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Jewish heritage has become an important action programme of B'nai B'rith Europe for ten years now. Indeed, the first open-door days took place in 1996 in Alsace, France, organized by B'nai B'rith Lodge Hirschler, together with the tourist agency of Lower Alsace.
This year, there are not less than 30 participating countries throughout Europe, which will organise the European Day of Jewish Culture on Sunday 3 September 2006.
Information on this event will be found on the website www.jewisheritage.org Numerous Lodges throughout Europe play a key role in organising this day, so that the involvement of B'nai B'rith as a pioneer and as a key actor in this respect are now well known.
It must also be recalled that the European Route of Jewish Heritage received a certification on 5 December 2005 in Strasbourg as a Major European Cultural Route from the Council of Europe, due to the continuing action of BBE Commission on Jewish Heritage.
The development of this Route continues through the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage, based in Luxembourg, which was founded by B'nai B'rith Europe, in cooperation with the European Council of Jewish Communities and the Route of Spanish Jewry.
A meeting was held in Bucharest in April 2006, in order to assist the Rumanian authorities to set up a Rumanian Route of Jewish heritage. The president of the Jewish Heritage Commission of BBE, Claude Bloch, met on this occasion with the president of the Lodge of Bucharest.
Other missions of the BBE commission aim at a further development of the project. Vice-president Laure Amoyel went to Warsaw at the end of May to attend a meeting of European Jewish foundations and describe these projects to them.
Finally, François Moyse, also Vice-president of the commission, travelled to Marseille, France, to meet the President of the new French association which is preparing the European Day of Jewish Culture in France and in which B'nai B'rith plays a central role.
The commission calls upon all Brothers and Sisters to contact the national coordinator of the Day or the BBE office in Brussels for further information.
Article by François Moyse
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