Teacher blog

On an overcast afternoon not long ago, two friends and I found ourselves plodding to and fro amid a forest of crooked gravestones in the centuries-old Jewish cemetery in Bolekhiv, a small town in western Ukraine south of L'viv.We were on a sort of pilgrimage, methodically pushing through weeds and peering closely at eroding epitaphs, trying to find the tomb of a man we knew had been buried there more than 200 years earlier.Dov Ber Birkenthal, an intrepid wine merchant and Jewish community leader, had been born in Bolekhiv -- known in Polish as Bolechow -- i

Krakow, Poland's historic royal capital, lives and breathes historic memory.

Its magnificent main market Square, the Rynek Glowny, serves as a vast urban living room at the heart of a medieval Old Town that rivals that of Prague.

There, each hour on the hour, day and night, a trumpeter climbs to the top of St. Mary's Basilica and plays a fanfare that is cut off abruptly in mid-note to recall a trumpeter who was killed by invading Tartars while playing the very same call to arms in 1241.

Slovenia is a spectacular lozenge of territory smack in the heart of central Europe. 
From its Alpine peaks to its Adriatic beaches, from its mirrorlike lakes to its bustling baroque cities, it encompasses a wealth of natural beauty, fascinating folkways and deep-rooted history – all crammed into an area the size of Israel that is still enough off the beaten track to make a visit seem like a discovery.

In the 14 years since the Velvet Revolution toppled the old communist regime, Prague has become one of Europe's top travel destinations. But there is so much to see and do in that glorious, golden city, that the vast majority of visitors never get a chance to explore other parts of the Czech Republic.

On the one hand, this is a pity, for the country boasts an extraordinary wealth of historic sites and natural beauty, all within a few hours drive of the capital.

photo taken by Miroslav Petrasko, on January 29, 2002, CC licensing

TRNAVA, SLOVAKIA -- Slovakia lies in the heart of Europe and boasts magnificent scenery, gems of architecture, vivid folk traditions and as many as 300 spectacular castles, but it remains little known in the collective consciousness as a tourist destination.

photo taken by lifebeginsat50mm, on Fevruary 24, 2008, CC licensing

BIELSKO-BIALA, POLAND

Column published on 20.08.2009 -  ©: all pictures by Ruth Ellen Gruber (except where notified)

-- Before visiting Bielsko-Biala in southern Poland, I went online to check hotels. One of them, I found, was offering what it called a "Jewish Heritage Package."

photo taken by Frédérique Voisin-Demery, on November 5, 2012, CC licensing

adapted from The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews II by Edda Servi Machlin
(Giro Press 1992)
Yield: 12 servings

photo taken by Jules Morgan, on November 7, 2009, CC licensing

Adapted from Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lovers Treasury of Classics and Improvisations by Jayne Cohen (Wiley)

Yield: About 2 cups

photo taken by mharvey75, on April 3, 2008, CC licensing

Yield: 4 to 5 serving
Ingredients:
1 cup coarsely chopped half-sour or garlic-dill pickles
2 tablespoons liquid from pickle jar (include peppercorns and other flavorings, if desired)
3 tablespoons best-quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice

photo taken by artizone, on October 21, 2011, CC licensing

adapted from Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations by Jayne Cohen (Wiley, 2008)

Yield: About 24 fish dumplings