Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the annual European Days of Jewish Culture festival goes (partly) digital — it kicks off next Sunday (September 6) with an eight-hour online international program that includes a variety of virtual events including lectures, virtual tours, performances, documentaries, and more — from several countries and in several languages.
The program begins at 11:30 Central European Time and lasts until 19:30. It can be followed live on the Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram channels of the the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture (AEPJ), which coordinates the EDJC.
A pan-European festival of tourism and education centered on Jewish built heritage, the EDJC takes place each year in more than two dozen countries across the continent, and has become Europe’s most successful cross-border Jewish cultural initiative.
Aimed mainly at local people, it seeks to educate about the role of Jewish heritage, culture, and history in local, regional, and Europe-wide context, among other things in order to demystify the Jewish world and promote understanding.
Since its first edition more than two decades ago, the Day has evolved into “Days” of Jewish cultural and heritage activities that in some countries take place before and after the main date.
This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, on-site programming is more limited than usual, with the international virtual kick-off program Sunday highlighting other online content that will be part of events.
Still, there are also scores of guided tours and other on-site events in the participating countries.
Click here to see a drop-down menu of the national programs.
Somewhat ironically in a year when the pandemic has curtailing much travel, the unifying theme of the EDJC this year is “Jewish Journeys.”
As part of the virtual content, the National Library of Israel created an extensive online exhibit of material from its collections. Click here to access the exhibit.
EDJC organizers say that without a doubt, this year’s event is a special edition.
All the participating countries have been affected by the health crisis, and many of the participating institutions dedicated to Jewish heritage have experienced very difficult times in recent months, as their main source of funding, cultural tourism, has been one of the areas most affected by this crisis.
We are very proud of having found a great proactivity and enormous determination in all the institutions, which have seen the Festival as a challenge, which projects us in a different way of doing and enjoying culture, pushing us to refine and apply new resources and new possibilities.
It is worth mentioning that countries like Italy or Spain, the most affected by the COVID-19, will participate extensively in this year’s edition (Italy, more than 80 cities and Spain, more than 40), showing that Jewish culture is not only very present, but also shows a great resilience.
JHE Director Ruth Ellen Gruber took part in the meeting in 1999 that established the EDJC. Last year, for the Day’s 20th anniversary, she wrote an essay looking back on its two decades of development.
Click here to read her essay: Reflecting on the European Day of Jewish Culture, 20 Years On