Irene Shaland standing at Cape of Good Hope, South AfricaIrene Shaland is an internationally-published art and travel writer, educator, and lecturer. She focuses on the rich tapestry of global Jewish experiences, culture, and heritage. Irene writes and lectures on various countries’ responses to the Holocaust. A member of the international Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies, she is a regular presenter at the Society’s annual conferences and contributor to its HaLapid academic journal.  Irene is a contributing author and lecturer at such academic institutions as Siegal College of Jewish Studies and Touro Law School of New York; museums and cultural institutions, like the Center for Jewish History Research/American Sephardic Federation in New York and Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Cleveland.

Irene Shaland is the author of four books, including her recently published  “Shaland’s Jewish Travel Guide to Malta and Corsica” and “The Dao of Being Jewish and Other Stories” and numerous magazine articles on Jewish history and cultural travel published in such American, Canadian, and U.K magazines as Baltimore Jewish Times, Boston Forward, Chicago Jewish News, The Jewish Journal of Greater Boston, Cleveland Jewish News, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Detroit Jews News, Hackwriters Literary Online UK magazine, Holiday Magazine – France/UK, IMAGE Magazine, Jewish Journal of San Antonio, Jewish Life Magazine, Jewish Montreal, L’Chaim Magazine of the Intermountain Jewish News, London Jewish Telegraph, Los Angele Jewish Times, The Lotus, Montreal Jewish Magazine, Northern Ohio Life, Orange County Jewish Life, Jewish Chronicle – Pittsburgh, ROMAR Travel, San Diego Jewish Journal, Shelanu – Kenya, Sino-Judaica Institute Academic Magazine, Theater Journal, Tikkun Magazine, Toronto Jewish Tribune, Washington Jewish Week, ZEEK Magazine, and 5 Towns Jewish Times.

Irene holds a BA in Journalism and Art History from St. Petersburg University (Russia), a Master’s Degree in English from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio), and a Master’s Degree in Information Sciences from Kent State University (Kent, Ohio). Irene and her husband, travel photographer Alex reside in Lyndhurst, Ohio.

Irene is the author of two books on the history of theater, drama, and intercultural interpretations. Her book Tennessee Williams on the Soviet Stage is available at Amazon, Google Play Books, and other book venues.

Her third book The Dao of Being Jewish and Other Stories was published in January, 2016. Paperback, Large Print, and eBook editions are available at Amazon, Google Play Books, and other book venues.

Irene Shaland book Shaland’s Jewish Travel Guide to Malta and Corsica was released in Paperback and eBook formats in 2021  available at Amazon, Google Play Books, and other book venues.

Shaland’s Lisbon: An Illustrated Guide to Jewish History and Sites in and around Lisbon was released in 2023. Paperback and eBook editions are available at Amazon.

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Book cover of Shaland's Jewish Travel Guide to Malta and Corsica Book cover of Shaland's Jewish Travel Guide to Malta and Corsica

 

Drawing on extensive academic research and personal experiences during her extended stay in Portugal, Irene Shaland paints a vivid picture of the Sephardic Jewish experience in Iberia from Antiquity through modern times. This captivating narrative, accompanied by full-color photographs, will keep you turning pages.


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This book is full of Jewish survival stories and fascinating tales. It shines the light on the history of Jewish communities in ten countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Irene Shaland collected these fascinating stories while visiting ten countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa and interviewing the locals in their homes, synagogues, and even cemeteries. Now, Irene Shaland’s book, replete with her husband’s photos, takes you on your own exciting journey of discovery from Austria and the Czech Republic to Scandinavia, from India and China to Sicily and Sardinia, and from East Africa to Stalinist Russia.