The Great Synagogue of Ploiesti, built in 1785

Romania is situated in the southeastern part of Central Europe and shares borders with Hungary to the northwest, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, the Black Sea and Ukraine to the southeast and to the north, and the Republic of Moldova to the east. Roughly the size of Oregon, Romania is the second largest country in the area, after Poland.

About a third of the country consists of the Carpathian Mountains (also known as the Transylvanian Alps). Another third is hills and plateaus, rich with orchards and vineyards. The final third is a fertile plain, largely devoted to agriculture. The Danube River runs through the country, from northwest to southeast, culminating in the Danube Delta and the Black Sea.

The first lady of Iceland, Dorrit Mussaieff, is from Israel

For nearly 1,100 years, Iceland had only one religion. It was a country without minorities. A poor society of farmers inhabited this isolated island. There were no towns or urban settlements. Losing their independence to Norwegian rule in the mid-13th century, then becoming a Danish colony in the 15th century, the inhabitants tried their best to survive under harsh conditions.

Natural catastrophes such as volcanic eruptions and soil erosion, followed by famines and plagues, made life difficult and the population was often on the brink of extinction.

Meeting at the home of Alice Sardell and Dr. Albert Harary: Marcos Zalta, Dr. Albert Harary, Alice Sardell, Congressman Wayne Owens A”H, Charles Cohen and Dr. Ben Zalta

As the Council for the Rescue of Syrian Jews approached the 17th anniversary of our successful rescue of our 4,500 brethren from Syria, I received a phone call from my sister who told me that she met a woman in synagogue who did not know why she was allowed to leave Syria in 1992. She had heard about an organization, but was too young to know the story.

Until now, I have not spoken publicly about our work for fear of recrimination against those few Jews who chose to remain in Syria. However, I believe that enough time has passed to allow us to begin to bring to light the story of the exodus of Syria’s Jewish community. Since 1948 with the establishment of the State of Israel, Syria’s Jewish community had been held as hostages living under Syria’s Secret Police and subject to arbitrary arrests and systematic torture.

Stockholm Synagogue

Christian IV was the first Danish king to establish connections with Jews. This happened because he needed a mintmaster to run the mint in the newly planned town of Glückstadt. In 1619, Albert Dionis was appointed to this post. Dionis, a Sephardic Jew, of Portuguese descent, had settled in Hamburg (in 1605) where he developed an extensive import-export business.

In 1622, King Christian IV invited Sephardic Jews from Amsterdam and Hamburg to settle in Glückstadt in the hope that this town would compete with Hamburg. To attract enterprising merchants with disposable capital, a large number of trading privileges, as well as freedom of religion, were offered. The privileges given to these Jews were broadened on several occasions until they obtained, among others, the right to trade freely in Denmark, and throughout the 17th century they provided luxury goods to the Danish court and arranged large loans for Danish kings.

Interior of the Tempio Maggiore in Rome, Italy

Images of history and conquest flashed through my mind on the long overnight train ride from Paris to Rome. Indeed, which empire was as strong and prominent as Rome? The Romans were the masters of infrastructure; they invented and built aqueducts, roads and bridges. Rome epitomized culture in the classical world, as their language, Latin, branched off into the modern languages that over one billion of the world’s population speak today (including English).

Politically and militarily, the Romans extended their control over all of Italy and eventually created an empire that stretched from England to North Africa and from the Atlantic Ocean to Arabia. I was about to get a glimpse of the most powerful nation in the ancient classical world.

Thailand, a 95% Buddhist country, has always been a nation that stood for religious tolerance. A number of Jews have made their home in Thailand over the years, and there is currently a thriving population, largely concentrated in Bangkok, the country’s capital.

History
Jewish settlers have always been welcomed in Thailand and free to practice their own customs. Spanish missionaries first reported the presence of Jewish merchants in Siam in 1601, in the Kingdom of Ayuthaya. These Jews were reported to have established a synagogue and to be living “zealous in the Law of Moses.”