Abstract: The Pluralism Seminar Papers is a collection of twenty insightful papers born from a series of four seminars dedicated to exploring the theme of Pluralism. These seminars, held in the vibrant cities of Prague, Sarajevo, Cordoba, and Florence, were part of the European Routes of Jewish Heritage initiative. This initiative, certified by the Council of Europe since 2004, spans across 17 countries, each actively engaged in research, heritage preservation, contemporary culture, art, and sustainable cultural tourism.
Abstract: Not all children growing up in the charedi1
community are being denied secular education. However,
many are. This paper sets out current loopholes and gaps in UK education policy and enforcement,
and the implications for children, especially boys, growing up in the chassidic2
segment of the UK
charedi community. We should note that similar issues arise in other countries with large chassidic
communities.
However, irrespective of sex, or the type of institution, the systemic goal of the leadership in parts of
the charedi community, is that the education in their schools should not provide children with access
to a broad and balanced school education, nor access to further education. As a result, many charedi
children are prevented from accessing the wider workforce, as there is no route to many career
opportunities.
Restricting secular education limits the future autonomy of charedi boys due to lack of literacy,
numeracy and recognised qualifications. For girls, the restriction on future autonomy is a
consequence of the lack of access to KS5 qualifications and early arranged marriage, which can be
socially coerced, and motherhood.
We have set out in this paper our suggested solutions; some of which would require primary
legislation. Other solutions require secondary legislation, or simply improved oversight, enforcement
and better funding.
We have set out the consequences of denial of secular education and lack of access to qualifications
in addendum C. We have also set out more details on the diversity of the charedi community in
addendum D. A glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terms is set out in appendix 5.
Abstract: Since the 1989 political transition, a multifaceted process of knowledge production and memory formation regarding rural Jews has been ongoing in Hungary’s civil and academic spheres, often starting from or leading to local history research. These initiatives typically have multiple aims and functions: mourning the losses of the Holocaust, confronting and facing the difficult past, and uncovering the historical values of specific localities. Through the
presentation of examples and analysis of a bibliography on the subject, this article evaluates the achievements, directions, and shortcomings in this field, using historian Diana Pinto’s conceptual framework of “Jewish Space.” Building on the theoretical and practical analyses by Diana Pinto, Erica Lehrer, and Ruth Ellen Gruber, the author emphasizes that the social memory of European Jews can be most effectively created in spaces where Jewish and non-Jewish organizations and individuals can collaborate, engage in dialogue, and make joint contributions. The analysis also highlights the need for more professional and financial support for individuals and organizations active in this area and stresses the importance of coordinating their work and developing strategies based on professional criteria to ensure the efficient use of resources.
Abstract: In Italy, after the victory of Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist party, “Fratelli d’Italia,” several studies began to discuss whether or not the country has come to terms with the memory of fascism, its role as an inspirer of Nazism, and the collaboration with Nazi Germany in the Holocaust. Especially the latter, scholarly literature pointed out, has failed to receive the attention it deserves. This article argues that this is particularly true with regard to public history, the way historical information and events are interpreted and presented to the general public, and focuses on public museums exhibiting the Holocaust and resistance. Evidence for this article comes from two in-depth case studies regarding the oldest yet unaltered Liberation Museum in Rome and the Museum-Monument to Racial and Political Deportees in the Nazi Lagers in Carpi. The article contends that within these museums, the narration of resistance prevails, whilst evidence of Italy’s past collaborationism remains hidden and unexhibited. In essence, these museums emphasise national heroism and sidestep Italian accountability in the Holocaust.
