| Centropa

Survival in Sarajevo. Jews, Muslims, Serbs and Croats working together during the Siege of Sarajevo, 1992-1995

The Bosnian-Serb siege of Sarajevo lasted for more than three years, starting in April 1992. Electricity, water and food supplies were cut off and only sporadically supplied, 11,541 citizens were shot by snipers or killed by mortars - right in the heart of Europe.

In a faded, turn-of-the-century synagogue, a group of Holocaust survivors and their offspring created La Benevolencija, the Jewish humanitarian aid agency. Who worked there? Jews and Muslims, Serbian Orthodox and Catholic Croats - all those who never believed one ethnic group was superior to another.

The Jewish World of Yesterday, the Hope of Today - Lithuania

Centropa's bilingual exhibition "The Jewish World of Yesterday, the Hope of Today" consists of nine panels, presenting personal stories and photos that show Jewish life in Lithuania during the 20th century. The exhibition, based on Centropa biographies, was first opened in 2012 and has been revised and expanded in 2022, adding a panel on Jewish customs and traditions for more context.

A working group of Lithuanian and US teachers has developed methods and approaches on how to work with the exhibition in the classroom.

Jewish Witness to a Polish Century (Hebrew | English)

The Library of Rescued Memories - Photos and Stories from 15 Countries

"The Library of Rescued Memories" is an exhibition based on Jewish family stories from fifteen different countries, and the old family photos that go with them. The exhibition tells the story of the 20th century from the perspective of our interviewees: they came from families that were bakers and factory workers, teachers and nurses, translators and doctors, administrators and bookkeepers. The exhibition is filled with stories about childhood, school, love, marriage, building a family, and also about how people survived the Holocaust, how they could start their lives over.

Jewish Witness to a Polish Century

About the exhibition:

Romania - 2012. How Anti-Semitic Are We Still' (2)

And as if all of these weren’t enough, the Dan Şova case popped out (Romanian politician, History faculty graduate who, during a TV programme in March 2012 denied the Holocaust (deflective denial); he later apologized; he was later appointed minister). On the website of Evenimentul Zilei newspaper an article was posted on March 9th 2012 Victor Ponta: Dan Şova, ignorant, not anti-Semitic (Victor Ponta is the leader of the political party Dan Şova is a member of).

Border Jumping project Jewish School Berlin

Romania - 2012. How Anti-Semitic Are We Still'

Happy the author who finds the appropriate sources! And, indeed, without much trouble, the relevant sources for the issue raised by the title revealed themselves to me and helped me shape an image. The story began when surfing – naively enough – the Internet and found the article The journalist Hal Vaughan:” Coco Chanel was a Nazi spy. She hated the Jews.” (author: Iulian Ioncea) posted on the website of the newspaper Adevărul (August 14th 2012). An article like any other, nothing special, about an anti-Semitic Coco Chanel.

Slideshow Images

Cold Fruit Soups

photo taken by VancityAllie, on August 1, 2010, CC licensing

Tidbits savory with garlic and vinegar or satiny with schmaltz may pique the appetite, but for many Jews, no real meal begins without soup. So for much of the calendar, stocks simmer on the stove for hours, and out of the oniony fog come golden chicken soup, earthy mushroom and barley, tangy borscht--brought to the table steaming hot.

Slideshow Images