Jenna Gottlieb
Victor Urbancic conducts a makeshift orchestra in Reykjavik, Iceland, sometime after World War II. (Courtesy Árni Heimir Ingólfsson)
August 10, 2026, 8:42 pm
How 3 Jewish refugees from the Nazis built Iceland’s classical music scene from scratch
Iceland’s prime minister closed the borders to Jews — but three men who slipped in changed the country’s history.
By Jenna Gottlieb
A 9,000-square-foot Chabad center has opened in a former nightclub in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland. (Courtesy Beit Shvidler Jewish Center of Iceland)
July 9, 2026, 1:19 pm
Europe’s smallest Jewish community gets a home of its own
A Jewish center opens in Reykjavik.
By Jenna Gottlieb
A Hanukkah celebration in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland, drew the country's foreign minister, Dec. 14, 2025. (Courtesy Mushky Feldman)
December 20, 2025, 7:43 pm
In Reykjavik, Hanukkah offers a chance for Iceland’s tiny, isolated Jewish community to come together
Jews living in Iceland say politics over Israel and the local approach to religion often leave them feeling alone at the edge of the world.
By Jenna Gottlieb
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