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UNESCO Conference in Bardejov
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On May 5th, the ‘UNESCO Conference for the Development of Sustainable Tourism’ was held in Bardejov, Slovakia. Mr. Emil Fish, founder of Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee, Ms. Orit Stieglitz, Executive Director of BJPC and Mr. Giora Solar, architect of the Bardejov Holocaust Memorial, were invited to participate in the conference by Mr. Boris Hanuščák, mayor of the city of Bardejov and Mr. Norbert Kurilla, State Secretary at the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic. On the evening of May 4th, after a special welcoming ceremony for VIP conference guests in the historic city hall of Bardejov, guests were invited to see the Holocaust Memorial and the restored synagogue. The Jewish Suburbia of Bardejov was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 2000 together with the Old City Center of Bardejov.
Below is an excerpt about the conference taken from the official invitation:
“This conference was the flagship event of the UNESCO World Heritage Center. The aim of the conference was to bring together about 250 policy makers from the Slovak Republic and the V4 countries, as well as a range of stakeholders from state and public administration, self-government, international organizations, academia and business community and civil society. The purpose was to hold an open debate on the development of sustainable tourism in Central European Regions leveraging the UNESCO brand, form partnerships and engage in an open discussion on these topical issues.”
Click the photos below to enlarge them.
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“Family Picture” outside of Bardejov City Hall (shared from the Facebook page of Mayor Boris Hanuščák, click for full gallery)
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Mr. Fish, Ms. Stieglitz, and Mr. Solar presenting the Bardejov Holocaust Memorial to the group (shared from the Facebook page of Mayor Boris Hanuščák, click for full gallery)
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Mr. Emil Fish signs the guestbook at the old City Hall (shared from the Facebook page of Mayor Boris Hanuščák, click for full gallery)
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Mr. Fish and Ms. Stieglitz at the old City Hall (shared from the Facebook page of Mayor Boris Hanuščák, click for full gallery)
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invitation sent to VIPs about the tour of the Memorial
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Mr. Giora Solar, Architect of the Bardejov Holocaust Memorial, speaks at the conference
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Memorial Ceremony on June 28th
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As mentioned in our last e-mail, we will be holding our yearly memorial ceremony in Bardejov on June 28th. It will not be part of a two-day event as previously announced; we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
The ceremony will include the participation of the local community, and as always, you are invited to join us. As in previous years, the ceremony will be held inside the Bardejov Holocaust Memorial and will start sometime in the late afternoon or early evening. We will let you know once we have an exact hour.
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Educational Visits to the Memorial
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It is almost three years since the Bardejov Holocaust Memorial was dedicated and the memorial’s message: Remember – Honor – Reconnect means that, in practice this site is not only a commemorative place, but also an educational instrument for the general public as well as for teachers and their students. Its importance within the city and throughout the region is confirmed by repeated visits from local schools, and their counterparts in EU countries, that are hosted by Peter and Pavol Hudak who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with others. As you can see in the photos below, during the last two weeks the Bardejov Holocaust Memorial has been visited by more than 150 students from Bardejov region as well as from Norway, Iceland, Germany, France and the Czech Republic. In order to provide contextual recognition and a better understanding of the rich history of the Bardejov Jewish Community, one part of this sizeable student group has also visited the Chevra Bikkur Cholim Synagogue (the small synagogue on Klastorska Street that remained intact during the war). We still continue in our mission to closely collaborate with local schools. Thus, in the following weeks we will continue to organize more educational lectures and visits. In the meantime, we are holding our annual essay contest which, this year, focuses on the fate of Jewish heritage sites in Bardejov and its vicinity.
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Cyril Bogol gives a lecture to students inside the Chevra Bikkur Cholim Synagogue
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A large group of students visits the Bardejov Holocaust Memorial
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Our mission is to preserve Bardejov’s Jewish Heritage, memorialize and honor Bardejov Holocaust victims, and conduct educational outreach to school and community groups to teach tolerance and diversity. The Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee is not funded by any grants and depends solely on the support of generous individuals.
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Tell your friends about BJPC:
If you have any friends, or know of someone who may be interested in our organization, please invite them to fill out our mailing list request form so that they can receive updates and information from us.
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150 S. Los Robles Ave., Suite 480, Pasadena CA 91105; 626.773.8804; from Israel: 03.763.5525;
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