Last week, from May 12th to 14th, 61 high school students and their teachers from Germany, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine came together in Berlin to celebrate the ending of the Building Bridges through Youth Encounter project. During their visit in Berlin, the students presented graphic novels and a student exhibition celebrating local Jewish women's stories, which they had worked in international and national groups since their last meeting in November 2024 in Warsaw. While celebrating the successful launch of their project work, our participants also explored Berlin's Jewish heritage through a city-wide scavenger hunt, a visit to the Topography of Terror and exploring the region near the Hackescher Markt- a specific focus being the end of World War II and remembrance culture as part of the commemorative year 2025. Funded by the German Foreign Office Auswärtiges Amt , this initiative fostered cross-cultural exchange and dialogue among youth, focusing on “Local Jewish History from Women’s Perspectives.” By promoting multiperspectivity, media literacy, and a gender-balanced approach to memory culture, the project aimed to empower young people to combat antisemitism and appreciate diverse narratives within Jewish history. We want to congratulate all students involved and tell you to keep an eye out for the online presentation of their graphic novels and exhibition on Jewish women! We're also deeply grateful to all the partners, national coordinators, and schools involved ( Żydowskie Muzeum Galicja , Muzeul de Istorie a Evreilor din Republica Moldova / Jewish Museum Moldova , Dział Edukacji Żydowskiego Muzeum Galicja / GJM Education Department Інша Освіта / Insha Osvita and Olga Polyak). and can't wait to see these artistic projects come to life! The closing of this project marked also the kick-off of our Imagine project, a new initiative that will carry on the legacy of preserving Jewish women's voices. This event was thus also co-financed by the EU ( European Commission ) We are deeply grateful to the Polish Institute Berlin for providing us with our conference venue and hospitality. 📸 by Shendl Copitman (fb)

Between May 11-13, we held our 14th professional development seminar for teachers from Israeli and European Jewish schools in Budapest, Hungary. In the framework of Centropa Jewish Network (CJN), the seminar brought together 22 educators from 9 different countries for several inspiring days of learning and collaboration. Participants explored the Centropa database and educational resources, with a special focus on 20th-century Jewish history of Budapest and the personal stories of Jewish women. The seminar provided meaningful professional development and offered new ideas and innovative approaches for integrating 20th-century Jewish history and personal narratives into classroom teaching. Highlights of the seminar included: Exploring Budapest’s Jewish heritage—its past and present Engaging with the HerStories Project, which features personal stories of Jewish women from Hungary, Germany, Poland, Greece, and Slovakia, along with accompanying teaching materials Collaborating with fellow educators to develop new lesson plans and cross-border projects Becoming part of a vibrant community of passionate educators dedicated to bringing Jewish history and personal stories into their classrooms. The seminar was co-funded by the European Commission and the Jack Buncher Foundation. Photo credit: Robert Bácsi (fb)