FOSTERING CROSS CULTURAL DIVERSITY, TOLERANCE, INCLUSION, AND UNDERSTANDING AROUND THE WORLD WITH AN EMPHASIS ON JEWISH HISTORY.
While working on our upcoming trip to France, I came across a wonderful resource that would be very helpful for any history buff.
The website is called “The Cultural Guide to Jewish Europe.” It was created in the 1990s by a group of historians and journalists with the goal of “leading the curious traveler to discover an unknown Europe.” The site is very easy to use: just click on the link
and then choose your country!
Happy discovering!
Irene
Learn more about Irene Shaland.
Mark Your Calendars: Irene’s Zoom Lecture on January 13th “Revealing the Secrets of Jewish History in Malta”
Dear friends, readers, followers,
Many of you asked if and when my presentation on Malta will be repeated. Yes, it will be! On Friday, January 13th, 2023, I will be presenting my Malta lecture via Zoom at the event hosted by a British educational organization Abraham Presentations.
The event is FREE and open to the public, but you will need a link to attend. Next week, the link will be available, and I will email it to all of you in a follow-up Newsletter.
If you are not on my Newsletter mailing list, please send me an email at [email protected], and I will forward you the link once it is available.
About the Presentation:
The Maltese Jewish narrative manifests a spellbinding trajectory still under the radar for most historians: from Israelites sailing there with Phoenicians three thousand years ago, to the first Jewish traveler, the Biblical Paul, arriving in Malta in the first century CE, through the dark times of Jewish slavery during the Knights of St. John’s rule in the 16th century, to today’s blossoming Jewish community.
This lecture is presented in commemoration of the approaching in two weeks (January 27th) 2023 Yom HaShoah, International Holocaust Memorial Day. HMD Trust in the UK which organizes, runs, and streams country-wide commemoration has announced its 2023 theme as “Ordinary People.”
And therefore, we will discuss today – within the detailed context of Maltese history – Gemilut Hasadim or the Unknown Acts of Loving Kindness during the Holocaust.
The tiny archipelago of Malta was the only country in the world during WWII that did not require entry visas, therefore – due to the Gemilut Hasadim of the non-Jewish Maltese – saving the lives of untold thousands of European refugees.
The lecture concludes with the Lessons Learned from the “acts of loving kindness” and Jewish stories in Malta and the Q&A.
Learn more about the presenter Irene Shaland.
Take a look at Irene Shaland’s Book “Shaland’s Jewish Travel Guide to Malta and Corsica.”
Virtual Lecture: Irene Shaland
Sunday, November 13th, 2022 7:00 PM EST Via Zoom
Hosted by Temple Emmanuel of Wakefield, MA
For more information and to register for this lecture, please email the Sisterhood President Susan Hochberg: [email protected]
Encounter Africa – a never-ending journey of mystery and discovery!
Join Irene Shaland, a Jewish historian, book author, and educator, as she leads us on a unique journey to Africa seen through the eyes of a Jewish explorer. As a writer focused on the past and present of Jewish communities around the world, Irene shares personal Jewish stories she discovered in Africa.
The mysterious continent of Africa remains one of the most enchanting and fascinating destinations for both Irene and her husband Alex, a travel writer and photographer.
Through Alex’s photographs and Irene’s story-telling, you will journey to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. You will meet Africa’s Big Five (five African animals most dangerous for a hunter on foot), visit the Nairobi Synagogue and its energetic community, go to a Masai Tribe village to learn Masai Old Testament-like legends, the Great Rift Valley (where life on Earth began) and follow the Great Migration in Kenya and Tanzania.
For more information and to register for this lecture, please email the Sisterhood President Susan Hochberg: [email protected]
Find out more About the Presenter
Find all Shalands’ books on Amazon:
Dear friends and followers,
Many of you know that we just spent 6 weeks crisscrossing Portugal and jumping to Madeira and Azores archipelagos. We explored in depth cultural and historical centers like Lisbon, Evora, Coimbra, Belmonte, and Porto, which also served as our bases for trips to towns like Guimarães and Guarda and a dozen or so enchanting small mountain villages saturated with rich history and Jewish stories. We met with many wonderful people on this trip who opened the doors to special museum and archival collections helping us to reach our objectives. And, just as importantly, we made new friends. So, why did we go to Portugal for so long?
Yes, you guessed it right: we were on the hunt for materials and photos for our next book “Shaland’s Jewish Travel Guide to Portugal.” This will be the second book in our Jewish Travel Guide series, following the “Shaland’s Jewish Travel Guide to Malta and Corsica” published last year and available at Amazon in the paperback and eBook formats: https://amzn.to/3nfjH9s
The writing and photo editing phase of the projects will start soon after our return from the Tiger Safari in India at the end of May. Stay tuned for updates!
