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Jewish Geography

10 Facts About Jewish Life in the UAE
The UAE is home to a thriving Jewish community, featuring Chabad-sponsored synagogues, summer camps, abundant opportunities for Jewish education, and kosher restaurants.
19 Facts About the “Mountain Jews”
Virtually cut off from other Jewish centers, the Mountain Jews developed their own way of life.
14 Facts About Jewish Amsterdam
A haven for Jews escaping religious persecution, Amsterdam was a center of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish life.
7 Mandarin Phrases for Jewish Visitors to Chinese-Speaking Communities
These terms will help you navigate basic Jewsh llife.
15 Amazing Tefillin Stands Around the World
From the Western Wall to the mountains of Alaska, Jews grab the opportunity to do a mitzvah on the go.
19 Facts about the Jews of Argentina
A pogrom in the Americas, Jewish cowboys roaming the streets, and more facts you didn't know.
Royal Neighbors and the Forward Arc of History
Instead of hiding in fear, as British Jewry would have done in past centuries, our congregation gathered to celebrate our heritage in confidence and joy.
14 Facts About the Historic Jewish Communities in Egypt
A century ago, there was a thriving Jewish community in Egypt, as there had been since before the Second Temple. Learn more about this unique Sephardic community that has all-but disappeared.
Our Life-Work in the Virgin Islands
Before long, shouts of “Happy Chanukah” were ringing out, up and down Main Street.
15 Facts About the Jews of Greece
Descendants of the first established Greek Jewish Community are known as Romaniotes. They were joined by Ladino-speaking Sephardim.
23 Facts About the Jews of Rome
Neither Ashkenazim nor Sephardim, Rome’s Jews have a 2,000-year-old history, their own dialect, and a rich and ancient culture.
14 Facts About Syrian Jews
Learn about an ancient Jewish community that lives on in Israel, the U.S. and elsewhere…
19 Facts About Moroccan Jews
At times, they were welcomed, and at times, they were persecuted, but the Jewish presence remained throughout.
15 Facts About Yekkes, the Jews of Germany
Among the cultures that make up the Jewish nation, the Jews from Germany occupy a special place.
17 Facts About Australian Jews
Australia’s Jewish community is uniquely cohesive and traditional.
9 Jewish Songs From Ukraine
These songs can uplift the soul to profound heights.
13 Facts About Hungarian Jews
Today Hungary is home to approximately 80,000 Jewish people, most of whom are native Hungarian Jews.
British Jewry Quiz
Take this quiz to see how well you know the Jewish community of the United Kingdom.
10 Facts About Persian Jews
Jewish people have been living in Persia (roughly modern-day Iran) since the second part of the First Temple era.
9 Facts About the Jews of Canada
The current Jewish population of Canada is estimated at almost 400,000, making it the fourth-largest in the world, after Israel, the US, and France.
Take the South Africa Jewry Quiz
How much do you know about South African Jewry? Take this quiz to find out!
What It’s Like to Warm Jewish Hearts in Siberia
Rabbi Yerachmiel Gorelik leads an active community of 3,000 in Tyumen
What It’s Like to Run the Chabad House on Tiny, Balmy Aruba
Rabbi Ahron and Chaya Blasberg spearhead the renaissance of Jewish life on a popular Caribbean isle
What It’s Like to Be the Only Rabbi on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast
Young rabbi returned to build Jewish community in area where he was raised
What It’s Like to Lead the Small Jewish Burial Society in San Diego
Rabbi Rafi Andrusier of San Diego talks about the local ‘chevra kadisha’
What It’s Like to Be a 12-Year-Old Chabad Girl in Wyoming
Chayale Mendelsohn celebrates her bat mitzvah with friends from near and far
What It’s Like to Be Jewish in Ghana
Oxford MBA talks about combining business and spiritual development in sub-Saharan Africa
What It’s Like to Be the Rabbi on the Beaches of Normandy 75 Years After D-Day
Writing a Torah scroll for soldiers, serving local Jews and touring the historic area with visitors
What It’s Like to Be a Rabbi in Romania
Celebrating 20 years of Chabad, where Judaism was decimated by Nazis and Communists
What It’s Like for a Child Refusenik to Be a Rabbi in the City He Left ‘Forever’
Family persecuted by Soviets, boy returns to lead Chabad House in St. Petersburg
What It’s Like to Be Ireland’s Only Rebbetzin
An interview with Chabad emissary Rifky Lent
What It’s Like to Be Jewish in Estonia
Eliyahu (Ilja) Šmorgun, Ph.D., is taking part in the nation’s Jewish renaissance
What It’s Like to Be a Rabbi in the Amazon Rainforest
Serving one of the most isolated Jewish communities in the world
What It’s Like to Be a Chabad Woman in Muslim-Majority Morocco
Chana and Rabbi Levi Banon have served the Jewish community in Casablanca for a decade
Take the Jewish Geography Quiz
How well do you know the Jewish world? Take this quiz and find out!
Can You Guess the Historic Jewish Names of These Cities?
To Jews, many of these places have their own names, different than those used by their non-Jewish neighbors.
In Venice, Witnessing Extraordinary Activities by (Not So) Ordinary People
Noah speaks softly, kindly, like an old friend, though we’ve never met before. Her words are interrupted every now and then, as she graciously greets the women who drop in to warm themselves with a hot cup of tea, a slice of kosher cake and the coziness of a Jewish home.
