In the face of claims that synagogues no longer remain in the smaller cities and towns of central, eastern, and southern Europe, authors/photographers Rivka and Ben-Zion Dorfman (retired Americans living in Jerusalem) went in search of these lost synagogues and found their remains — and often, to their delight, their magnificent renovations.

Through word and over 300 exquisite photographs, Synagogues Without Jews tells the colorful histories of over thirty Jewish communities — in Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, northern Italy, Greece, and the Czech and Slovak Republics — that thrived before World War II. It is filled with floor plans, elevations, full-color photographs, and descriptions of the synagogues that were the pride and joy of their congregations. And there are stories of people — of Jews of the past who helped their communities flourish, and of Jews of the present who remain, safeguarding their beloved synagogues and passing their memories on to the next generation.

Audio webcast interview with the Dorfmans (authors/photographers) Preface to the book — selection Three abridged selections from Synagogues Without Jews:    Dubrovnik    Polná    Rhodes

 

	About the authors and their projects: www.eng.bgu.ac.il/sar Eric Silver, "Old Shuls Never Die," The Jerusalem Report.
	Rivka and Ben-Zion Dorfman, Synagogues Without Jews (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2000)