Ruth Ellen Gruber's Blog, page 22

Italy -- Festival of Jewish Books this weekend in Ferrara

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

This coming weekend, May 7-9, will see the second annual Festival of the Jewish Book in Italy. It takes place in Ferrara -- which will be the site of a new Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah, or MEIS, which is now in the planning stage. The MEIS foundation is the sponsor the book festival.

The three-day book festival will begin Saturday night with what is described as Italy's first Jewish "white night" -- that is, an series of events and activities that lasts well into the wee hours if not all night.

The Festival includes book signings, lectures, round-table discussions, exhibitions, concerts, guided tours, etc -- all is directed to an Italian audience.

Poland -- Awards for Preserving Jewish Heritage

Award ceremony at Galicia Jewish Museum. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Michael Traison writes in Ha'aretz on the wonderful and important initiative he founded in 1998 -- the presentation of awards by the Israeli embassy to non-Jewish Poles who preserve Jewish heritage and culture. This year, in addition to the usual ceremony in Krakow at the Festival of Jewish Culture, there will be a ceremony in Warsaw. I have posted about this ceremony and the people involved in the past, including HERE.

Traison calls the honorees "Polish heroes."

That such acknowledgment comes from the Embassy of the Jewish state and is presented personally by its ambassador, is particularly meaningful and important. The ceremonies are followed by a luncheon which is co-sponsored through the generosity of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, an organization responsible for the reclamation and preservation of much of the Jewish heritage sites in Poland, as well as programs of education and information promoting better understanding between Poles and Jews.

Year after year, the program has depended upon the genius and charm of one of Poland's leading historians, Jan Jagielski of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.

Jagielski reviews all nominations of individuals and projects to be awarded diplomas and contributes one of the most critical parts of the extended ceremony preparations.

But he is in good company, working among many others who support the ceremonies and the honor luncheon, including the Galicja Museum in Krakow, where the ceremonies have been held in recent years; Krakow's Eden Hotel, which has assisted with logistics and catering, and the JCC of Krakow which, over the last few years, has generously provides a venue for the luncheon.

As the initiator and founder of this program, I feel the most important individuals responsible for these ceremonies are, of course, the honorees themselves whose work gives us inspiration and enables us to tell the true story of the modern Republic of Poland, its people and the nature of its society.

See full article HERE

Ukraine -- L'viv Jewish History Design Competition Winning Designs Viewable Online

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The winning designs -- and all the other entries -- in the competition held in L'viv, Ukraine last year to mark three key sites of Jewish history in the city are now viewable online.

I was on the international Jury for the competition, and I described some of the process in a blog post here last December. Our brief was to consider some 70 designs sent in  from 14 different countries for projects marking three key sites, taking into consideration the following stated criteria:

The competition has two distinct, but interconnected purposes. First, the competiton seeks to respond to the growing awareness of Lviv's multi-ethnic past by contributing to the rediscovery of the city's Jewish history and heritage through creating public spaces dedicated to the city's historic Jewish community. Secondly, the competition also seeks ways to re-design these three open public spaces in such as manner as to improve the quality of life for the contemporary inhabitants and visitors of Lviv.

All the entries were judged anonymously -- we had no idea where they were from or who were the designers.

See all the designs for the Synagogue Square site -- the empty space in the heart of the downtown Jewish quarter where three now destroyed synagogues once stood -- by clicking HERE.

The winning design for the Synagogue Square site was by Franz Reschke, Paul Reschke, Frederik Springer Germany, based in Berlin, Germany.



See all the designs for the Besojlam Memorial Park, or Jewish cemetery, site by clicking HERE.

The first prize went to a design by Israeli designer and landscape architect Ronit Lambrozo. You can see that HERE.



See all the designs submitted for the site of the Janivski death and labor camp memorial by clicking HERE.

The first prize went to a dramatic but understated design by Ming-Yu Ho, Ceanatha La Grange, Wei Huang of Irvine, California.

Poland -- another synagogue restoration wins award

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The restoration of the synagogue in Ostrow Wielkopolski has won the "Facade of the Year" award for historic building preservation.

This is the second announcement this month of a synagogue restoration in Poland garnering an award, joining the synagogue in Zamosc, for whose restoration the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland won the 2011 Conservation Laurel, an annual award granted by the regional authorities and monuments conservator in eastern Poland's Lubelskie Region, where Zamosc is located

I posted about the Ostrow restoration project last fall, providing links to the town web site with a lot of photographs illustrating the transformation.

Germany/Music -- Alan Bern to Speak in NYC about Yiddish Summer Weimar, etc

Street dancing led by Zev Feldman at Yiddish Summer Weimar. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber
By Ruth Ellen Gruber

Folks in New York -- Don't miss Alan Bern  speaking in New York on May 9 at the Center for Traditional Music and Dance about the Yiddish Summer Weimar and related events and developments.  The talk is called "Weimar Republic."

