Jewish Travel Series

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF JAPAN
Sunday, December 11  |  7:30 PM
Jews have always, and continue to be, just a small group in Japan. This presentation will cover the early history of Jews in Japan from the mid 1500’s through today. Never have there been more than a few thousand Jews living in Japan, but the history has intersected with famous events in Japan, Asia, and the world.

Jerome (Jerry) Rosenberg has lived in Tokyo with his wife Marsha for over 45 years, first arriving in 1972 after graduating from Ohio State University. He has been an active member of the Jewish Community of Japan, serving as President for five years and a board member for 20 years. Before starting his own consulting company in 2001, he held a number of executive positions in foreign companies, including President of Christian Dior Cosmetics Japan and of Tumi Japan. Now retired from business, Jerry is AJC Asia Pacific Institute’s representative in Tokyo.

THE ANNE FRANK HOUSE IN AMSTERDAM
Sunday, January 29  |  1:00pm
Come join us on a virtual tour of the Secret Annex in the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam to examine the extraordinary life of Anne Frank and how her legacy continues to inspire young people today. Led by educators from the Anne Frank House this webinar will leave plenty of time for Q&A. Prior to the virtual tour please view the powerful documentary “The Short Life of Anne Frank” to prepare for the webinar.

Aaron Peterer has been working for the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam since 2002. Being Austrian he had the opportunity to do his civil service in the form of a memorial service for 14 months at the Anne Frank House. After completion of his service he continued working in the International Department of the Anne Frank House. Today he is a Project Manager in the Educational Projects Department. He has worked in Western, as well as in non-Western educational and cultural settings. He co-conceptualized the Free2choose-Create and Memory Walk film workshops, where students create debate films on human rights dilemmas and on memorialization. These educational projects are implemented all across the globe in cooperation with partner organizations. Aaron holds a degree in Comparative Arts and Media Studies from the Free University of Amsterdam.

THE OLD JEWISH QUARTER OF LONDON
Sunday, March 12,  |  1:00pm
With a host of colour slides to accompany his live commentary, join Stephen Burstin on his virtual tour of the fascinating Old Jewish Quarter in London’s famous East End. Explore with him the enthralling history and rich heritage of the Jewish community with interesting sights to behold and incredible stories of people and places to hear.
Discover why there was a staggering 156 synagogues in just two square miles of the East End; see the Jewish Soup Kitchen, lifesaver to thousands every day; the first Yiddish theatre in England, scene of a real life tragedy. Hear heart warming and heart breaking stories, from the hilarious spiel of traders in famous Petticoat Lane Market to the impoverished immigrants escaping East European oppression only to face wretched living conditions here and a life of toil in the notorious clothing sweatshops. You will also learn about the infamous Jewish Catwalk where unsuspecting Jewish immigrant girls were lured into a tragic life of prostitution. Meet colourful characters from the past including the real-life 19th century Fagin; England’s chief rabbi who told Russia: “DON’T let my people go!”; and the secret Jew who became the Queen’s physician. Stephen will even tell you about the amazing Jewish connection with the infamous Jack the Ripper. There’s lots more to see and hear on this fascinating virtual tour.

Stephen Burstin, of Jewish London Walking Tours, is a former national newspaper journalist who turned to conducting Jewish-themed tours 25 years ago. He spent three years in the eternal city of Rome where he took tours around the Jewish Ghetto, the Coliseum and other iconic sites before returning to his roots in the Jewish East End of London. He now conducts a repertoire of around 10 different tours ranging from London’s Old Jewish Quarter to the magnificent Hampton Court Palace with amazing Jewish connections too and his five virtual tours are based on five of his walking tours. www.jewishlondonwalkingtours.co.uk

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF YAD VASHEM IN JERUSALEM
Sunday, April 16  |  12:00pm

A LIVE WALKING TOUR OF JEWISH BERLIN
Sunday, May 21  |  12:30pm

We will follow the traces of Berlin’s Jewish community from its beginnings in the 17th century and up to our days. Having been in continuous existence for 351 years, it witnessed many of the dramatic changes that shaped the Jewish world as we know it – Reform Judaism, the Holocaust, emigration and immigration.

Yoav Sapir is 42 years old, was born in Israel and studied German-Jewish history in Jerusalem, Vienna and Berlin. He’s an active member in one of Berlin’s synagogue communities and has been guiding since 2009.

A LIVE WALKING TOUR OF JEWISH AMSTERDAM
Sunday, June 11  |  12:00pm

Virtual tour of Amsterdam’s former Jewish neighbourhood, the holocaust in Amsterdam and the story of Ian’s own family. This tour consists of a mix of stories of general history about Jewish people in the Netherlands, the Second World War in Amsterdam and its aftermath. Ian also tells stories of the almost disappeared Jewish working class, the former Jewish neighborhood and explain how his own family managed to survive the war. Furthermore he connects events in world history that explain how Jewish people came to live in Amsterdam and migrated further from there to the Americas. He also explain what Jewish people have to do with the “golden century” of the Dutch. The tour concludes at the recently opened Holocaust name monument. Ian’s wife Salomé will film him during the tour through the area.

Ian David Wagenhuis has been working as a tour guide for the past 25 years By also telling stories of his own family and the former poor Jewish working class, he tries to keep their memory alive. Ian was born in Amsterdam, but quickly after my family moved to Miami, Florida and later lived in Stamford, Connecticut. At the age of 6, he came back to the Netherlands and started to work in several TV, commercials and film productions in the Netherlands at the young age of 8. He did this type of work a lot until he was 18 years old. That is when he started travelling around the world and ended up living in Israel for a number of years. After Israel, he worked in Ireland for a while, until he settled in Brazil. In Brazil, he started the study anthropology, but eventually stopped to work on big tourism projects and helped to start up a weekly charter flight from the Netherlands to Brazil. He also set up a foundation that supported Indigenous people and small farmers, and started a reforestation project in the Atlantic Rainforest. After 8 years he came back from Brazil and started to work on a large project of Amsterdam’s City council where they try to reshape Amsterdam’s old city center, a.k.a the Red Light District.  

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