The ruins of the synagogue in the village of Ruzhany

As part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage, in September 2018 IIICH and the Foundation for Jewish Heritage will host the international conference Urban Jewish Heritage: Presence and Absence, Krakow, Poland. IIICH is pleased to be working with Foundation which is committed to saving and restoring the wealth of Jewish Heritage scattered throughout Europe.

Recent research has involved the Foundation, along with the Centre for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in creating a new mapping tool that allows all stakeholders to focus on the extent and the state of conservation of European Jewish Heritage. IIICH Director, Professor Mike Robinson commented:

“This interactive tool is a major step forward in rescuing the Jewish Heritage of across many European towns and cities. The capacity of this mapping instrument to highlight the plight of over 3,300 historic synagogues is extremely valuable and allows all those involved in the preservation, management and interpretation of urban heritage to identify what a potentially rich resource is out there. The first thing that strikes you when you access this programme is the sheer scale of European Jewish Heritage and the impressive research behind this tool which allows the prioritisation of those sites of architectural and historic importance. The drive behind this work is part and parcel of why we are organising this international conference later this year in Krakow.”