Abstract: Der wissenschaftliche Kommentar diskutiert die Verbreitung antisemitischer Einstellungen in der Mitte der deutschen wie auch österreichischen Gesellschaft und leitet aufgrund differenter Studienergebnisse Anforderungen an schulische Antisemitismus-Prävention ab. Die erste zentrale Fragestellung untersucht, ob antisemitische Einstellungen als Randphänomen zu betrachten oder in der Meinung der gesellschaftlichen Mitte zu verorten sind. Anhand von Statistiken und Studien zu antisemitischen Straftaten und Einstellungen wird aufgezeigt, dass der Antisemitismus in Deutschland und Österreich kein Randphänomen darstellt, sondern in Teilen der gesellschaftlichen Mitte verankert ist. Darauf aufbauend ist Untersuchungsgegenstand der zweiten zentralen Fragestellung, ab welcher Klassenstufe schulische Präventionsmaßnahmen gegen Antisemitismus berechtigt sind. Das Potenzial der schulischen Präventionsarbeit als Interventionsmöglichkeit wird dabei analysiert, die Bedeutung der Medienkompetenzförderung im Präventionsansatz erläutert und es werden frühzeitige Präventionsansätze, beginnend ab der ersten Klasse, empfohlen, um antisemitischen Überzeugungen frühestmöglich entgegenzuwirken. Im Fazit werden konkrete Forderungen sowie Handlungsempfehlungen an Schulen, die Gesellschaft und die Politik formuliert, um Antisemitismus durch Präventionsmaßnahmen nachhaltig zu bekämpfen.
Abstract: In den Antworten zu den Faith Development Interviews (FDI), die seit 2003 von der Forschungsstelle zur Biographischen Religionsforschung der Universität Bielefeld durchgeführt werden, finden sich bei den beiden Fragen, die auffordern, das Böse in der Welt zu erklären und nach der Lösung für Konflikte zu suchen, die auf religiöser oder weltanschaulicher Uneinigkeit beruhen, häufig Rekurse auf den Nahostkonflikt. Beiden Fragen ist gemeinsam, dass sie darauf abzielen, anomische Phänomene, in denen die Ordnung des eigenen Lebens nicht mehr sinnvoll erfahren werden kann, zu erklären. Die Forschungsnotiz analysiert, welche Funktion der Bezug auf den Nahostkonflikt für die Welterklärung der Befragten hat und was mit diesen Bezügen plausibel gemacht werden kann: Erstens ermöglicht der Nahostkonflikt als Beispiel für einen unlösbaren Konflikt eine Vielzahl von Projektionen und schützt damit die Widerlegung des eigenen weltanschaulichen Problemlösungsideals. Zweitens unterstreicht die Identifikation der Konfliktpartei Israel mit dem Bösen die Funktion des israelbezogenen Antisemitismus als Welterklärung.
Abstract: This volume considers the uses and misuses of the memory of assistance given to Jews during the Holocaust, deliberated in local, national, and transnational contexts. History of this aid has drawn the attention of scholars and the general public alike. Stories of heroic citizens who hid and rescued Jewish men, women, and children have been adapted into books, films, plays, public commemorations, and museum exhibitions. Yet, emphasis on the uplifting narratives often obscures the history of violence and complicity with Nazi policies of persecution and mass murder. Each of the ten essays in this interdisciplinary collection is dedicated to a different country: Belarus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The case studies provide new insights into what has emerged as one of the most prominent and visible trends in recent Holocaust memory and memory politics. While many of the essays focus on recent developments, they also shed light on the evolution of this phenomenon since 1945.
Abstract: Antisemitismus ist eine historisch tief verankerte Form der Feindseligkeit gegenüber Jüdinnen und Juden, die aktuell wieder mit einer stark zunehmenden Gewaltbereitschaft einhergeht. Die erheblichen psychischen Auswirkungen von Antisemitismus sind vielfältig und werden durch wiederholte, häufig mehrdimensionale Diskriminierung und die besonderen Effekte der Hasskriminalität verschärft. Angststörungen, Depressionen und posttraumatische Belastungsstörungen sind Beispiele häufiger Folgen. Als Bewältigungsstrategien neigen viele Jüdinnen und Juden dazu, ihre jüdische Kultur zu verbergen, sich sozial zurückzuziehen oder ihre Identität aufzugeben, um nicht Opfer antisemitischer Vorfälle zu werden. Weil sie sich kontinuierlich mit Vorurteilen konfrontiert sehen, kann sich bei den Betroffenen sogar eine Perspektive der (Mit–)Schuld entwickeln – das Gefühl, selbst für die erfahrene Gewalt verantwortlich zu sein, was die Fähigkeit zur Bewältigung der erfahrenen Diskriminierungen zusätzlich erschwert. Ziel des Artikels ist es, einen Einblick in die Prävalenz und die weitreichenden individuellen Auswirkungen von Antisemitismus zu geben und damit zu verdeutlichen, welche Relevanz Antisemitismus in der Gesellschaft hat.
