Poland were limited compared to those in Western countries, they marked an unprecedented local development, sparking debate within Jewish circles. Using Krakow as a case study, the article explores whether and how these events shifted discourse around Zionism, Israel, and Jewish identity. It employs discourse analysis, supplemented by comparative methodology, the study relies on the data from the semi-structured interviews, and analyses of the official statements and media report as well as the social media discourses. The article addresses two questions: (1) how and why did the Jewish community in Krakow respond to the escalation of the Middle East conflict and the subsequent events, particularly pro-Palestinian activism? (2) do the observed dynamics reflect global trends or local particularities?
