Get ready! The 2022 European Days of Jewish Culture officially kick off in little more than a month!
The official “start” date is — as usual — the first Sunday in September, September 4. But events under the EDJC umbrella are beginning to take place in August — and will last well into Autumn.
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, the over-arching theme is “Renewal,” with all its nuances and implications.
The EDJC is coordinated under the auspices of the AEPJ (European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage), in partnership with the National Library of Israel.
Check out the AEPJ web page for the EDJC to find events and national programs
JHE Director Ruth Ellen Gruber took part in the meeting in 1999 that established the EDJC. For the Day’s 20th anniversary, she wrote a “Have Your Say” 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