Jewish Heritage Europe

Calendar

Apr
10
Sun
Reopening Plzen Great Synagogue @ Great Synagogu, Plzen
Apr 10 @ 17:00 – 20:00
Reopening Plzen Great Synagogue @ Great Synagogu, Plzen | Plzeňský kraj | Czechia

The official reopening ceremony of the Great synagogue in Plzen, Czech Republic, following  a three-year restoration of the synagogue interior and nearby Rabbi’s house. A permanent exhibition on Jewish monuments in the Pilsen region will be opened, in the women’s gallery. It is based on the photographs of Radovan Kodera.

A procession  will bring a Torah scroll  from the Old to the Great Synagogue and ceremoniously place it in the ark.

Following will be a ceremonial program with speeches by the Culture Minister, the head of the tiny local Jewish community, and others. A concert will feature compositions inspired by Jewish prayers, adapted for the occasion. 

 

 

 

Jan
12
Thu
The Architecture of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam @ Online
Jan 12 @ 12:00 – 13:00
The Architecture of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam @ Online

Dr. Pieter Vlaardingerbroek will present an illustrated talk live from Amsterdam on the architecture and interior of the 1675 Portuguese Synagogue (the Esnoga) in Amsterdam and the synagogue’s direct influence on the architecture of the 1763 Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island.

Pieter Vlaardingerbroek, Ph.D., is a leading expert on Dutch architecture and material culture. He is an architectural historian for the City of Amsterdam, having served in a similar position for the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. He is an Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Conservation at the University of Utrecht. Professor Vlaardingerbroek is the author of many articles and books and served as editor for the definitive volume on the Portuguese Sephardic synagogue, The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, published by the City of Amsterdam in 2013.

There is no fee to participate, but reservations are required to receive the Zoom login information.

Click to register.

 

Jan
24
Tue
Jewish Cultural Heritage in Slovakia (online) @ Online
Jan 24 @ 10:00 – 13:00

The eighth annual conference dedicated to Jewish cultural heritage in Slovakia, including major projects and activities — and the people behind them.

This year, a focus will be the restoration of the synagogue in Trenčín, which is implemented with the support of the EHP Grant (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) with co-financing from the state budget of the Slovak community and resources of the Jewish community.

The conference will be available online at https://www.facebook.com/zidianaslovensku and https://tachles.tv/

Program

 

Aug
4
Fri
𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 (The Echo of the Synagogues) @ various synagogues
Aug 4 – Aug 8 all-day

This festival features concerts in the synagogues of five towns in western Romania:

The repertoire includes new compositions by the violinist and virtuoso Alexander Bălănescu, who also will perform.

PROGRAM:

Bălănescu’s Quartet & Emanuel Pusztai 🎻🎶
🕍 Monday, September 4th, at 7 PM | Neolog Synagogue in Arad
🕍 Tuesday, September 5th, at 7 PM | Cetate Synagogue in Timișoara
𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐚̆𝐥𝐚̆𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮 (violin), 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 (violoncello) and Emanuel Pusztai (voice) 🎻🎶
🕍 Wednesday, September 6th, at 7 PM | Reșița’s Synagogue
🕍 Thursday, September 7th, at 5 PM | “Beit El” Synagogue in Caransebeș
🕍 Thursday, September 7th, at 8:30 PM | Neolog Synagogue in Lugoj
📌 Admission to the concerts is free, and no prior registration is required.
 
The festival is a project of the Pantograf Association, and a continuation of its previous programs  – Sound of Synagogues, Rhapsodies on Romanian Themes, and Synagogue Stories – “which aimed to document the stories of synagogues, raise awareness about the importance of these places of worship, and integrate them into a regional and national circuit by creating a connection between material and immaterial heritage.”
 
It is part of the national cultural programme “Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023” and is funded through the Grow Timișoara 2023 programme, implemented by the Center for Projects Timișoara, with funds allocated from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Culture. It also falls under the umbrella of the European Days of Jewish Culture (EDJC).
 
Arad, Romania. Inner dome of the Neolog Synagogue
Jan
23
Tue
“Religious Heritage and Minority Communities” @ online and Centre for Religion and Heritage of the University of Groningen
Jan 23 @ 13:15 – 18:15
“Religious Heritage and Minority  Communities” @ online and Centre for Religion and Heritage of the University of Groningen

The Centre for Religion and Heritage of the University of Groningen will host a half-day public symposium to launch the Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Heritage in Contemporary Europe. This event will also inaugurate a new European project on minority religious heritage.

