14 th EUROPEAN DAY OF JEWISH CULTURE 2013 Jewish Heritage and Nature Sunday, September 29 th 2013 PREPARATION GUIDE CONTENTS: 1. Historical background 2. Goals 3. Subject Matter 4. Preparation 5. Promotion 6. Communication 7. Evaluation 8. Financing
1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The project was launched in 1996 in Alsace (France) by B nai B rith Hirschler in cooperation with the Tourist Agency of Lower Alsace (ADT Agence de Développement Touristique du Bas-Rhin) as an open doors event. It was such a success that it was then repeated year after year, while at the same time more and more places joined the celebration. In 1999 it was extended to the whole of France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. In 2000, eleven new countries contributed to turning it into a truly pan-european even, which then became the European Day of Jewish Culture. Finally, in 2004 an association, the AEPJ, was created in order to coordinate the project on European level. The European dimension of the project is increasing every year, in numbers of both participating countries and public. In 2012, nearly 170.000 visitors attended some 700 different activities in 24 European countries. 2. GOALS The primary goal of the EDJC is to offer the broad public the possibility to discover different aspects of Jewish heritage, both tangible and intangible heritage, as well as the opportunity to get acquainted with Jewish culture and traditions. This is achieved by the organising of activities especially devised for this event: Open doors in usually closed locations, guided tours and visits, exhibitions, lectures, concerts and much more. Furthermore, the celebration of the EDJC also strives to raise awareness of the need to preserve and protect the Jewish heritage, as an important part of the European cultural heritage. 3. THE SUBJECT MATTER Every year, the event has a particular motto, a subject matter which encourages a closer, more in depth look on particular aspects of Jewish culture and heritage. The subject matter chosen for the EDJC 2013 is Jewish Heritage and Nature. The relation between Judaism and Nature is manifold, on many different levels, thus offering a wide array of possibilities to explore this relation and its different aspects. Both website and facebook page of the AEPJ offer a platform for sharing and exchanging ideas, suggestions and opinions on the subject.
4. PREPARATION 4.1. Coordination Both on national and local level, everyone can participate in the European Day of Jewish Culture: Jewish communities, associations, museums, municipalities, etc. The general European-wide coordination is undertaken by the secretariat of the AEPJ. In order to facilitate the coordination, the AEPJ media tools, such as the website with intranet facilities-, or its facebook page are at the disposal of all participating organisations. 4.2. Coordination contact data: Email AEPJ secretariat: aepj@jewisheritage.org General Secretary: Mrs. Assumpció Hosta Website: www.jewisheritage.com facebook: www.facebook.com/jewisheritage 4.3. Sites and activities The European Day of Jewish Culture is addressed to both the Jewish and non- Jewish public. It comprises Jewish historical and cultural heritage such as synagogues, cemeteries, ritual baths and any other sites of architectural importance. These sites must be in a sufficiently good state and in accordance with public safety. Jewish museums or collections in "ordinary" museums can also participate, as long as they offer an added value on the day, such as free or half-price entrances, guided tours, conferences, etc. In addition to the opening of sites, special activities can also be organised. Even though they are not compulsory, they will definitely contribute to the success of the event. They can enhance the sites (for instance, an exhibition in a former and empty synagogue), or shed a particular light on Jewish traditions, by means of concerts, conferences, plays, etc. 5. PROMOTION 5.1. On-line programme at: www.jewisheritage.org Participants have at their disposal the interactive AEPJ website, to access with their own special password, in order to directly enter their activities and events (for details please contact aepj@jewisheritage.org). Additional information can also be shared via facebook. If you prefer the Secretariat to get your program online for you, you can send the information in English language by email. The information should ideally be submitted on the form provided in Annex I, but must, at least, contain the following items: type of activity/date and time/venue/contact details.
5.2. Poster The purpose of the poster is twofold: to guarantee promotion before and during the event and to signpost the sites. The Secretariat is in charge of creating a joint poster which will be distributed in electronic version including all graphic elements. You can download the poster from the following link: http://www.jewisheritage.org/arxius/temp/poster_edjc2013.zip The use of the logo of the AEPJ and the Council of Europe is obligatory. You can edit the title and other text in your own language, as well as complementing these with other elements, such as a list of participating cities, organisations, logos, etc. However the poster should in any case retain the supplied elements, in order to guarantee an overall European image of the event. Please send a few copies of the poster and of the issued programme to the Secretary office for its archives. 5.3. Distribution of posters and programmes It is recommended to distribute the poster and the leaflets in schools, universities, museums, municipalities, administrations, tourist agencies, cultural associations, libraries, and shops, etc. The success of the Day depends on the promotion you make of it!! 5.4. European program After the event, the European organisation will prepare a general program including all the organised activities, with all the information, photos and other graphic material received from each country. In case we do not receive the information within the established period we cannot guarantee to include it in the general program. 6. COMMUNICATION 6.1. Promotion in the media, local, regional and national press The AEPJ will issue a general press release about the event, which will be sent to all known participants, to be completed with the specific national, regional or local information, in order to pass it on to those media which they consider appropriate. The contact with the different media is up to each organiser.
7. DAY D: RECEIVING THE VISITORS It is important to make sure that the sites to be visited are clean, clearly signposted and accessible. Resting points, as well as the complementary information and additional materials should also be supplied. The motivation of the people/volunteers who will attend visitors is crucial: the quality of the reception is an aspect that visitors will keep in mind. Do not forget to control the number of visitors. If possible, also take note of anecdotes, most frequent questions and all those things which might help to improve future editions. 8. EVALUATION 8.1. Number of visitors and brief analysis It is essential to send the assessment form (see Annex II), containing the total number of visitors, as well as of the activities carried out, to the AEPJ secretariat on the following day (mail to: aepj@jewisheritage.org ). This is important for the issue of the post-event press release, which will be sent to all organisers to pass on to their media contacts, in order to promote the success of the event. 8.2. Photographs of the Day Please remember to send photographs and videos of the event to the Secretariat for their publication on the Website and facebook, as soon as possible, since visual promotion is of ever increasing importance. 8.3. Press articles Compile and send a copy of all the press articles (specifying name of the medium and date of publication) to the Secretary Office. If possible, radio interviews and TV broadcastings should be compiled, too. We would like to compile a general press review report to send to all participating countries. 8.4. Evaluation meeting Every year an evaluation meeting is celebrated in order to assess the results of the event and to prepare the edition of the next year. All information is available on our web site. 9. FINANCING 9.1. Locally Since the event depends on the good-will of its organisers, it has to be based on self-financing. It should be looked for local, regional, national, or even transnational grants in the fields of culture, tourism, education or religion, which may be offered by public or private authorities. 9.2. European Coordination So far, the partners forming the AEPJ have joined their economic and human resources in order to ensure the general coordination of the event, as well as the publication of the Programme of Programmes, through an annual fee.