Endorsements and recognition of our work from people of high regard are vitally important to us. They help carry our message and support the challenging work we do. That’s why we were simply delighted to receive a written endorsement this month from Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis KBE. Rabbi Mirvis is only the 11th Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since the office was introduced in 1704.
Our mission to build a Jewish Cultural Heritage Route in Belarus is a significant endeavour. But what does it mean, what will it actually look like, and what is its purpose? Let’s break it down.
First, we need to talk about the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes Programme. Established in 1987, this programme demonstrates, by means of a journey through space and time, how the heritage of different countries and cultures of Europe contributes to a shared and living cultural heritage. The Cultural Routes are grassroots networks promoting the principles underpinning all the work and values of the Council of Europe: human rights, cultural democracy, cultural diversity, mutual understanding, and exchanges across boundaries. They act as channels for intercultural dialogue and promote a better knowledge and understanding of European history.
The Ekdesh Synagogue in Brest Photo credit: Ekdesh Synagogue in Brest – The Together Plan, Belarus – CC BY.
In 2004, the European Route of Jewish Heritage became a certified route within the Cultural Routes Programme, managed by the Barcelona-based NGO, the AEPJ. This is a network comprised of historians, heritage practitioners, museums, and NGOs working to tell the story of the Jews of Europe. In 2019, The Together Plan became a member of the AEPJ to build the route in Belarus as part of the mission to help communities in Belarus come together through the lens of Jewish heritage.
Belarus has a 700-year Jewish story to tell, which is little known. The contributions of Jewish people from this region to the world in terms of art, film, music, religion, and political movements are extraordinary, yet few people know about them. The story of what happened to the Jews in the Soviet Union during the Holocaust is shrouded in mystery—yet 2.7 million were killed on these lands. To understand world Jewry and the Holocaust, you have to know this history, and this is our mission.
Former Bristol Hotel in Polotsk Photo credit_Former Bristol Hotel in Polotsk, Belarus – The Together Plan, Belarus CC BY.
So, what will a Jewish Cultural Heritage Route look like? The plan is to create an online portal that will map all Jewish sites in Belarus—both tangible (still standing) and intangible (places where buildings, cemeteries, memorials once stood but are no longer there). Where were the synagogues, yeshivas, cemeteries, houses where Jews lived, and places where they worked? And where can some of them be found today?
Some of our research to identify buildings in Minsk, now part of a collection on Europeana (Europe’s digital cultural heritage), can be found here—dive in! A note of thanks goes to the Jewish Heritage Network in Amsterdam for inviting us to be part of this project to bring digital Jewish heritage assets to Europeana.
Our portal will feature the personal stories we are collecting, links to other sites offering important information, and pin drops to show where Jewish activity can be found in Belarus today—communities, museums, events, and more. We will feature the audio tours being researched and created by the community heritage clubs that The Together Plan has established in Belarus which are bringing individuals and communities together.
With this portal, people whose families came from Belarus, or indeed anyone interested in Jewish heritage, will be able to plan visits and trips with guidance. They will be able to easily locate, access and use the audio tours, meet with local communities, and, with the help of these communities, visit the sites they themselves researched and have local knowledge of. It will build connections, help people learn and understand more about history, and bring long-suppressed history into the light.
Moreover, this will provide context and meaning to the issues we face today through misinformation and disinformation. When we don’t know history, it’s easy to make it up! We have a duty of care to bring this history into everyone’s consciousness now more than ever before.
So, come on the journey with us. Support, follow, share your stories, and contribute in any way you can. Together, we can bring the rich and complex Jewish heritage of Belarus into the light.
Thank you Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis KBE for your belief and your support.
‘The Chief Rabbi speaks often about the Jewish principle of ‘Achrayut’ – responsibility. This encompasses our responsibility to family, community, wider society, Israel and all of humanity. As Chairman of the Irish National Council for Soviet Jewry (1984 – 1992) he advocated for the freedom of Soviet Jewry.’
To find out more or to share your family story please email us: [email protected]
Letter of endorsement from Chief Rabbi Sir Efraim Mirvis KBE, July 2024
Letter of endorsement from Chief Rabbi Sir Efraim Mirvis KBE, July 2024