April 12, 2012 | 6:05 pm

Introducing Ruth Ellen Gruber

Posted by Ruth Ellen Gruber

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Ruth Ellen Gruber

The award-winning American writer Ruth Ellen Gruber has chronicled contemporary Jewish developments in Europe for more than two decades. As the author of National Geographic Jewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to Eastern Europe, she has roamed thousands of miles around Europe’s historic Jewish heartland to bring Jewish heritage to light for on-site explorers and armchair travelers alike. Her books include Virtually Jewish: Reinventing Jewish Culture in Europe and Upon the Doorposts of Thy House: Jewish Life in East-Central Europe, Yesterday and Today, and her articles have appeared in numerous publications.  She is the coordinator of the web site www.jewish-heritage-europe.eu—an online clearing house for information on Jewish monuments and heritage sites. Ruth’s current projects also include “Sauerkraut Cowboys, Indian Dreams: Imaginary Wild Wests in Contemporary Europe,” an exploration of the American frontier in the European imagination. Her awards and honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, and fellowships at the Hadassah Brandeis Institute and Autry National Center. In September 2011 Poland awarded her the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit, one of its highest awards to foreign citizens. Find out more at Ruth’s web site—www.ruthellengruber.com.