videos + essays
The Gwoździec synagogue: the lost art of painted wooden synagogues
A glimpse of the lost art of painted wooden synagogues popularized among Eastern European Jewish communities in the 17th and 18th centuries
Bayt Farhi, a Jewish house in Damascus
Bayt Farhi, a Sephardic palace in Ottoman Damascus, helps us to learn about the complex history of Damascus's Jewish quarter and ongoing challenges with contemporary restorations
Unearthing New York’s history of slavery
The remains of thousands of enslaved New Yorkers lay below the streets, sidewalks, and towers of lower Manhattan
Ceremonial belt (Kwakwaka’wakw)
Learn about the complex history of a 19th-century Kwakwaka'wakw belt and its relationship to Kwakwaka'wakw cultural revitalization, World's Fairs, and photographic manipulation.
The Renaissance Synagogues of Venice
The original Ghetto, on a small Venetian island, hides Renaissance era synagogues of startling beauty.
Venice’s San Marco, a mosaic of spiritual treasure
Acts of sacred theft, Venice as a mosaic of treasures from afar.
Ancient Babylon: excavations, restorations and modern tourism
Invasion, reconstruction, and trafficking all threaten this biblical site—but even today, Iraqis regularly visit.
Seneca Village: the lost history of African Americans in New York
The long forgotten residents of Seneca Village were evicted to make way for Central Park.
Palmyra: the modern destruction of an ancient city
Terrorists overran Palmyra twice despite international cries for protection, sowing irreversible destruction.
Unearthing the Aztec past, the destruction of the Templo Mayor
The Spanish destroyed the main Aztec temple: an expression of spiritual and political conquest.
Voyage to the moai of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
These giant statues embody the ancients who first voyaged to Rapa Nui. Many were toppled; all lost their coral eyes.