Abstract: The notion of “Holocaust restitution” most often evokes associations with the process of financial repatriation, reversing the confiscation of priceless artworks from Jewish families, or amending the seizure of property or furniture from non-Jewish neighbours. Whilst each respective country sets their own rules or guidance of how to address this, the rules are much less clear for the returning of property robbed from the victims and later unearthed from the ground, and more specifically as a result of archaeological excavations. As such, there has been almost no scholarly research into the many ethical issues that this raises for relevant stakeholders (institutions, archaeologists, and relatives) involved in the discovery of biographical objects of murdered Holocaust victims. My ongoing research, therefore, seeks to address the deeply sensitive issue of memory ownership and material culture in such instances. My work introduces the term “forensic restitution” as a potential solution to this issue, whereby cultural objects uncovered through excavations are returned to an individual or community, rather than belonging to a nation state (Wilson 2024, p. 97).
Abstract: During World War II, Bosnia and Hercegovina was occupied by the Ustashe-led Independent State of Croatia, a Nazi collaborator par excellence. Ustashe, mostly Croats, Muslims-Bosniaks, and domestic Germans, overwhelmingly participated in the annihilation of more than 85 % of the Bosnian Jewish population during the Shoah. Beside the physical destruction of the community, these Nazi collaborators plundered Jewish assets in an estimated value of over one billion US dollars and robbed priceless cultural artifacts along with the communal archives. While witness accounts agree that looting of most movable property (books, artwork, and other valuables) was carried out in the first days of occupation by the Nazis themselves, the robbery of Jewish property (apartments, houses, businesses) as well as torture and killings of domestic Jews was committed by the Ustashe. What complicates the restitution in this country is the state and memory politics, but also the inexistence of a central registry of stolen items that could be claimed. Moreover, it is of the essence that the GLAM institutions (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) within Bosnia and the former Yugoslavia region engage in conducting detailed provenance research of their respective collections.
Abstract: Projekt Overview
This study explores the experiences, perceptions, and coping strategies of Jewish individuals in Germany in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Our research aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Jews in Germany, with or without Israeli migration background, navigated the complex emotional landscape of collective trauma and rising antisemitism.
Key Objectives
Examine the immediate and ongoing impacts of the October 7 events on Jewish individuals in Germany
Investigate changes in experiences of antisemitism and perceptions of societal responses
Identify coping strategies and resilience mechanisms employed by Jewish individuals
Explore the influence of these events on Jewish identity and community engagement
Assess concerns and hopes for the future of Jewish life in Germany
Methodology
We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 18 Jewish individuals living in Germany, including both Israeli and non-Israeli backgrounds. Participants ranged in age from 23 to 68 years old and represented diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and levels of religious observance.
