Today is the official kick-off of the 2022 European Days of Jewish Culture!
The general theme for this year’s EDJC is “Renewal” — with all its nuances and implications — and there are scores of events to choose from, in counties all over Europe: concerts, guided tours, lectures, performances, books presentations, exhibits, food-tastings…..
Many more events will be taking place in coming weeks — the EDJC will be celebrated in Italy, for example, on September 18 — with events in more than 100 localities up and down the peninsula.
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.
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 web page for the EDJC to find events and national programs
JHE’s Ruth Ellen Gruber took part in the meeting in Paris 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