Abstract: The synagogues that suffered the ravages of World War II in Central and Eastern Europe faced an uncertain future. A limited number managed to retain their original religious functions, while the majority were either neglected or repurposed for entirely different uses. In the last thirty years, numerous towns and cities have started to “rediscover” these buildings as vital components of local history and culture. With their original roles as pivotal religious, cultural, and social centres for Jewish communities inevitably diminished, issues of ownership, control, and authenticity have emerged. The ongoing debate about whether these structures represent “Jewish heritage” or a more expansive cultural heritage that encompasses local, national, and international dimensions remains unresolved. This study examines the situation in Bucharest, which once boasted a significant Jewish population that has since dwindled. Although many synagogues have been lost over time, four have recently been restored, showcasing their fascinating eclectic architectural styles. These buildings now serve a combination of religious, social, cultural, and museum functions, gradually reintegrating them into the city’s identity and practices. Nonetheless, challenges and disagreements emerge, within the Jewish community itself, regarding the management and representation of these sites, as well as their inclusion into the tourism dynamics.
Abstract: This article focuses on the management of heritage and cultural tourism related to the complex identity of minority groups, where different components tend to produce different visions and practices. It highlights the impacts of globalized transnational networks and influences on political, cultural and religious identities and affiliations over long distances. In fact, diverse views, approaches, perceptions and representations may lead to disagreement and conflicts even within apparently compact ethnic or religious communities. The issues related to dissonant heritage management strategies and the related authorized heritage discourse, in terms of unbalanced power relations and diverging narratives, are considered. The theme of Jewish heritage tourism (J.H.T) is analysed, with a focus on the case of Syracuse, Italy. This historically cosmopolitan and multicultural city specializes in cultural tourism and tends to develop niche products, including J.H.T, in order to strengthen and diversify its international cultural destination status. Different components of the Jewish world, as well as non-Jewish stakeholders, practice different approaches to heritage tourism. Actors, discourses and reasons behind Jewish culture management and promotion will be highlighted and the reactions, perceptions and suggestions by the various stakeholders and groups involved will be portrayed, with the aim of contributing to the discussion about the complexity of niche heritage tourism processes in a multi-ethnic site.
Abstract: Tourism destinations located within rich and complex cultural contexts tend to offer a wide range of different experiences to visitors, spanning from standardized to more alternative ones. The quest for authenticity is central in the construction of tourism image and business, but easily raises questions related to appropriation, commercialization and trivialization. This study focuses on Jewish heritage tourism, a niche segment gradually turning into a mass tourism experience, through a qualitative research made in Krakow, Poland. Jewish-themed tourism in the area has gone through intense growth in spite of its dwindling Jewish population. As a consequence, the representation and consumption of the related heritage mostly occurs independently from the Jewish community itself and shows clear signs of commercial exploitation. The study results show that, in spite of the issues related to simplified narratives and staged practices, commodification, with its partial and functional reconstruction of the past, does not interfere with the religious or secular activities of the Jewish community, which is more pragmatically focused on present-day life.
