Jewish heritage initiatives launch in Brno and Pulheim

Cultural initiatives in the Czech Republic and Germany are working to revitalize Jewish heritage through community events and digital projects.

In Brno, the fifth annual Štetl Fest focuses on the theme of returns, honoring the memory of the Great Synagogue burned by Nazis in 1939. The festival includes over 130 items, such as video projections of the destroyed building's floor plan and a 'poesimat' machine that plays recordings of survivors and liturgical texts. The event also marks the release of a literary almanac titled 'Nenacházím žádné stopy'. Due to the loss of government grants, organizers are currently seeking sponsorship and public donations.

In Pulheim, Germany, the 'Synagoge Stommeln – Wiederbelebung jüdischen Erbes' initiative aims to strengthen the role of the 1882 Stommeln Synagogue as a living center for Jewish culture, art, and education. As one of the few synagogues to survive the 1938 November pogroms, the building has served as a cultural center since 1983. The initiative has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support projects including interactive virtual maps, musical compositions, and Yiddish language visibility.