FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN TO THE NORTHERN LIGHTS:
JEWISH JOURNEYS TOGETHER

Join Walnut Street Synagogue for a special four-part virtual series exploring Jewish life, history, and culture across diverse regions stretching from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. Through engaging presentations and vivid storytelling, we will journey to communities in Turkey, Finland, Norway, and Mallorca (Spain), discovering both the unique character and shared heritage of Jewish communities.   The series includes three live speaker presentations and one special program featuring both a film screening and guest speaker discussion. Together, these programs offer an opportunity to explore Jewish stories and traditions from the Mediterranean coast to the Nordic north.

 

Xueta Island Film Screening and Q&A with Filmmaker
Thursday, June 11, 12:00 pm ET

photos courtesy of Dani Rotstein

Xueta Island is a documentary film that explores Inquisition history, Jewish revival, and identity. Some Catholics on the Spanish island of Mallorca (Majorca) have been discriminated against for centuries because their surnames have a connection to a Jewish heritage. They not only endured stigma and humiliation: they were also deprived of fundamental rights as citizens. While a few have been inspired to return to the faith of their ancestors, their recent entry into the leadership of the local Jewish community has caused an unforeseen controversy among its members. Are they the best suited to lead Mallorquin Judaism despite not having practiced their faith for centuries? Join filmmaker Dani Rotstein on a Director Talkback after viewing the film that will be open for two days before the online discussion.
Dani Rotstein is a content producer, entrepreneur, and storyteller from New Jersey whose international media career led him to Mallorca in 2014. There, he uncovered the island’s little-known Jewish history, inspiring his co-direction of the documentary Xueta Island and sparking a mission to help revive Jewish memory in Spain. He founded Jewish Majorca, a travel company offering immersive Jewish heritage tours across Spain and Portugal. Dani also leads the Re-Emerge Project, a documentary series exploring emerging Jewish communities across Latin America. Through storytelling and travel, he connects past and present, one journey at a time.

 

Jewish Norway Tour
Thursday, July 9, 12:00 pm ET

photo courtesy of Louise Kahn

The Jewish presence in Norway began in the mid-19th century, after the repeal of the 1814 constitution’s “Jew Clause” in 1851 — a change driven by poet and activist Henrik Wergeland. Early Jewish settlers, many from Eastern Europe and Denmark, established communities in cities such as Trondheim and Oslo.  The Trondheim synagogue, once a train station, stands as a symbol of survival and adaptation. During the Holocaust, over a third of Norwegian Jews were deported and murdered, leaving deep scars on both cities’ communities. Post-war years saw a gradual rebuilding of Jewish life, balancing tradition with the realities of modern Norwegian society. Today, Trondheim and Oslo reflect a blend of resilience, migration, and living heritage.
Our guide,  Louise Kahn, is a Norwegian-born Jewish social entrepreneur, cultural organizer, and civic leader focused on strengthening Jewish identity and dialogue in Europe. Born and raised in Norway in a Jewish family with strong Zionist roots, she later moved to Israel, where she has been based since young adulthood.  Kahn is the founder of Kos & Kaos, a Nordic Jewish network that creates platforms for open conversation, intellectual exchange, and community-building around issues such as antisemitism, identity, and the public discourse surrounding Israel.  She is also the founder of Compass North, an initiative focused on connecting Nordic Jewish voices, fostering cross-border collaboration, and addressing contemporary challenges facing Jewish communities in Northern Europe. Through roundtables, debates, and cultural programming, her work aims to counter polarization and create space for nuanced, inclusive dialogue.  In parallel, Kahn works as a UX/UI designer and front-end developer, combining her tech background with her role as a public thinker and community builder. Her work sits at the intersection of identity, technology, and civic engagement, with a particular focus on amplifying underrepresented perspectives and strengthening Jewish communal resilience in Europe.

 

Jewish Izmir Tour
Thursday, August 13, 12:00 pm ET

photo courtesy of Jacob Hazan

Izmir’s Jewish community is small but vibrant, preserving traditions through religious and cultural activities. Jewish presence in Izmir dates back centuries, with a major influx of Sephardic Jews after the 1492 Spanish expulsion, shaping the city’s economy, culture, and intellectual landscape. A unique aspect of Jewish life in Turkey is the connection to Ladino, the historical language of Sephardic Jews. Though less spoken today, it remains a cultural link to the past. In this virtual tour, we will hear personal insights and historical perspectives on Jewish Izmir, guiding participants through its historic synagogues and exploring the community’s evolution, challenges, and unique traditions with visuals, stories, and interactive discussion.
Our presentation will be given by Jacob Ceki Hazan who was born and raised in Izmir, Turkey, and is now based in Sweden. Jacob is a Turkish-Italian Sephardic Jew with deep Mediterranean roots and a family network that spans the globe. Jacob who goes by “Ceki” was among the last graduates of the city’s final Jewish primary school. Though his native language is Turkish, he grew up surrounded by Ladino, French, English, Hebrew, and Portuguese, spoken by relatives who had emigrated from Izmir. After living in several countries, he returned and became an active figure in the Izmir Jewish community as a researcher and project developer. He led Despertar Izmir, an EU-funded Jewish heritage initiative, and manages the community’s website, izmirjcc.org.  His work centers on educational resource development and learning design for non-profit organizations across Europe, particularly in youth and adult education. Passionate about the power of books, videos, podcasts, and digital tools, he explores how these mediums can inspire meaningful learning experiences and how libraries can evolve to serve diverse communities.  Having lived in several countries, he is fascinated by how knowledge is created, shared, and preserved across cultures and generations.

 

Jewish Finland Tour
Thursday, September 17, 12:00 pm ET
Register here

photo courtesy of Beto Guzman

The Finnish Jewish community is a small but active community that encompasses a synagogue a Jewish school, Chabad house and sports activities by the only Maccabi in Europe that did not stop operating during World War II. Today the Finnish Union of Jewish Students is one of the most active ones in Northern Europe and has been recently awarded the prize of the Developing Union of the Year by the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). Finland is the northernmost Jewish community in Europe and its traditions and active Jewish life is as diverse and alive as in any big city elsewhere.  They might have long cold winters their community’s warmth will make up for it!
Beto Guzman, our guide, is originally from Mexico but has lived in Helsinki since 2015.  As an activist and community organizer, he has been working and volunteering in the Finnish Jewish community first as a Moishe House host and even starting the Finnish Union of Jewish Students.
Register here

 

From the Mediterranean to the Northern Lights: Jewish Journeys Together flyer

 

This series is made possible in part by a grant from the Congregation Ahabat Shalom Religious Fund.