When the mighty Titanic ocean liner sank 100 years ago this week, 18-year-old Jewish immigrant Leah Aks and her 10-month-old son, Philip, were on board. Passover had concluded the day before. On sailing day, Leah was pleased to find that the third class was not completely booked; she and Philip had a cabin to themselves. Leah was born in Warsaw,...

Just a few blocks southwest of the Topography of Terror, in the long shadow the museum figuratively casts, stands Daniel Libeskind's striking Jewish Museum Berlin. The 12-year-old structure was one of the outspoken architect's first designs to be built, though he was in his 50s by then. Severely angled, the building resembles a lightning bolt thrust across the terrain. Its...