The president of AEPJ Franรงois Moyse attended the Training Seminar for Enlarged Partial Agreement of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe National Stakeholdersย in Vilnius, on 19-20 June 2024, at the occasion of the (rotating ) presidency of Lithuania of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The European Routes of Jewish Heritage were presented as a successful example of a European Cultural Route. Indeed AEPJ and his president were specially mentioned to the audience by Mr Alfredas Jomantas , the Head of Division in the Department of Cultural Heritage, whom we commend for his tireless work.
It was an opportunity to visit the restored wooden synagogue of Ziezmariai, and find the AEPJ plaque that we had put there 20 years ago, when a delegation attended a seminar on Jewish Lithuania.
The AEPJ is set to host an Inspiring EDJC Session on Thursday, June 20th, at 16:00 CET. This online event will feature Luca Baraldi, an expert in cross-cultural analysis and strategic intelligence, who will explore the connection between last year’s festival theme, Memory, and this year’s focus, Family.
Paul Valรฉryโs profound assertion that “memory is the future of the past” will serve as a foundation for Baraldi’s discussion. The session aims to delve into the intricate relationship between social and individual memory, examining how collective and personal dimensions interact. Additionally, it will address the dynamic between the binding legacy of the past and the liberating opportunities of the future, emphasizing the responsibility of memory.
Baraldi will guide participants through an exploration of the active role memory plays in defining identities and how the family acts as a bridge between personal and social history.
The process began with an initial meeting involving the project consortium partners.
From June 4 to June 7, the latest edition of the Training Academy of the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes programme took place in Brindisi, a city in the Puglia region of Italy. This annual gathering of managers and technical teams of cultural routes attracted 100 representatives from 37 itineraries across 22 countries.
The European Association of Vie Francigene (AEVF) had the honor of organizing this event, in collaboration with the European Institue of Cultural Routes, which supported this international showcase at a symbolic location on the Via Francigena in southern Italy.
The opening ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including Mayor Giuseppe Marchionna, Director of the Tourism Department and AEVF Vice-President Aldo Patruno, President of the Italian National Tourism Agency Alessandra Priante, Maria Giusi Luprano of the Italian Ministry of Culture, and Stefano Dominioni, Director of the European Cultural Routes Institute in Luxembourg and Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Routes of the Council of Europe.
Barcelona, May 29, 2024ย โ The AEPJ has successfully launched the Mi Dor Le Dor Europe (MDLDE), project funded by the European Union under the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values โ Remembrance (CERV-2023-CITIZENS-REM) programme with a two-day kick-off meeting in Barcelona. This project, inspired by the successful Mi Dor Le Dor Poland and Mi Dor Le Dor Italy initiatives, aims to expand and adapt the innovative methodologies for Jewish heritage and culture education created by Taube Center for Jewish Life and Learning across various European countries, enriching the understanding and preservation of Jewish heritage. MDLDE seeks to engage participants from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Ukraine, fostering a European awareness of Jewish contribution to the society, history, and culture, training Jewish heritage educators on methodologies and resources to display a better connection between the Jewish heritage mediation and the European Routes of Jewish Heritage, in line with the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.
The City of Barcelona recently hosted the General Assembly of the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ), which took place from May 17-19. It coincides with the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Association, headquartered in Luxembourg.
Just prior to this meeting, a Strategic Meeting was held at Casa Adretโthe oldest habitable house in Barcelonaโs medieval Jewish quarterโ, in which the office of the AEPJ is located. Following a first such reflection process more than a decade ago, the Association had decided to enter a strategic planning exercise with a professional external consultant.
The strategic consultant Mr. Patrick Levy played a pivotal role in this process, conducting extensive interviews and surveys with dozens of the AEPJ stakeholders prior to the meeting.
Barcelona, Spain – The first partner meeting of the NOA 2 (Networks Overcoming Antisemitism) project marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing fight against antisemitism in Europe. Held over two days at Casa Adret, AEPJ’s headquarters in Barcelona, the meeting brought together consortium partners to strategize and plan the project’s next phase.
Led by CEJI, a Jewish contribution to an inclusive Europe, and joined by World Jewish Congress, the European Union of Jewish Students, and AEPJ, the consortium aims to ensure the future sustainability of the project. In this second part of the project, focus will be on developing two new National Report Cards, on developing pedagogical online resources, and deeply engaging in project dissemination and its objectives.
Santillana del Mar, Spain – The AEPJ actively participated in the III European Cultural Routes Managers Meeting organized by the Ministry of Culture of Spain. The event, held at the Altamira Museum on May 8th and 9th, focused on the theme “Mapping Europe’s Cultural Landscape: Collective Projects to Drive a Europe of Citizenship.”
With representatives from 24 certified routes across Spain, the meeting aimed to facilitate collaboration, share experiences, and address common challenges. Assumpciรณ Hosta, Secretary General of AEPJ, played a significant role in the discussions, emphasizing the importance of preserving Jewish heritage as a means of fostering inclusivity and understanding in Europe’s cultural mosaic.
The event provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange insights, best practices, and future strategies for enhancing the cultural routes’ impact on local economies, social inclusion, and sustainable tourism.
๐ Breda, the Netherlands โ ๐ต๐๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Last Tuesday, May 7th, took place in Breda, the Netherlands, the second transnational meeting of the NEXT Routes project, led by ย La Rotta dei Fenici โ Itinerario Culturale del Consiglio dโEuropa, in cooperation withย ATRIUM โ Architecture of the Totalitarian regimes of the XX Century in Europeโs Urban Memoryย route,ย The Routes of the Olive Tree, Mozart Ways, and theย Iron Age Danube Route, theย Breda University of Applied Sciencesย and Mobile Idea. With the Breda University of Applied Sciences as hosts, the route managers of the routes certified by the Council of Europe who participated in the working session presented the results of the working groups developed within our networks, for the codefinition of the training methodology for increasing the digital skills of the members of the cultural routes.