Margarita Gokun Silver

Walk Pyrgi’s narrow, medieval streets and you’ll see buildings, arches—even the undersides of balconies—etched with intricate, black-on-white, geometric patterns. Strings of cherry tomatoes and drying peppers sway above women who comb through leafy twigs with the concentration of diamond hunters. They’re searching for blobs of hardened white goo: mastic, the natural resin prized since antiquity for its aromatic and healing properties.
Pyrgi is one of 24 mastic-producing villages, or mastichoc...

Mauro Stoppa takes guests on tours of the Venetian Lagoon aboard his boat. He shows them a side of Venice that they normally would never see.

Head to Puglia to tour trulli, traditional dwellings with a fascinating history.

Although Germany is considered the birthplace of printing, it was the Venetian Republic that played a major role in its development.

The clothing of the Feestival de las Fallas in Valencia, Spain.

With sunny skies almost year-round, friendly locals and a reputation for buena vida — a good life — Madrid has a lot to offer a visitor. Whether you’re an art connoisseur, a history aficionado, a foodie or a shopaholic, Spain’s capital is teeming with choices that could impress even the most seasoned traveler.
Here are 10 things to put on your Madrid must-do list.

‘We keep our memories alive,’ said the mayor of Trikala, where a new memorial was recently unveiled.

To create entertainment out of tragedy is to demean, disregard, and forget the suffering of its victims.

PRAGUE (JTA) — A new Torah scroll is being used in this historic city by one of its two Reform Jewish congregations to welcome the High Holidays and the series of solemn and joyous celebrations that conclude with, what else, Simchat Torah — the rejoicing of the Torah.
But it’s really not a new scroll at all.
Originally a Czech scroll, the Torah has spent the last several decades at a Reform synagogue in London. How it got there — and how it made its way back to Prague — points to the continui...

When Yael Cobano, the President of the Comunidad Judía Reformista de Madrid (CJRM) or the Reform Jewish Community of Madrid, planned her congregation’s potluck Rosh Hashanah dinner last year, she focused on nine ingredients. Members were asked to bring dishes that contained any of the following: Apples, honey, leeks, beets, dates, beans, squash, pomegranate, and fish. Known as simanim, these ingredients are essential in conducting a Rosh Hashanah Seder – a meal rich in symbolism in which each...

A Torah travels from New York to Madrid.

A profile of a chef in Madrid, Spain.

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At first glance, Yoleni’s looks like an Athenian grocery store of a bygone era. You can taste cold cuts, cheeses and halvah before you buy; the feta is sold by the slice from a large slab preserved in salty brine; and there is a bakery and a fruit and vegetable section. But walk a few steps farther in, and you’ll realize this multi-floor food emporium in Kolonaki, an upscale neighborhood of Athens, is all about showcasing the gems of Greek gastronomy.
“I was thrilled every time I found ...

When most people think of fiestas in Spain, they likely imagine tomato throwing or the running of the bulls. But Spain’s 17 autonomous regions offer a variety of fascinating celebrations, each infused with the history and culture of that particular area. Here are a few to consider attending on your next visit to Spain.