Jewish cultural heritage, the challenge of education

On Monday 7 June, the cultural routes of the Council of Europe that are represented in Italy met in a virtual round table. Annie Sacerdoti, AEPJ board member and Vice President of Fondazione Beni Culturali ebraici in Italia (UCEI) participated in a day to share objectives, proposals and analyse strengths and weaknesses.

The meeting started with welcome and institutional greetings with Stefano Dominioni, Giuliana De Francesco and Eleonora Berti, organiser of the event. About twenty people represented the Cultural Routes and everyone presented his Itinerary. Annie Sacerdoti presented the Italian route part of the European Routes of Jewish Heritage powered by AEPJ. In Italy the Fondazione organised the Italian Route with a website with about 200 places of Jewish interest. Also the Mi Dor Le Dor project was presented.

The following is a translation of a press release sent out by UCEI – Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche Italiane

The inaugural online meeting of the Mi Dor Le Dor Europe educational heritage program took place on Sunday, June 6 with 16 participants from across Italy, and an international team of coordinators and educators.

Modeled on Mi Dor Le Dor Poland, a successful initiative created by the Taube Center for Jewish Life & Learning Foundation (2012-2016), Mi Dor Le Dor Italy serves as a platform for in-depth study and conversations with experts and practitioners about national and local Jewish heritage and how to transmit them. Innovative ways of addressing and interpreting Italian Jewish heritage will be explored and adapted for the needs of the communities and their Jewish educational institutions.

With the aim of learning about good practices in the field of dialogue and Jewish culture, the AEPJ invites you to be inspired by some of the leading organisations in this field. From now until the beginning of the festival on the first Sunday of September, we will offer you a series of free talks in which we will learn how to do dialogue in depth and with impact.

In this second session of Inspiring Dialogue, which will be held online on Thursday June 17th at 16h CET, you will have the opportunity to learn about the work of House of Religions – Dialogue of Cultures. The House of Religions – Dialogue of Cultures is unique in the world as a place that unifies eight religious communities as well as a space dedicated to the dialogue under one roof.

(Brussels, June 2) Major international Jewish organizations today presented recommendations to combat antisemitism and to foster Jewish life to the European Commission, ahead of the EU’s first-ever strategy to combat Jew-hatred.

The European Jewish Congress (EJC), the World Jewish Congress (WJC), B’nai B’rith International (BBI), the American Jewish Committee Transatlantic Institute (AJC-TAI), The European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ), the European Union for Progressive Judaism (EUPJ), B’nai B’rith Europe (BBE), and A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe (CEJI) agreed that the European Commission must respond to a dangerous spire in antisemitic attacks.

All the groups recognize and applaud persistent efforts in recent years to curb this age-old scourge and expect the European Commission to widen and deepen its work in the upcoming EU strategy, which was announced by European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas earlier this year.