EDJC Organisers & Coordinators Meeting 2025
25th & 26th of March, 2025
Barcelona
On March 25–26, 2025, the European Days of Jewish Culture Organisers & Coordinators Meeting took place in beautiful Barcelona, Spain. This annual gathering brought together stakeholders from across Europe to connect, collaborate, and help shape the future of this extraordinary festival.
This year’s meeting focused on the 2025 theme, “People of the Book.” Through thought-provoking discussions and presentations by esteemed speakers, participants explored the theme’s deep connections to Jewish textual traditions, interfaith dialogue, and contemporary cultural contexts.
The programme featured:
- Strategic sessions on festival communication, branding, and planning
- Interactive workshops to develop practical skills in event planning and community engagement
- Networking opportunities to share experiences and best practices among organisers from all over Europe
Whether a long-time organiser or new to the EDJC, each participant brought meaningful contributions to the conversation and helped set the tone for this year’s festival.
Now, for those who could not attend, or who wish to revisit the sessions, we’re pleased to share that recordings of the presentations and discussions are now available online.
We thank all participants for their energy, insight, and commitment to building a more inclusive and vibrant Jewish cultural landscape across Europe.
Programme
9:00 – Registration
9:30 – Institutional welcome
Victor Sorenssen – AEPJ Director
Sara Belbeida – Commissioner for Citizen Relations and Cultural and Religious Diversity
Raymond Forado – CIB.CAT Barcelona Jewish Community President
Silvia Leida – ATID Barcelona Jewish Community President
Assumpció Hosta – AEPJ General Secretary
10:00 – Logistics of the meeting
Federico Szarfer – EDJC Project Manager
10:15 – EDJC Committee presentation
10:45 – Keynote Lecture: People of the Book and the power of preservation
Dina Eliezer – Rabbinic Library of Izmir Coordinator
11:30 – Coffee break
12:00 – European Heritage Days meets the European Days of Jewish Culture
Itana Prljevic – European Heritage Days Project Officer
12:30 – The Jewish Library
Olga Lempert – National Library of Israel Project Manager
13:30 – Lunch
14:30 – Panel: Jewish literature in the Spanish speaking world
Aurelio Major – Poet, Literary Translator and Editor
Valerie Miles – Writer, Editor and Literary Translator
David Aliaga – Writer, Editor and Jewish Contemporary Literature Specialist
Paul Sánchez Keighley – Journalist, Literary Translator and Middle East Specialist
15:30 – Coffee break
16:00 – Panel: Women and the Tanach: A personal perspective
Sonja Viličić – CEJH Project Manager
Rabbi Irene Muzás Calpe – ATID Barcelona Jewish Community
Olga Lempert – National Library of Israel Project Manager
Lena Rubenfeld – FestivALT artistic director
17:00 – Lecture: Intertwining Judaism and Islam: My inner path
Bilal Dídac P. Lagarriga – Writer, Editor and Journalist
18:00 – Poetry Open Mic
19:45 – Dinner
9:00 – Doors opening
9:30 – Logistics: How to participate in the EDJC 2025 and the Cities Embracing Jewish Heritage project.
Federico Szarfer – EDJC Project Manager
Sonja Viličić – CEJH Project Manager
10:00 – Parallel Workshops 1
A: Overcoming antisemitism through EDJC activities – NOA
Robin Sclafani – CEJI Executive Director
B: Art thinking: The game of synaesthesia
Gastón Lisak – Artist, Professor at Elisava
11:45 – Coffee break
12:00 – Parallel Workshops 2
A: How to make the most of the NLI exhibition?
Olga Lempert – National Library of Israel Project Manager
B: Rewriting the margins: Jewish memory, art & radical Storytelling
Lena Rubenfeld – FestivALT artistic director
13:30 – Lunch
14:30 – Pitch & Connect Session
15:30 – Networking: Open Space variation
16:30 – Closure
Watch the recordings of the sessions here:
Who can organise a EDJC activity?
Anyone! Whether you represent a Jewish community, a cultural association, a municipality or public institution, a museum or even an individual, you can organise an EDJC activity. To do so, we invite you to contact your local, regional or national coordinator to be included in their programme. Click here to see the list of coordinators. The AEPJ offers training, resources and support to any organisation, institution or individual who wishes to organise an activity that allows Jewish culture to be shared with the whole of society. See below for resources for the current issue.
What is an EDJC Coordinator?
The AEPJ has coordinated this event at European level since its beginnings in 1999, giving cohesion, visibility and relevance to the activities organised. But as the European territory is very large and the particularities and needs of each country may differ from the rest, there is the figure of the National, Regional or Local Coordinator who acts as a multiplier and ensures the implementation of the activities in the corresponding territory and through an extensive network of institutions and organisations.
If you want to become a coordinator, please contact us.