How can different communities be engaged in activities related to Jewish heritage, and how can sustainable heritage communities be built around it?

 

Context

Activities related to Jewish memory and heritage can take various forms. The first case study described in this chapter focuses on micro-histories of specific regions and includes initiatives addressed to contemporary residents, such as guided walks, exhibitions, and interviews, as well as professional interventions aimed at preserving material traces, including conservation and archaeological work. Together, these activities link past and present through participatory exploration and engagement.

The second case study focuses on reviving traditional Jewish practices and demonstrating how they can be creatively reinterpreted in contemporary contexts, fostering community-building and translating heritage into the language of different types of art.

 

Highlights

  • Using not only the potential of microhistory understood as individual biographies, but also the history of specific places and locations as a tool for participatory memory work
  • Engaging the contemporary local community through a diverse program that connects the history of the site with the present-day character of the city and its residents.
  • Undertaking activities aimed at the physical preservation and restoration of Jewish architectural heritage.

 

Case Study 10: “Kamienna District,” Będzin (Poland)

 

Description

Founded in 2009 in Będzin, Southern Poland, the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation grew out of a grassroots initiative established in 2008 to save and reopen a historic Jewish prayer house that had long remained inaccessible and at risk of destruction. Following the creation of the Foundation, the unique wall paintings of the prayer house were entered into the register of historical monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship and professionally restored between 2009 and 2010 with the support of the Regional Heritage Conservator. The restored interior was reopened to the public in March 2010.

Today, the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation organizes commemorations of the liquidation of the ghetto, film screenings, workshops, thematic walks (e.g., walks tracing the experiences of mothers and children during the Holocaust, the footsteps of Rutka Laskier, and former neighbors’ routes as part of the Night of Museums), as well as educational programs for young people. The prayer house is regularly visited by descendants of Będzin Jews from Israel, the United States, Europe, and Australia, as well as educational groups from abroad, particularly from Israel and Argentina.

One of the Foundation’s key initiatives is the interdisciplinary cultural education project “Kamienna District.” Before the Second World War, Kamienna was a rural district of Będzin where the Jewish ghetto was established in 1942. The district has preserved much of its original topographical layout, and its difficult heritage calls for continuous engagement and reflection together with residents.

The project program included oral history workshops, archival and heritage recovery workshops, a photographic plein-air, commemorations of the ghetto liquidation, a “traces of childhood” walk, a popular science conference, an exhibition, and a podcast.

The project also encouraged residents to actively co-create a space of culture and remembrance, including the Ghetto Fighters House, a historic site cared for, researched, and currently restored by the Foundation. The building, together with its adjacent outbuildings (which no longer survive), served as a base for youth organizations of the Jewish resistance movement in the Będzin ghetto. During the liquidation of the ghetto in early August 1943, acts of resistance against Nazi persecution and violence took place there. The project also encouraged residents to actively co-create a space of culture and remembrance, including the Ghetto Fighters House, a historic site cared for, researched, and currently restored by the Foundation. The building, together with its adjacent outbuildings (which no longer survive), served as a base for youth organizations of the Jewish resistance movement in the Będzin ghetto. During the liquidation of the ghetto in early August 1943, acts of resistance against Nazi persecution and violence took place there, which makes the site a unique and important place. Groups from Israel are already visiting the site, recognizing it as one of the rare places connected to organized Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

Challenges

  • HOW to reclaim forgotten or neglected sites of Jewish heritage for wider public audiences?
  • HOW to combine conservation and restoration work with community engagement and cultural programming?
  • HOW to bring the memory of local Jewish history beyond museum or heritage spaces and into the streets and urban fabric of the city?

 

Solutions

  • Creating an interdisciplinary program of events, including workshops, walks, and public history sessions.
  • Developing dedicated activities both for international visitors and for the local community as key audiences of the project.
  • Using the potential of both existing and vanished sites to tell the microhistory of Jewish Będzin.

 

Case Study 11: LABA Barcelona, Barcelona (Spain)

 

Highlights

  • Revitalising traditional Jewish frameworks of communal learning while simultaneously creating space for individual artistic expression and interpretation.
  • Using artistic practice as a medium for engaging with philosophical ideas and contemporary ethical questions, allowing for reflective and critical inquiry through creative work.
  • Presenting the outcomes of a long-term process in an accessible and engaging format that resonates with broader audiences while remaining closely connected to the original conceptual and educational framework of the project.

 

Description

LABA Barcelona is an interdisciplinary platform that connects artists, writers, performers, and cultural practitioners interested in exploring Jewish thought and culture through contemporary artistic practice. Bringing together participants from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, the initiative creates a space for collaborative learning, experimentation, and dialogue inspired by classical Jewish texts and traditions. Each year, LABA Barcelona runs a fellowship program for a selected group of artists who engage in collective study sessions and creative exchange around a chosen annual theme. The program encourages participants to reinterpret Jewish intellectual and literary heritage in innovative and critical ways, transforming historical narratives and ideas into new artistic forms and public experiences. Through this process, LABA BCN seeks to expand contemporary understandings of Jewish culture and demonstrate the ongoing relevance of Jewish texts in addressing present-day social and cultural questions.

