Rashi and Troyes – Memory and Place in 21st Century Europe
An Online Event by the Moreshet Jewish Heritage Network
March 14, 18-19:30 CET
For 1,000 years, the teachings of the Jewish scholar and innovative commentator Rashi of Troyes have shaped our humanist, moral and legal values. There is now an initiative to have Rashi and the wider region where he was active in France recognized by the European Heritage Label. This is especially significant because, of the 60 sites granted the European Heritage Label by the European Commission, only a few have a Jewish dimension. There is an unbroken connection between Rashi and contemporary Judaism in Europe.
Photo presented by Delphine Yagüe
However, the Shoah and the Cold War continue to dominate perspectives on Jewish heritage resulting in less attention being paid to France, with Europe’s largest Jewish population. The challenge is to raise awareness across Europe of this remarkable heritage even though the material evidence of Rashi
and his school has not survived.
A Public Interest Group has been constituted by the State, the City of Troyes, the Department of Aube, the Region Grand-Est and the Central Consistoire of France to prepare the candidacy for the European Heritage Label designation. The originality of this project to connect the local and regional level where the lack of material artefacts has favored artistic creation and the development of new educational resources and environmentally sustainable tourist networks, with national and international initiatives.
Delphine Yagüe, the Director, and Professor Josef Konvitz, coordinator of the scientific advisory committee for the GIP project, will describe some of the current and planned innovative activities which highlight the European dimension of the site, attracting youth, contributing to the fight against antisemitism, and connecting with the activities of other European Heritage Label sites.
Program 18.00-19:30 CET
18:00: Introduction: Dr. Susanne Urban & Tomasz Wlodarski
18:10: Rashi and Troyes: Memory and Place in 21st Century Europe:
Delphine Yagüe & Prof. Josef Konvitz
19:00: Discussion
19:25: Wrap Up by Michael Mail
Please register for the event here https://forms.gle/Wt3Ykc8mDLnvzwBY9
The Zoom link will be sent just prior to the event.
n Delphine Yagüe has been a freelance consultant for CulturistiQ in cultural and tourism engineering since 2016, after 20 years in project management. She successively held positions as head of media libraries in a business school, director of a private university institute of Hebrew studies, etc. Delphine is a CEJI-accredited trainer involved in the fight against antisemitism. Since July 2023, Delphine has led the Public Interest Group developing the application of Rashi, his work and his thought, to submit to the European Heritage Label in 2025.
Josef W. Konvitz is an historian, authority on economic and urban governance, and former diplomat. He lives in France. Konvitz taught at Michigan State University from 1973 to 1992, when he joined the OECD in Paris. In retirement, he holds an Honorary Professorship from the University of Glasgow, and is a member of the scientific advisory committee of the WHO Europe Healthy Cities programme. Since 2021, he has been active in efforts to prepare the candidacy of Rashi of Troyes in the Aube and Region Grand Est for the European Heritage Label.