Jewish life in Klaipeda

The Jews are an integral part of the history of Central and Eastern European countries and cities. Here, in Klaipėda (in the historical Memel region), on the initiative of Rabbi Isaak Ruelf, the ideas of Zionism spread, and here David Wolfsohn, the creator of the prototype of the Israeli flag, studied. A joint German-Jewish effort in Klaipėda launched industrial amber mining, which introduced the world to 50-million-year-old Baltic amber. Before World War II, Klaipėda was also home to Dorothy Bohm, who later became a famous British photographer. Meet your guide and walk to the ruins of the old Klaipeda castle surrounded by moats, which was built in Klaipeda in the 13th century. You will learn the history of the city and the Jewish settlement here. Then proceed to Klaipeda synagogue located near the Jewish Cemetery.  The Synagogue of Klaipeda is one of the few examples of how a small Jewish community can recover from devastating events.  During the Soviet occupation, the whole territory