An internationally-published art and travel writer, educator, and lecturer, Irene has a life-long passion for travel with a higher purpose. Together with her husband-photographer Alex, Irene has visited over 60 countries. Her research trips result in numerous publications and series of educational lectures and slide-shows focused on various countries’ responses to Holocaust, Jewish history, little-known Jewish communities, origins of traditions and myths, sense of identity, and personal stories. Irene regularly presents to academic and lay audiences in universities, museums, libraries, synagogues, JCCs, and art galleries in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, and New York/New Jersey area.
Irene is the author of two books on the history of theater, drama, and intercultural interpretations. Her third book “The Dao of Being Jewish and Other Stories” has been published in January 2016. Irene’s over 25 articles dedicated to arts, theater, and cultural and historical travel have appeared in multiple journals both in print and online in the U.S., Canada, Kenya, and the U.K.
Irene holds a BA in Theater Journalism and Art History from St. Petersburg University (Russia), a Master’s Degree in English from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio), and a Master’s Degree in Information Sciences from Kent State University (Kent, Ohio). Irene and her husband, travel photographer Alex reside in Lyndhurst, Ohio.
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