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The AEPJ is proud to announce the publication of the NOA Guidelines for Fostering Jewish Life, a key milestone within the NOA project (Networks Overcoming Antisemitism), co-funded by the European Union.
These Guidelines provide a constructive, forward-looking framework for municipalities, institutions, and civil society actors to actively support and promote Jewish life in Europe. Rather than focusing solely on security or the fight against antisemitism, the Guidelines invite stakeholders to embrace Jewish heritage and culture as essential components of a vibrant, diverse, and democratic Europe.
Developed through a participatory process involving surveys in 16 countries and contributions from across the Jewish ecosystem, the Guidelines are both practical and reflective. They offer actionable recommendations in areas such as cultural programming, urban planning, education, civic engagement, interreligious dialogue, and heritage protection—giving cities and stakeholders concrete tools to strengthen the presence and visibility of Jewish life in public space and policy.
The AEPJ recently took part in the mid-term partner meeting of the NOA (Networks Overcoming Antisemitism) project, held in Brussels. This significant gathering brought together the project’s core partners—including CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, the World Jewish Congress, the European Union of Jewish Students, and the AEPJ—to assess the project’s progress and strategically plan upcoming activities.
Supported by the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, the NOA project is dedicated to developing holistic, cross-sectoral strategies aimed at combating antisemitism and fostering vibrant Jewish life across Europe. With the initiative reaching its halfway mark, partners reviewed key achievements and established next steps.
A central focus of the discussions was the National Report Cards, a crucial component of the project offering country-specific analyses on the state of antisemitism and Jewish communal life, based on comprehensive data collection and stakeholder consultations.
Brussels, 2nd of April, 2025 – The AEPJ was proud to participate in the Civil Society Forum on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, held by the European Commission. Representing AEPJ were François Moyse, President of the association, and Sonja Viličić, Project Manager of the initiative Cities Embracing Jewish Heritage.
The Forum brought together institutions and civil society actors from across Europe, creating a much-needed space for dialogue, collaboration, and strategy-sharing in response to the growing challenges facing Jewish communities. It also served as an important platform for reinforcing the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism (2021–2030) and highlighting the importance of proactively supporting Jewish life in all its diversity.
During the event, AEPJ representatives presented the association’s ongoing work to promote Jewish heritage as a powerful tool for education, inclusion, and the fight against antisemitism.
The annual European Days of Jewish Culture Organisers & Coordinators Meeting, organized by the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ), concluded successfully in Barcelona on March 26, 2025, drawing more than 50 enthusiastic participants from across Europe. Over two days of vibrant sessions at the innovative Ca l’Alier venue in Barcelona’s Poblenou district, organizers shared insights, formed new partnerships, and prepared strategies for the upcoming 2025 festival.
The event began with a warm institutional welcome from AEPJ Director Victor Sorenssen and AEPJ General Secretary Assumpció Hosta, along with local representatives, including Sara Belbeida, Commissioner for Citizen Relations and Cultural and Religious Diversity of the Barcelona City Council, and leaders of Barcelona’s Jewish communities, Bryan Blacher (CIB.CAT)
The NextRoutes project continues its way, reaching the moment of testing the use of the gamification platform created specifically within the framework of the project. By means of the smartphone application generated, for now in demo format, the Cultural Routes participating in the project have the possibility of implementing self-guided tours through clue games, with a wide versatility, as it can be used in any space such as heritage sites, museums, urban or rural environments to mention some existing examples. The Gaming Labs, designed to test the demo, started in Barcelona last week, where groups of young people, university students of the history of Judaism in Spain, undertook a co-design process, mediated by a local expert, and then went on the tour, testing the knowledge of their classmates.
The European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ) proudly celebrates the well-deserved recognition of Valerie Bello, long-time National Coordinator of the European Days of Jewish Culture in the UK, who has been awarded the prestigious Heritage Hero Lifetime Award by The Heritage Alliance. The award, presented at the historic Tower of London on March 5, acknowledges over 25 years of dedicated service in promoting Jewish heritage across the UK.
Valerie has played a central role in the European Days of Jewish Culture, a festival coordinated by the AEPJ that unites communities across Europe to celebrate Jewish heritage through exhibitions, guided tours, concerts, and cultural programs. Through her tireless efforts, she has ensured that the UK’s participation in the festival remains vibrant and impactful, bringing together synagogues, Jewish organizations, and cultural institutions to open their doors to the public.
On February 27th, we took a major step forward with the first online information session for Cities Embracing Jewish Heritage! This inspiring meeting brought together 15 municipality representatives from 7 European countries, eager to explore how they can engage with Jewish heritage, foster inclusivity, and combat antisemitism through cultural initiatives.
During the session, participants were introduced to AEPJ, CAM, and the European Days of Jewish Culture, as well as the new Cities Embracing Jewish Heritage project, designed specifically to support municipalities and governmental institutions in celebrating and preserving their local Jewish history. The discussion was dynamic and full of ideas, with municipalities sharing potential event concepts and expressing enthusiasm about their role in this collective mission.
We are thrilled to have launched this initiative and are confident that this is just the beginning of a project that will continue to grow and make a lasting impact across Europe.
On January 19th and February 2nd the MiDorLeDor Alsace/Baden group held its third and fourth meetings in Offenburg and Strasbourg. The program, led by Françoise Elkouby, President of the Routes of Judaïsme Rhénan, and Christiane Walesch-Schneller, founder of the Blaues Haus in Breisach, involved about 30 participants from Germany and France.
The event in Offenburg began with a guided tour introducing the town’s Jewish history, including a specific activity at the medieval mikveh. This provided an opportunity to discuss the significance of the ritual of purification in Judaism, as well as the historical context of the medieval period.
On the other hand, Francine Mayran (Strasbourg) and Sandra Butch (Freiburg) presented their original and innovative approaches to transmitting the history of the Shoah to younger generations in school classes in both France and Germany, using methods such as the memory suitcase and graphic novels.
AEPJ Director Victor Sorenssen and Scientific Advisor Luca Baraldi recently took part in the 2024 International eConference on Holocaust Studies, organized by the Global Center for Religious Research and the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies. The event brought together scholars, educators, and cultural leaders to discuss the evolving role of Holocaust memory in shaping public opinion, countering disinformation, and strengthening social resilience. In a time of increasing polarization and the gradual disappearance of Holocaust witnesses, the need to rethink the way we preserve and transmit memory has never been more urgent.
Traditional approaches have focused on remembrance as a duty, emphasizing loss and moral imperatives. While essential, this approach risks limiting memory’s potential as a tool for action and innovation.