Irene & Alex
The Jewish story of Corsica is not well known, and many are surprised to hear that the island has any to reveal. However, in 1763, Corsica was the first modern country to proclaim social and political equality for the Jews: 27 years ahead of the US and 28 years ahead of France. The history of the Jews in Corsica goes back at least a millennium. Reconstructing that history in its entirety what firmly comes across, is the welcoming Corsican heart, always open to those who seek refuge from cruelty and injustice. In addition, the island’s Jewish narrative reveals an irony of Omerta (mafia’s code of silence) that led many Corsicans to risk their lives in saving thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazi-occupied mainland France to escape deportation and death.
The Maltese Jewish narrative manifests a spellbinding trajectory still under-the-radar for most historians: from Israelites sailing there with Phoenicians three thousand years ago, to the first Jewish traveler, the Biblical Paul, arriving in Malta in the first century CE, through the dark times of Jewish slavery during the Knights of St. John’s rule in the 16th century, to today’s blossoming Jewish community. The tiny archipelago of Malta was the only country in the world during WWII that did not require entry visas, therefore saving the lives of untold thousands of European refugees.
The lecture concludes with the Lessons Learned from the “acts of loving kindness” and Jewish stories in Malta, Corsica, and Q&A.
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpcumtrzsvEtCPHeT7g7O57ZMhQ2GwaVuL
Date: January 30th, 2022
Time: 2:00 PM EST US/20:00 Italy/21:00 Israel
Hosted by the Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria and Synagogue Ner Tamid del Sud, Serrastretta, Italy
Presented by Irene Shaland
This virtual lecture is free and open to the public. No registration is required. To attend, click on the zoom link a few minutes before the starting time: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83848871371
The Jewish story of Corsica is not well known, and many are surprised to hear that the island has any to reveal. However, in 1763, Corsica was the first modern country to proclaim social and political equality for the Jews: 27 years ahead of the US and 28 years ahead of France. The history of the Jews in Corsica goes back at least a millennium. Reconstructing that history in its entirety what firmly comes across, is the welcoming Corsican heart, always open to those who seek refuge from cruelty and injustice. In addition, the island’s Jewish narrative reveals an irony of Omerta (mafia’s code of silence) that led many Corsicans to risk their lives in saving thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazi-occupied mainland France to escape deportation and death.
The Maltese Jewish narrative manifests a spellbinding trajectory still under-the-radar for most historians: from Israelites sailing there with Phoenicians three thousand years ago, to the first Jewish traveler, the Biblical Paul, arriving in Malta in the first century CE, through the dark times of Jewish slavery during the Knights of St. John’s rule in the 16th century, to today’s blossoming Jewish community. The tiny archipelago of Malta was the only country in the world during WWII that did not require entry visas, therefore saving the lives of untold thousands of European refugees.
The lecture concludes with the Lessons Learned from the “acts of loving kindness” and Jewish stories in Malta, Corsica, and Q&A.
Travel to Singapore, a small city-state and one of the unique destinations in Asia for Jewish history aficionados. Discover the little-known Jewish story composed of the amazing mosaic of cultures – Baghdadi, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Armenian, and Persian.
Continue reading “Jewish Mosaic of Singapore with Irene Shaland”
All quoted text and Images used with permission from the author, Rabbi Barbara Aiello.
“Discovering Rabbi Barbara and her book … turned a light on so many parts of my own family’s traditions, and opened my eyes to the anusim stories in my own grandparents from Calabria. I read it with tears the first time, and reread it with more tears, finding more details that I missed the first time. Thank you Rabbi Barbara! – Corbin”
Continue reading “Introducing Rabbi Barbara and Her Book: The Cat That Ate the Cannoli”
Excerpt from Irene Shaland’s book “The Dao of Being Jewish and Other Stories.”
Jews settled in Mumbai (Bombay) in the 18th century. First, the Baghdadi arrived in the 1730s. Then, the Bene Israel began migrating from the countryside into the city in the 1740s. Today, Mumbai has the largest Jewish community in India: 3,500 to 4,000 people, most of whom are the Bene Israel. We visited two of the city’s eight synagogues: Kenesseth Eliyahoo and Magen David. Both were built by the Sassons, the wealthiest family of the Baghdadi Jews. The elegant blue structure of the Magen David Synagogue was erected by David Sasson in 1861. Hanna and Eliyahoo were waiting for us inside.
Continue reading “Meeting the Jewish Community of Mumbai India”