The European Commission may be considering a plan for an awards program to honour Jewish cultural heritage projects/activists

It appears that the European Commission  is looking into  a plan to set up an awards program that will honour Jewish cultural heritage projects.

In a brief statement made in a recent lengthy communication to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union entitled, ‘No place for hate, a Europe united against hatred’, the Commission said:

The Creative Europe programme breaks down barriers and combats stereotypes in European society and will put in place an action to support an award for an outstanding Jewish cultural heritage project to promote and expand understanding of Jewish cultural heritage.

Creative Europe is described a “the European Commission’s flagship programme to support the culture and audiovisual sectors” and has a budget of € 2.44 billion for 2021-2027. It “invests in actions that reinforce cultural diversity and respond to the needs and challenges of the cultural and creative sectors.”

No further details have emerged since the December 6 statement.

But the London-based Foundation for Jewish Heritage said “The idea to create such a scheme came about as a result of a proposal presented to the European Commission in October 2023 by the Foundation for Jewish Heritage. The concept behind the Foundation’s proposal is to recognise and celebrate volunteer heritage champions who have been making a significant contribution to Jewish cultural heritage preservation in Europe.”

Awards recognising Jewish heritage activists and their projects have long existed in local or national contexts in, for example, Poland, Slovakia, and Germany.