BARCELONA—April 28, 2023

The Regional Seminar “Echoes of Reflexivity” held in Barcelona, aimed to create a safe space for discussing the role that Barcelona should occupy in the fight against antisemitism. Organized by CEJI and KigA e.V. of the ENCATE network, the seminar also proposed to promote discussion on contemporary history, recognize obstacles and best practices from a transversal and intersectional perspective, and advance the fight against antisemitism in various sectors, including education. The seminar emphasized critical self-awareness and the diversity of voices that live, fight against antisemitism, and promote Jewish life at the regional level in Catalonia and Spain.

During the second panel of the seminar, Federico Szarfer, Project Manager at the AEPJ, presented the European Days of Jewish Culture (EDJC) as a best practice in the fight against antisemitism.

LUXEMBOURG—May 10, 2023

The AEPJ has taken the last step in the process of renewal of the Council of Europe certification for the European Route of Jewish Heritage, through the hearing that took place at the European Convention Center in Luxembourg in front of the representatives of the Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Cultural Routes. On behalf of the AEPJ, Claudia De Benedetti, member of the Board of the AEPJ, and Victor Sorenssen, its Director, presented the European Routes of Jewish Heritage.

The presentation focused on the management model of the route, the European network that forms the route, its members, as well as its values and perspectives for future work. This hearing represents the last step in the renewal of the certification.

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA — At a ceremony held on May 4th at the Museum of Jewish Culture in Bratislava, the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route, which includes more than 25 sites throughout the country, was formally incorporated into the European Jewish Heritage Route, certified by the Council of Europe. 

At the event, the President of the AEPJ, François Moyse, along with its Director, Victor Sorenssen, introduced the European network, the Cultural Routes program of the Council of Europe, and also reflected on the importance of this project, its potential, as well as the essential nature of cooperative work in the field of European Jewish heritage. 

Addressing the audience were the following figures involved in the preservation of Jewish culture and heritage: Director of the Museum of Jewish Culture, Michal Vaněk, as well as Maroš Borsky, Director of the Jewish Cultural Institute and the Jewish Community Museum in Bratislava, Founder and Coordinator of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route, represented in the AEPJ by the Jewish Heritage Foundation — Menorah.

On Friday, April 21, the AEPJ organized the first edition of the Mid-Term Incubator, which is an important stage in the development of the activities of the European Routes of Jewish Heritage (ERJH), as well as those actions developed in the frame of the recent ERJH Incubator in Izmir, Turkey. 27 professionals from the Cultural Routes of the ERJH actively participated in the meeting, as agents involved on the decision-making process regarding different topics related to ERJH project development.

The meeting, welcomed by AEPJ board member Claudia De Benedetti, consisted of several discussion groups based around the goals and values that the Cultural Routes of the ERJH are sharing and following as a list of criteria that any Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe ought to bear in mind, and more specifically, when working within the frame of Jewish heritage.

TURIN, ITALY — During the half holidays of Pesach, the President of the AEPJ, François Moyse paid a visit to Turin, Italy, at the warm invitation of AEPJ board member Claudia De Benedetti. Joined by AEPJ long-standing board member Annie Sacerdoti, they visited a few of the magnificent synagogues of the Italian region of Piedmont.

Since the beginning of the European Days of Jewish Heritage roughly 20 years ago, Piedmont has participated in the yearly practice of opening up the synagogues to the public.

For each synagogue visited, a person responsible for the building gave the group a tour and gave the necessary explanations on the synagogue and history of the Jewish community.

On the first day, the group was welcomed by several persons active in the Casale Monferrato synagogue.

Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, is a solemn day of commemoration for the six million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust. Observed annually on the 27th of Nissan in the Jewish calendar (usually in April or May), Yom HaShoah is a time for reflection and remembrance.