A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe [Paperback]

Ben G. Frank (Author)

Book Description

Series: Travel Guide to Jewish Europe | Publication Date: October 1995

All-new chapters on the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland allow this updated book to combine practical travel information, intriguing stories, and an enlightening investigation into the Jewish contributions to European history. It is a perfect companion to those seeking their roots in Europe or for those traveling to the continent.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Frank, an extensive world traveler and authority on European Jewish travel, combines the elements of two genres, history and travel, into one neat package. The result is an informative historical account, past and present, of Jewish cultures and communities in Great Britain and western European countries, accompanied by lists of kosher restaurants, synagogues, schools, hotels, museums and other sites of former and present Jewish life. Destruction and migration of European Jewry did not begin and end during World War II. It has been ongoing for centuries. Much light is shed on this as well as on the numerous lasting contributions of European Jews to society. Much broader in scope and geographic territory than Ruth Gruber's Jewish Heritage Travel (3/15/92), which emphasizes eastern European countries and the Holocaust, this is recommended for general travel collections.
- Ann E. Cohen, Rochester P.L.,
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

World War II left many scars on the face of Europe and left its ugly mark on the Jewish people. Yet more than five decades later, an abundance of Jewish institutions and cultural activities still endure in a world that goes back more than two thousand years, Jewish Europe. A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe introduces readers to areas that survived the devastating effects of the war. It also guides first-time and experienced European travelers to local Jewish neighborhoods and historical sites. Kosher restaurants, historic synagogues, and ancient monuments are detailed. All new chapters on the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland allow this updated book to combine practical travel information, intriguing stories, and an enlightening investigation into the Jewish contributions to European history. It is a perfect companion to those seeking their roots in Europe or for those traveling to the continent searching for places where relatives and friends lived.

Ben G. Frank, a consultant to airlines and tourist offices, is president of The Frank Promotion Group, a company that specializes in obtaining radio and TV talk shows for authors, doctors, travel people, and business persons. He has traveled in Europe for more than sixteen years gathering information and visiting Jewish communities. A member of numerous international press organizations, including the Overseas Press Club and the American Jewish Public Relations Society, Frank has published articles in magazines and newspapers around the world. He has become known as one of the most noted travel writers on Jewish communities and culture. -- From the Publisher

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Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Pub Co Inc; 2nd edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565540379
• ISBN-13: 978-1565540378
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,304,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining background, poor resource, December 15, 2002

By 

J. Dickstein "Bibliophile and med student" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Travel Guide to Jewish Europe, A: Third Edition (Paperback)

I have now traveled extensively through Europe and toted Frank's guide with me everywhere. Whenever I reach a new country I enjoy reading his account of the history of Jews there, as well as what he has to say on major Jewish sites, architecture and the other facts he offers. However, as a listing of useful reference information such as telephone numbers, addresses, etc., it is woefully short.
Too many of his facts are simply out of date. He frequently gives the home phone number of rabbis and others connected with various synagogues rather than those of the shuls themselves. This can make it extremely difficult if not impossible to contact anyone on a Friday morning or afternoon before Shabbos. On the other hand, there are no personalized contacts - he never gives the information for a community liason, for instance, or anyone else who could be of assistance. He has no maps or other means of indicating how close or far things are from a central point or each other; just try and make it around Dublin with this guide and you'll find yourself miles out of town with no easy way back.
It frequently becomes clear in his writing that Ben Frank is rather lenient in his halacha. He recommends kosher-style restaurants without valid hashkachah while failing to mention many of those which do. Paris and London are endowed with fabulous Jewish communities and consequently dozens of kosher establishments, but one would never know it from his guide.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource, June 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Travel Guide to Jewish Europe, A: Third Edition (Paperback)

This book is filled with a wealth of information that every Jew traveling to Europe should have. It is an excellent resource guide with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses to help you plan your itinerary and get more information from European sources prior to your trip. I highly recommend this book.