Restoring & documenting Jewish Cultural Heritage in the World Esther Carciente Pedagogical Center, The Jewish Agency for Israel This proposal is a joint venture of the Jewish Communities around the world the State of Israel sponsored by UNESCO 1. Background For thousands of years, the Jewish people have had complex relationships with the communities within which they have worked, created and existed. From the shtetl in Eastern Europe to the melach in North Africa, and from the Far East to the West, traces of Jewish culture remain in far flung corners of the world. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, Jewish communities in the Diaspora have slowly dwindled. Jews who immigrated to Israel have not always brought cultural treasures, art and community documentation with them. Many communities left behind cultural objects of diverse Jewish motifs from fields of art: literature, theater, dance and music, as well as historical and academic documentation from community, synagogue and school registries, holy objects and Jewish cemeteries. The Holocaust obliterated and robbed the Jewish people of a large portion of these masterpieces. Since its establishment, the State of Israel has sheltered and protected the Jewish people. It has been dealing with the rehabilitation of Jewish refugees and the ingathering of exiles. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, gates to Jewish provinces previously closed to the Jews in Israel have been opened. Today, after 55 years of existence, it is right that the State of Israel lead – but not manage or administer – a project to preserve the Jewish past in all corners of the world and to assimilate, for future generations, the spirit of the Jewish people by strengthening local Jewish communal identity. 2. Goal " to restore and document Jewish culture ( tangible and non tangible ) in the world by building a powerful digital database of the full gamut of Jewish creativity and masterpieces throughout the generations in communities all over the world". This will be implemented through an international fund, in which the State of Israel and Jewish communities worldwide share and involved. All Jewish assets/properties will remain in their communities. 3. Action Plan International structure - an international council will be established, comprised of a representative of the State of Israel and representatives of communities all over the world and other stakeholders - an international steering committee will be established, to administer the project - an international academic-advisory committee will be established,. - A special experts team of information technologies will accompany the project and oversees the technological and logistics aspects District/local structure District/Local project coordinators will be chosen in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Far-East - in concert with the district director, each community will select a program coordinator - every community will use its original language 4. Timetable - Announcement of the project by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports as a Jewish mission of the highest priority in the coming decade - Appointment of a world director - Formation of an international steering committee - Formation of an international advisory committee - Appointment of district and community-continental directors - Organization of Jewish Heritage Int"l Conference - Preparation of an international convention for Jewish cultural assets 5. Resources Focused fundraising efforts of $500 million/year for 5 years A timetable will be set up, including parameters for implementation - Criteria will be established for documentation, research and mapping of the Jewish cultural inventory in each of the following areas: art, theater, dance, literature, music, cemeteries, monuments and synagogues and others. - Special software will be developed to map all communities ' treasures 6. Partnership (this is just an example of stakeholders) - JDC - UJA/UIA - Conference of remuneration - JewishMemorial Foundation - Student organizations (Perach, WUJS) - Institute for Jewish Policy Research - Jewish National Foundation Culture - Jewish Agency - 7. Professional staff training in areas of: - Digital photography - Computerized/scanned digital documentation of literature/music/pictures - Historical/research/bibliographical documentation - 8. Result Based Outcomes - Building a worldwide Jewish heritage portal - Mapping inventory on the community level - Developing parameters for Jewish cultural assets (canon) 9. Mapping Inventory As one of the first phases of the plan an inventory of all stakeholders as well as organization which are already involved in similar activity should be prepared