Center for Traditional Music and Dance's An-sky Institute for Jewish Culture, the Center for Jewish History and the American Society for Jewish Music present a multi-media lecture by composer/musician Alan Bern about klezmer and Yiddish music in Germany and his work in creating Yiddish Summer Weimar - now 10 years old and one of the most celebrated institutes for Yiddish culture in the world. In addition to founding and directing Yiddish Summer Weimar, Bern is Musical Director of the internationally renowned Brave Old World ensemble, and leads the Other Europeans, an amazing new international ensemble of 14 leading musicians who explore the deep connections between Jewish and Roma (Gypsy) musical traditions. A reception will follow the program. We are grateful for the support of the Keller-Shatanoff Foundation in making this program possible. 

Poland -- New project on pre-WW2 Oshpitzin (Auschwitz)

By Ruth Ellen Gruber
The Auschwitz Jewish Center is launching on April 28 a new guide to pre-World War II Oshpitzin -- AKA Oswiecim, AKA Auschwitz.  The town had a majority Jewish population before World War II, and the project include an online map and hard-copy guide to the town's Jewish history and heritage.
The Auschwitz Jewish Center, opened in 2000, occupies a complex including the only surviving synagogue in Oswiecim and hosts a Jewish museum and education programs.

Poland -- Zamosc synagogue restoration wins prize

By Ruth Ellen Gruber


The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ), has won an award for the outstanding conservation of historic buildings. The award specifically cited the recently completed restoration of the Renaissance synagogue in the town of Zamosc, in southeastern Poland. FODZ, which initiated and oversaw the restoration, announced on Thursday that it had received the award, the 2011 "Conservation Laurel." The award is granted each year by the regional authorities and monuments conservator in eastern Poland's Lubelskie Region, where Zamosc is located. The award ceremony will take place May 13. Granted annually since 2000, the Conservation Laurel singles out restoration projects characterized by appropriate and high quality execution as well as by particular care on restoring and preserving the historic value and significance of a monument. The Zamosc synagogue was rededicated this month after a three-year restorations project.

Cemeteries: Somewhat off topic but related.....

Caretakers in Alba Iulia, Romania, cut hay in the Jewish cemetery. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber
By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The Washington Post recently ran an interesting article about what can happen to a cemetery in an isolated area when its elderly caretaker can no longer take care. This is a common problem with Jewish cemeteries in some parts of Eastern Europe, where -- as in Romania, for example -- the small Jewish communities often contracted with local peasants to cut the weeds and maintain Jewish cemeteries in places where few or no Jews now live in exchange for housing onsite, or use of the hay or part of land where there are no burials. As these people age and pass away, the cemeteries may be left untended.

The article, by J. Freedom du Lac, was not about a Jewish cemetery in eastern Europe -- but about an African-American cemetery in rural Virginia whose longtime caretaker, Vernon Peterson, is now 80.

It's what happens afterward, when he's no longer around to look after Rock Hill Cemetery. For nearly half of its existence, the 122-year-old cemetery — where generations of local African American families are interred — has been carefully tended by Peterson, a fastidious Korean War veteran who grew up nearby in a country village that's long since disappeared.

But Peterson is 80, and he can't stop wondering: Who will care for this little-known repository of community and family history when he's gone?

There are thousands of graveyards scattered across Virginia, many of them small family burial plots on private properties, according to preservationists and historians. Some date to the founding of Jamestown more than 400 years ago.


But they're increasingly endangered as a generation of caretakers dies off and people with kin buried out back sell off their family land. The burial sites can become overgrown and, eventually, consigned to oblivion.

Bulgaria -- New Guidebook to Jewish Bulgaria

Synagogue in Sofia
By Ruth Ellen Gruber

A new, richly illustrated, guidebook to Jewish Bulgaria has been published by Vagabond Press. Written by Dimana Trankova and Anthony Georgieff, the 168-page book is the first such comprehensive, stand-alone guide. (My book Jewish Heritage Travel includes a chapter on Bulgaria along with chapters on 13 other countries.)  From what I saw in the online preview, the new book looks packed with information, history and photos.

Click HERE to see the web site and preview.

List of Jewish Culture, etc Festivals 2011

At the Budapest Jewish Summer Festival. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

As usual, I am trying to put together a list of as many as possible of the numerous Jewish festivals -- culture, film, dance, etc -- that take place each year around Europe. Please help me by sending me information!


ALL OVER EUROPE -- Sept. 4 -- 12th European Day of Jewish Culture. The theme this year is "Facing the Future."

HUNGARY

Aug. 4-7 -- Bank Lake -- Bankito Festival

Aug. 27-Sept. 5 -- Budapest -- Jewish Summer Festival


NETHERLANDS

October -- many venues around the country -- International Jewish Music Festival -- . See the web site for a calendar of Jewish music events.

POLAND

 May 1-6 -- Czestochowa -- International Festival of Sacred Music

June 24-July 3 -- Krakow -- Festival of Jewish Culture

August 27-Sept. 4 -- Warsaw -- Singer's Warsaw Festival