The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major negative impact on museums, preservation work, and other organizations and initiatives concerned with religious heritage (including Jewish heritage). A just-published survey by the NGO Future for Religious Heritage (FRH) details four main areas an challenges for the future: Income and funding; staff; and digitalization.
The FRH conducted its survey, The Impact of Covid-19 on Religious Heritage Organizations, over the course of seven weeks this spring. There were 73 respondents from 21 countries — and almost all reported serious effects from COVID-19 measures, visible especially from mid-March.
The biggest challenges they faced was the loss of funding or other income, the transition to working remotely, and having to rapidly shift towards digitalisation without a sufficient skillset.
Digital activities proved to be useful tools for adapting to the new situation, but a real need for training was detected.
Here’s a summary of the FRH findings:
Emile Schrijver, the board chair of the Association of European Jewish Museums (AEJM), described these effects specifically on Jewish museums in an article on JHE earlier this month.
The FRH report showed how the stay-at-home COVID measures had led to a sharp increase in use of digital resources and online activities — from social media to online exhibits. (We have posted compilations of links to many such Jewish heritage digital initiatives.)
At the same time, however, it noted that more than 60 percent of responding religious heritage organizations felt in need of digital skills/development training. As a consequence, the FRH urged funding and training developing in this area:
The future of cultural heritage lies, not only within the physical world, but in the digital one as well, signalling the need for adequate support and funding for this adaptation.
Click here for a PDF of the FRH Survey Results
Click here for Emile Schrijver’s article on the COVID-19 impact on Jewish museums
Click here for our JHE online exhibit of Monika Krajewska’s paper cuts
Click here for our compilations of Jewish heritage digital resources