European Days of Jewish Culture 2020: Jewish Journeys
Date: Sunday September 6th, 2020. However, in several countries events and activities are being planned before and after this date.
Select the country you are interested in from the drop-down menu above to see the details of the different activities.
Information for national coordinators and participating institutions
Materials & resources
We put at your disposal a series of materials to help you develop your activities. You can download an editable version of the poster and banner, as well as an exhibition developed by the National Library of Israel that you can translate and print for your events.
This year, in order to properly monitor the use of these resources, we ask you to request the materials you need using this form:
Submit your events
In order to promote your events at a European level, we would love to be able to list them all on the EDJC website. They will appear, as usual, ordered by country, city and/or date.
To do so, we invite you to provide us with information about your activities by filling in the form below before the 6th of September. In case you have several events you can fill in the form as many times as necessary.
Online kick-off
This year, in order to integrate the whole festival and as a way to launch the EDJC, we will broadcast a streaming on September 6th in which there will be different conferences on the subject that concerns us. We would like to give you the opportunity to be part of this online conference in two ways:
1. Institutional greetings. We invite you to record a short video, maximum 15 seconds in horizontal format, saying this phrase (or a similar one):
"Join us on the journey of the European Days of Jewish Culture 2020, from [name of the institution] from [your city, your country]"
2. Provide us with documentary videos about your heritage of up to 15 minutes in length. Ideally in English or with English subtitles. They will be broadcast during the day and will then be available to the public.
Both materials can be sent to Federico Szarfer by writing to edjc@jewisheritage.org before August 15th.
Journeys are a big part of the Jewish story. Since the Exile from the Land of Israel in AD70, Jews have moved through and lived in different lands in search of religious tolerance and economic opportunity.
Arrivals in different parts of Europe led to the creation of the two main cultural and ethnic strands of the Jewish people: Muslim Spain (Sepharad) and the Rhineland (Ashkenaz) emerged as leading Jewish centers in the tenth century. Even as the Jewish communities flourished, persecution, invasions and inquisitions led to more departures and new beginnings.
Merchants and traders have also moved between cultures and acted as conduit and connector between different communities. Cities that were centers for trade and commerce have a rich and diverse Jewish heritage (Venice, Livorno, Amsterdam, Constantinople, Salonika) as different communities came together with a common goal.
Pilgrimages to the Land of Israel and later, the State of Israel, is another journey taken by Jews – from individuals and groups who made their way to Israel in the Middle Ages to the immigration to the Land of Israel in the aftermath of World War II in the face of the British Mandate’s immigration restrictions. The movement of Jews after the breakdown of the Soviet Union once again changed the Jewish map in Europe and transformed the population of Israel.
Jewish life and the culture of the communities where they found shelter came together in a sort of fusion as the Jews adapted to and adopted local customs creating a constantly evolving and enriched mosaic of Jewish customs, traditions and languages (See the NLI’s 2016 Jewish Languages exhibition).
In addition to journeys taken due to persecution or religious intolerance, throughout the centuries, Jews have also journeyed to pay homage to religious leaders. Jewish journeys can also be viewed in the spiritual sense – the rise of different movements within the faith - Sabbataism, Hassidism, Secularism - have influenced Jewish communities and the way they interact and coexist. There are religious practices relating to journeys including prayers recited as journeys are begun, and blessings after safe arrivals. Additionally, journeying and carrying luggage are prohibited on the Sabbath and holy days. For people who need to be away from home over these days, 'travelling' versions of ritual books and objects are created. Hospitality towards travelers arriving in a strange place is a basic tenet of Jewish communal life.
Another type of more personal journeys, are journeys of discovery as people who had to deny their Jewish identity or had their past hidden from them, reveal their Jewish identity later in life and explore their individual Jewish heritage.
For any question, please contact the EDJC team at edjc@jewisheritage.org