Travels with Chabad
In Search of Friends
Operation Exodus: The Chabad Effort That Saved 1,800 Iranian Jewish Children
Forty years after the Iranian Revolution, recalling an unlikely and unheralded story
Brrrrrr... It's Cold!
A story of Jewish life at ‑43° F
The moment they got off the airplane, a heavy snowfall began. They thought it was a blizzard, but it was just their first small taste of winter in Siberia.
A Jewish Photographer’s Journey through Europe
Personal blog and photographs document renewed Jewish faith and tradition in 21st century Europe.
Passover in Ukraine
A few days before Pesach 2011, I was part of a group of 30 yeshivah students who arrived at JFK Airport en route to Ukraine.
The Jews of Iran
The Jews of Iran have an incredibly long history that begins over 2,400 years ago and continues through today . . .
Building Bridges & Sukkahs of Understanding in Shanghai, China
On the morning of October 4, 1998, a determined Rabbi Shalom Greenberg woke up with only one thought on his mind—building a sukkah. He did not expect to get arrested, but that is nearly what happened...
Jews in the Land of the Waltz
Jewish Vienna
Before the war, there were more than 100 prayer houses and 60 synagogues and the Jewish population hovered around 200,000. More than 65,000 Jews perished, and today the Main or Central synagogue is the only historical synagogue remaining...and yet there are kosher restaurants, four Jewish schools, and you can get any products needed to live a Jewish life...
North to Alaska
There's lots of warmth in Alaska
I wondered who lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and the eclectic group at the Greenberg's Friday night table answered my question. People just like you and me.
The Jews of Cancun
The overall population of Cancun is approximately 450,000. There are an estimated 500 Jews representing 150 families living there and they are a diverse group.
The Ultimate Jewish Traveler
Jews have always been travelers; but no Jew ventured as far as Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman. The tall, graying, gentle professor of Aerospace Engineering left the planet, and ventured into space.
Munich Metamorphosis
I arrived at the Chabad House in Munich and its co-director Chanie Diskin's apartment on Thursday morning to the distinctive smell of gefilte fish simmering on the stove.
A Jewish Detective in Cyprus
Call me stubborn. Call me contrary. But I refuse to believe that there is anywhere in the world without a site or two of Jewish interest...
My Passover in Dnepropetrovsk
A Memorable Trip to the Rebbe's Childhood City
I was looking forward to what promised to be a new and fascinating experience. And Dnepropetrovsk isn't just any European city—it is the city where the Rebbe spent much of his childhood...
Living in Sderot
You don't think. You run. You have twenty seconds.
My European Speaking Tour
Join Chana Weisberg on a speaking tour through Europe. Five countries and eight cities in seven days--and passing through several more en route.
Jews Down Under
The first Jews to arrive were about 1,000 convicts, who landed on the Aussie shores between 1788 and 1852. Few of them were violent, and most were shoemakers, tailors, watchmakers, grooms, ostrich-feather manufacturers, silk-glove makers...
A Hike in Tanzania
Our group of twelve had come to Tanzania to tackle Mt. Meru, an extinct volcano that rises some 15,000 feet into the deep-blue African sky. We began this trip as individuals – but were to return as a single unit...
The Yiddles of Nova Scotia and the Titanic
"It's Sunday, and the cemetery is closed. The man who has the key is out of town." The rabbi paused for a moment and looked at me, "Would you be willing to jump the wall?"
Touring Israel With Kids
Climbing up Masada at dawn? Breathtaking. Placing notes between the cracks of the Kotel? Uplifting. Taking your family on a trek through the Jewish homeland? Priceless.
Taking Back Hebron
Finally, we were there! Amid a cluster of small buildings, the door of the bus opened and a man greeted us with a warm smile. It was Rabbi Danny Cohen, Chabad emissary to Hebron, who serves the soldiers with a strong yet gentle presence...
Jewish Warsaw
Sites and Stories you may not know about
Today there are about 25,000 Jews remaining in Poland. Some of the older Jews are passing on, and before they go, they tell their families for the first time that they are Jewish...
Berkeley Chabad House Revisited
Late Friday afternoon, the sun begins to set behind the San Francisco Bay…
Traveling in Kosher Style
Once upon a time, what I loved most about traveling was enjoying the local delicacies with abandon. For years after we became observant, traveling involved such huge sacrifices of pleasure and convenience that it almost wasn’t worth the effort.
Flight From Syria
The 5,000 Jews left in the country couldn’t get out, even with passports, and needed written permission just to travel from city to city.
Kosher Food in the Amazon Rainforest
Thanks to the Raichmans, we received special kosher meals, delivered to us by boat.
‘I Got Covid in Paris, a Rabbi Came to My Rescue’
Imagine arriving in a country where you don’t speak the language or know your way around, and contracting the latest strain of Covid. Who do you turn to?
‘We Were in Madrid, and Everything Was Stolen From Us’
A teenager tells how her desperate family got back home to Israel
Without Rabbi Goldstein and his family we would have been stuck in Spain and have a lot less trust and hope in humanity. I always wondered why Chabad does what they do, I now know exactly why.
Dancing to the Beat Undeterred in Nicaragua
Rabbi David and Chana decided to remain in the country until there were no more travelers that needed them, even though the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
What Is 770 Eastern Parkway?
What to Know About Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn
Sculptor Jacques Lipchitz’s Tuscan Villa Turned Jewish Summer Camp
Camp Gan Israel Italy began in 1959, and since 1976 has been held at the famed artist’s former home and studio