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LENS B · PEOPLE & PLACES · THE PLACE CANON

204 places. Each one chosen.

A curated, sourced canon of cities, towns, neighborhoods, and heritage sites — with living and historical communities clearly distinguished.

204 of 204

Israel

16 places

The land at the center — ancient homeland, modern ingathering.

Eastern Europe

36 places

The heartland that became a memory and a diaspora.

Mediterranean & Balkans

25 places

Sephardi harbors and Ottoman port cities — from Salonika to Sarajevo.

Middle East & North Africa

38 places

Two and a half millennia of Jewish life in Arabic- and Persian-speaking lands.

Dubai

Living

United Arab Emirates · Middle East & North Africa · City

Hebrew (עברית, Ivrit)
~1,500 (2023 · estimate)· Country total
✦
what survives →

Central Asia & the Caucasus

8 places

Mountain and Silk-Road communities at the edge of empires.

Central & Western Europe

21 places

Emancipation and enlightenment, catastrophe and renewal.

Americas

39 places

The great-migration destinations — from New York Harbor to Buenos Aires.

Rest of world

21 places

The far edges of the diaspora — documented, dated, and honored.

Kaifeng

K'ai-feng synagogue ("Temple of Purity and Truth")
Living · since 960

China · Rest of world · City

Hebrew (עברית, Ivrit)
~2,500 (1850 · estimate)· City proper
✦
what survives →
Land geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m via world-atlas. Pins mark modern localities or representative regional anchors stored on Atlas place records, not historical borders and not reconstructed positions.
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This canon is curated, which means it has edges. If a place that holds your family's story isn't here yet, that's the edge of the research — help us extend it.

Suggest a place for the canon Reviewed 2026-07-30

204 places · 40 communities · every estimate dated