Brno's Villa Tugendhat closing in June for repairs

The Villa Tugendhat in Brno, a masterpiece of modernist design by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, will close at the beginning of June for much-needed restoration work that will last from  two to four years -- so see it while you can! 

The villa, listed since 2001 as a UNESCO site of world heritage, was built in 1929-1930 for a Jewish couple, Fritz and Greta Tugendhat, who managed to leave Czechoslovakia in 1938.

New Web Site for Jewish Heritage Travel in Romania/Hungary

There's a new web site for a company in Bucharest organizing Jewish heritage tours to Romania and Hungary. The site provides several good itineraries, as well as pictures.

Here's the link: www.jewishtourseurope.com

You can see photo galleries of Romania Jewish sites on my web site

Interview with me in The Forward

The Forward ran a Q and A interview with me on Feb. 6. In it, I discuss researching "national Geographic Jewish Heritage Travel" and the dramatic changes I found in the conditions of and attitudes toward Jewish heritage sites in the region since the first edition of the book came out in 1992.

Here's the link:

www.forward.com/articles/12617/