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.

BARCELONA, SPAIN — On March 16, the WalkEUR project brought together experts and stakeholders from various organizations to discuss the challenges and opportunities of cooperation with Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The event was hosted at two historic venues in Barcelona: the Centre Cívic Pati Llimona, ceded by the City Council of Barcelona, and Casa Adret, the headquarters of the AEPJ and one of the oldest habitable houses in the city.

The event began with institutional speeches by Assumpció Hosta, AEPJ General Secretary, Xavier Marcé, Councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries of the city of Barcelona, and Miguel Ángel Martín Ramos, President of the Network of Routes of Charles V.

The project introductions were followed by a lively debate with experts on the importance of the Cultural Routes in promoting European cultural heritage.

AEPJ Director Victor Sorenssen exchanged at length this week with the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) regarding the role of the AEPJ.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement transcribed the interview as follows:

What is the mission of the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ)?

The European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ), an NGO created in 2004, is a network of European institutions — including public bodies, private foundations, federations of Jewish communities, and NGOs — that serves as a platform to develop cultural initiatives and educational programs to European Jewish sites. The AEPJ network acts as a channel for intercultural dialogue and promoting better knowledge and understanding of European history, creating awareness of cultural diversity, and strengthening European citizens’ cultural identity.

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, SPAIN — Organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain, in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia and the Concello de Catoira, in the City of Culture of Santiago de Compostela, this second meeting of Cultural Routes certified by the Council of Europe aimed at promoting greater knowledge between the professional coordinators of the certified routes with presence in the Spanish country.

Victor Sorenssen, director of the AEPJ, presented the paper Bringing Jewish heritage closer to citizens, challenge and opportunity, in the framework of which he dealt with the challenges that the European Routes of Jewish Heritage promotes the awareness of citizens in Europe to face anti-Semitism, recognising that the visibility of cultural expressions and Jewish legacy are a tool to face contemporary challenges of cultural diversity, racism and xenophobia, among others.