Key Findings
Profound emotional disruption and trauma following the October 7 attacks
Significant changes in social relationships, often leading to social withdrawal
Increased community engagement and activism among Jewish individuals
Heightened sense of insecurity and vigilance in expressing Jewish identity
Complex coping strategies, including humor, community involvement, and selective avoidance
Topics: Antisemitism: Definitions, Antisemitism: Christian, Antisemitism: Discourse, Antisemitism: Education against, Antisemitism: Far right, Antisemitism: Institutional, Antisemitism: Israel-Related, Antisemitism: Left-Wing, Antisemitism: Monitoring, Antisemitism: Muslim, Antisemitism: New Antisemitism, Antisemitism: Online, Philosemitism, Main Topic: Antisemitism
Abstract: ‘Het was prachtig zoals de wielen van de wagons in het begin in Nederland rolden …’ aldus een trotse Adolf Eichmann, het organisatorische meesterbrein achter de deportaties van de joden uit de door nazi-Duitsland bezette gebieden naar de vernietigingskampen, enkele jaren na de oorlog. Hij had alle reden tevreden te zijn. In geen enkel ander West-Europees land werd zo’n groot deel van de joodse bevolking weggevoerd en vermoord, en dat had ook te maken met de medewerking van veel Nederlandse instanties. Een harde en pijnlijke waarheid, die velen in Nederland aanvankelijk niet onder ogen wilden zien. In dit boek worden geschetst hoe Nederland met de herinnering aan de Jodenvervolging is omgegaan, vanaf de eerste jaren na de bevrijding tot aan de opening van het Nationaal Holocaust Museum in 2024. Opvallend daarbij is dat de nazistische vervolging in Nederland al in de jaren zestig een belangrijke plaats kreeg in de nationale herinneringscultuur, vooral dankzij het Eichmann-proces en het werk van Jacques Presser. Het nationalistische beeld van de oorlog als een periode van ‘onderdrukking en verzet’, waarin de Jodenvervolging in de eerste plaats werd gezien als een illustratie van de Duitse terreur tegen het Nederlandse volk, bleek niet langer houdbaar. Vanaf de jaren negentig zou Nederland steeds meer onder invloed raken van de internationale herinneringscultuur die zich vormde rond het begrip ‘Holocaust’, een term die aanvankelijk buiten de VS geheel onbekend was. Dat proces laat zich goed aflezen aan het taalgebruik en de herdenkingsrituelen, maar ook aan monumenten, musea, media, film en literatuur. Rond de Holocaust ontstond een soort ‘burgerlijke religie’, die niet alleen politiek wordt beleden, in Europa, de VS en andere delen van de wereld, maar ook diep geworteld is in de cultuur en samenleving, te beginnen in Nederland. Nederland en de herinnering aan de Jodenvervolging biedt een diepgravend overzicht van de omgang met de herinneringen aan de meest pijnlijke en ingrijpende episode uit de moderne Nederlandse geschiedenis. Frank van Vree is em. hoogleraar Geschiedenis van Oorlog, Geweld en Herinnering aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Eerder was hij directeur van het NIOD en decaan van de Faculteit Geesteswetenschappen van de UvA. Hij publiceerde een groot aantal studies op het terrein van de moderne geschiedenis en historische cultuur.
Abstract: Enduring Jewish Communities around the World: Models of Effective Communication employs an organizational communication perspective to examine how strong internal and external communications have helped Jewish communities survive globally in unlikely locations, harsh circumstances, and periods of violent antisemitism. Drawing on in-depth interviews with religious and community leaders of nine international Jewish communities, Joshua Azriel contends that communication is a part of Judaism’s core and a powerful, informal tool that has been used over millennia by its followers to sustain their communities, culture, and religion. Scholars of communication, religion, history, and Jewish studies will find this book of particular interest.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Chapter 2: Halifax, Canada
Chapter 3: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Chapter 4: San Jose, Costa Rica
Chapter 5: Sefwi Wiawso, Ghana
Chapter 6: Bene Israel, India
Chapter 7: Belmonte, Portugal
Chapter 8: Sofia, Bulgaria
Chapter 9: Iasi, Romania
Chapter 10: Conclusion
Bibliography
About the Author
Abstract: Teaching and education mirror what societies want to preserve, initiate, and pass along. Thus, the impact of teachers and school textbooks cannot be overestimated. It is absolutely necessary, therefore, to ensure high-quality textbooks, which convey balanced views as well as intellectual and unbiased approaches to the topics. The present study by historian and Holocaust education expert Dr. Melanie Carina Schmoll, PhD, offers a fresh approach to analyzing the subjects of Jews, Judaism, current Israel and the Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts in curricula and relevant textbooks. The study indicates the status of information, problematic content, or words in curricula and history textbooks used in the German province of North Rhine-Westphalia. Besides analyzing and just denouncing mistakes, the study also provides options for an exchange of difficult and/ or incorrect content in the textbooks. The study assists authors and editors to write and develop unbiased textbooks in the future.