The event takes place in person and also online.  Click HERE to register

The organizers state:

The Handbook provides a state-of-the-art guide by leading international scholars, policy makers and heritage practitioners. With 46 chapters, we cannot address all the contributions, thus we have chosen to concentrate on those which examine how religious communities are using their rich heritage to make new meanings for themselves in Europe. Our focus will be on Jewish, Muslim and Christian heritage. We want to think together about the challenges facing these communities, as they grapple with being Jewish or Muslim minorities in a historically Christian landscape, or with being a minority of practicing Christians in the highly secularized society, such as that of Northern Netherlands. Reflecting on these questions together with our Handbook authors will aid the start of a new project in the Erasmus Plus program called European Pathways to Minority Religious Heritage (Miretage). Over three years we are exploring how minority religious heritage can be taught as a co-creative activity between heritage institutions, creative organizations and minority communities. On hand to participate in the symposium are partners from Storytelling Center Amsterdam, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Moslim Archief Rotterdam, KU Leuven, Future for Religious

Click here to see the program for the January 23 event

 

Feb
12
Mon
Dutch National Holocaust Museum Opening @ National Holocaust Museum, Amsterdam
Feb 12 all-day
Dutch National Holocaust Museum Opening @ National Holocaust Museum, Amsterdam | Amsterdam | Noord-Holland | Netherlands

The new Dutch National Holocaust Museum will be officially opened March 10  by King Willem-Alexander at a ceremony attended by the prime minister and other VIPs. The king will also give a speech at a gathering in the nearby Portuguese Synagogue.

The museum then opens to the public on March 11, from 10 am-5 pm  (almost) daily.

The museum tells the story of the Nazi persecution and murder of the Jews of the Netherlands. 

This is the first and only museum to relate the history of the persecution of the Jews of the entire Netherlands. Including the day-to-day life of Jews on the eve of the Second World War, the liberation as Jews experienced it, and how the Holocaust has been treated in our national culture of remembrance: all this is examined in the museum.

The Museum is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam. Germany and Austria have contributed financially to the establishment of the museum.

(Photo: © Thijs Wolzak/National Holocaust Museum)

Mar
10
Sun
Dutch National Holocaust Museum Opening @ National Holocaust Museum, Amsterdam
Mar 10 all-day
Dutch National Holocaust Museum Opening @ National Holocaust Museum, Amsterdam | Amsterdam | Noord-Holland | Netherlands

The new Dutch National Holocaust Museum will be officially opened March 10  by King Willem-Alexander at a ceremony attended by the prime minister and other VIPs. The king will also give a speech at a gathering in the nearby Portuguese Synagogue.

The museum then opens to the public on March 11, from 10 am-5 pm  (almost) daily.

The museum tells the story of the Nazi persecution and murder of the Jews of the Netherlands. 

This is the first and only museum to relate the history of the persecution of the Jews of the entire Netherlands. Including the day-to-day life of Jews on the eve of the Second World War, the liberation as Jews experienced it, and how the Holocaust has been treated in our national culture of remembrance: all this is examined in the museum.

The Museum is part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam. Germany and Austria have contributed financially to the establishment of the museum.

(Photo: © Thijs Wolzak/National Holocaust Museum)

Mar
17
Sun
Jewish cemetery clean up @ Jewish cemetery Přistoupim, Czech Republic
Mar 17 @ 09:00 – 12:00

Jewish cemetery clean-up, organised by the oPŘISe, z. s. NGO

Work will entail removal of ivy from gravestones and other necessary activities. Bring your own tools (sickles, scissors, machetes). Men need to wear head covering. Refreshments will be provided. 

 

Mar
19
Tue
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec
Mar 19 @ 16:00
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec | Ústecký kraj | Czechia

After many decades, the synagogue and rabbinical house in Žatec will be ceremonially opened. Both monuments have undergone complete reconstruction in recent years and will now serve as a museum and cultural space.

The celebrations will include performances by the Žatec Occasional Choir and the Camerata children’s choir at the ZUŠ in Žatec.

Long empty and in deteriorating condition, the synagogue and rabbi’s house were bought in 2013 by  Daniel Černý, who from 2019 oversaw a full-scale renovation of the buildings that was completed in 2022. Most of the €2 million costs of the project were covered with grants from the state and the EU.

The rescue and restoration of the synagogue won the Patrimonium pro futuro Award in the Monument Protection category. 

NOTE: The  program on March 22 will begin at 5 p.m.

 

Mar
22
Fri
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec
Mar 22 @ 16:00
Official Opening of the restored Žatec Synagogue as a cultural space @ Synagogue in Zatec | Ústecký kraj | Czechia

After many decades, the synagogue and rabbinical house in Žatec will be ceremonially opened. Both monuments have undergone complete reconstruction in recent years and will now serve as a museum and cultural space.

The celebrations will include performances by the Žatec Occasional Choir and the Camerata children’s choir at the ZUŠ in Žatec.

Long empty and in deteriorating condition, the synagogue and rabbi’s house were bought in 2013 by  Daniel Černý, who from 2019 oversaw a full-scale renovation of the buildings that was completed in 2022. Most of the €2 million costs of the project were covered with grants from the state and the EU.

The rescue and restoration of the synagogue won the Patrimonium pro futuro Award in the Monument Protection category. 

NOTE: The  program on March 22 will begin at 5 p.m.

 

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