In 2025, LABA Barcelona organized an exhibition presenting the outcomes of a year-long process of engagement with classical Jewish texts. Throughout the fellowship, the 2025 LABA cohort explored the theme of “change,” understood both individually and collectively, in relation to questions of ethics, identity, and exile. This exploration unfolded through a wide range of artistic practices, including dance, short film, illustrated books, audiovisual poetry, site-specific performance, installation, tattoo-based work, and 3D-printed sculpture. The participating artists included Ofer Ronen and Michael Gadish, Maya Geller, Eyal (Lally) Bitton, Laura Sofía Hernández Gil, Mónica Buzali Kalach, Fernando Cardona Pons, and Gastón Lisak.

The project was characterized by a strong diversity of perspectives, artistic languages, and interpretative approaches. Rather than offering a single narrative, it fostered a multidimensional reflection on the shared theme, highlighting the value of interdisciplinary exchange. It demonstrated how a common conceptual framework can generate a pluralistic space of artistic expression, where individual voices coexist within a broader collective conversation, leaving room for dialogue, difference, and personal interpretation.

During 2025’s edition of Tikkun Leil Shavuot, LABA Barcelona approached the traditional practice of overnight study as a contemporary cultural and artistic experience. Hosted at Casa Adret, the event showcased works in progress developed by artists participating in the 2025 LABA fellowship program. The projects emerged from a year-long collective exploration of Jewish texts centered around the theme of “Change.”

The evening combined elements of performance, visual arts, ritual practices, and participatory formats, offering audiences insight into artistic processes still in development before their final presentation later in the year during the LABA Live program. Participation and audience engagement began even before the event itself. The invitation functioned not only as promotional material but also as an interactive element, encouraging participants to take part in a seven-day creative reflection challenge connected to the themes explored during the gathering.

Challenges

  • HOW to design a diversified program of activities grounded in the Jewish tradition, while keeping the format accessible and engaging for contemporary audiences?
  • HOW to combine traditional frameworks with openness to experimentation, creativity, and multiple forms of artistic expression?
  • HOW to create safe, inclusive spaces for shared learning, dialogue, and exchange at a time of increasing social polarization and rising antisemitism?

 

Solutions

  • Adopting a process-oriented approach to programming and artistic development, prioritizing long-term engagement over one-off events or isolated interventions.
  • Fostering a sense of shared purpose by building a community around a common theme, question, or issue, rather than relying solely on individualized artistic approaches.
  • Presenting outcomes together, reinforcing a sense of collective authorship, plurality of voices, and shared ownership of the final result.

 

Case Study 12: “Online Sources for Commemoration and Remembrance of Jewish Life in the Baltic Countries and Poland,” Tallinn (Estonia)

 

Highlights

  • Bringing attention to local Holocaust histories in the Baltic region, which are often underrepresented in mainstream research, education, and commemoration.
  • Combining multiple event formats, including seminars, discussions, and site visits, to create a more engaging and effective experience for all involved.
  • Bringing together diverse stakeholders from different sectors and countries, while maintaining a strong focus on the local historical context of the event.

 

Description

Yet another important example of participatory and educational memory work was the two-fold event organized by the Estonian Jewish Community in Tallinn in September 2025. The first part took place at the site of the former Patarei prison, a place connected to Holocaust-era persecution, and brought together local school students, members of the Jewish community, local politicians, and residents of Tallinn.

This public commemorative event was followed by the international seminar Online Sources for Commemoration and Remembrance of Jewish Life in the Baltic Countries and Poland, organized by the Estonian Jewish Museum together with the Estonian Jewish Community. Conducted in both English and Estonian, the seminar was designed not only for international participants but also to remain accessible to local audiences and memory practitioners. It brought together speakers from institutions including the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, the Faculty of Communication at Vilnius University, and Tallinn University, creating a transnational platform for the exchange of knowledge and commemorative practices.

The program covered a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from broader reflections on the role of remembrance and commemoration to case studies rooted in specific local histories. Presentations addressed, among others, the history of the Holocaust in the former Patarei prison in Tallinn, initiatives mapping Holocaust-related sites in Lithuania, and the Virtual Shtetl portal as an inspiring model for digital commemorative and educational projects.

By combining scholarly perspectives, digital methodologies, and practical examples of memory work, the seminar demonstrated how educational communities can be built both locally and through digital infrastructures. It also highlighted the role of online platforms in strengthening participants’ skills, fostering international knowledge exchange, and expanding public access to Jewish heritage and Holocaust memory across the Baltic region and Poland.

Challenges

  • HOW can local Holocaust history be presented for diverse stakeholder groups, including international audiences with different cultural and historical backgrounds?
  • HOW can the site-specific dimension of the event be effectively integrated with digital commemoration practices and discussing online environments?
  • HOW can meaningful knowledge sharing be facilitated among all parties participating in the event?

 

Solutions

  • Combining site visits with seminar-based formats to balance experiential learning and knowledge exchange.
  • Presenting adaptable solutions that can be applied across different geographical and cultural contexts.
  • Demonstrating how digital tools can complement and enhance on-site activities.

 

Key Takeaways

  • Community engagement is most effective when local residents are treated as active partners in shaping and sustaining remembrance initiatives, rather than as passive audiences.
  • Creating spaces for participation, dialogue, and shared learning strengthens communities and helps connect Jewish tradition with contemporary art.
  • Combining site-specific experiences with opportunities for international exchange and knowledge sharing enables local histories to resonate with broader audiences.

 

See also: Case Studies 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 13, 14