Jewish Geography

While there isn’t a synagogue at the North Pole (yet!), there has been, and there still is, a Jewish presence not far from the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.

Sweden is home to a significant Jewish community with a relatively recent history.

Turkey has an ancient, uninterrupted Jewish presence spanning millennia, with communities that once ranked among the largest and most influential in all of Jewish history.

Brazil has an ancient Jewish presence and was home to the first synagogue and rabbi in all of the Americas!

The ancient Jewish community of the Crimean Peninsula who adopted the language, lifestyle, and dress of their Tatar neighbors while remaining steadfast in Jewish belief and practice.

In the decades leading up to the revolution, Cuba was home to a diverse and flourishing Jewish community with everything needed to live a full Jewish life.

Invariably, we would give our new homeland a name from the Bible.

From Tsarist times through Communism to the modern era, Russia’s Jews have seen it all and not only survived but thrived.

Would you believe that it is a place where thousands reconnect with their Judaism?

Believe it or not, this island nation has been home to a vibrant Jewish community for over 150 years.

The community now lives in Israel and the U.S., where their unique language, Lishan Didan, is facing extinction.

Weathering centuries of pogroms, blood libels, Nazi massacres, and Soviet rule, the Jewish community of Ukraine has shown incredible resilience.

After Israel, nowhere on Earth has more Jewish life packed into one place than New York City.

Famous for its Torah scholarship and as the birthplace of the Chabad movement

While you may have heard of Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino, there are actually many other Jewish languages.

Learn about the Jewish villages of Troglodytes (“cave dwellers”) who lived in the frontier of Tripolitania.

Famous for its rolling green hills and colorful culture, Ireland has had a Jewish presence for centuries.

Have you visited any of them?

For hundreds of thousands of Jews of all types and stripes, it’s not just a dream—it’s home.

Santa Teresa is about as remote and exotic as you can possibly get.

Did you know that China has been home to Jewish communities for centuries?

Yemen was historically home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world.

This is the story of an antisemitic warlord, a brutal purge, and a tiny pocket of Jewish life in one of the least expected places on earth.

The findings revealed much more than just a building. They uncovered a glimpse into the lives of ancient Jews.

The UAE is home to a thriving Jewish community, featuring Chabad-sponsored synagogues, summer camps, abundant opportunities for Jewish education, and kosher restaurants.

Virtually cut off from other Jewish centers, the Mountain Jews developed their own way of life.

Once among Europe’s largest and most influential communities, rich with scholarship and synagogues.

A haven for Jews escaping religious persecution, Amsterdam was a center of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish life.

These terms will help you navigate basic Jewsh llife.

From the Western Wall to the mountains of Alaska, Jews grab the opportunity to do a mitzvah on the go.

A pogrom in the Americas, Jewish cowboys roaming the streets, and more facts you didn't know.

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.

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.

Before long, shouts of “Happy Chanukah” were ringing out, up and down Main Street.

Descendants of the first established Greek Jewish Community are known as Romaniotes. They were joined by Ladino-speaking Sephardim.

Neither Ashkenazim nor Sephardim, Rome’s Jews have a 2,000-year-old history, their own dialect, and a rich and ancient culture.

Learn about an ancient Jewish community that lives on in Israel, the U.S. and elsewhere…

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, our hearts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean Islands.

At times, they were welcomed, and at times, they were persecuted, but the Jewish presence remained throughout.

Among the cultures that make up the Jewish nation, the Jews from Germany occupy a special place.

Australia’s Jewish community is uniquely cohesive and traditional.

These songs can uplift the soul to profound heights.

Today Hungary is home to approximately 80,000 Jewish people, most of whom are native Hungarian Jews.

Take this quiz to see how well you know the Jewish community of the United Kingdom.

Jewish people have been living in Persia (roughly modern-day Iran) since the second part of the First Temple era.

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.

How much do you know about South African Jewry? Take this quiz to find out!