European Days of Jewish Culture 2026 Officially Launched in Warsaw

WARSAW, 6 September 2026 – The 27th European Days of Jewish Culture (EDJC) were officially launched in Warsaw on 6 September, marking the first time the programme’s European opening ceremony has taken place in Poland. François Moyse, President of the AEPJ, addressed representatives of Jewish communities, public authorities and cultural organisations as this year’s Europe-wide programme opened under the theme LOVE.

Co-hosted by the AEPJ, the Taube Center for Jewish Life & Learning and the Jewish Community of Warsaw, the ceremony brought together partners from across the cultural and institutional landscape. Representatives of the AEPJ Board and team were also present, underlining the importance of the EDJC as one of the association’s flagship European initiatives.

In his remarks, François Moyse reflected on AEPJ’s role in placing Jewish culture and heritage firmly on the European map, celebrating recent milestones and achievements while looking ahead to the continued development of the network.

The evening began with the blowing of the shofar, a particularly resonant gesture in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, inviting a moment of pause and reflection. Welcoming remarks followed from Helise Lieberman, Director of the Taube Center for Jewish Life & Learning; Sylwia Kędzierska-Jasik, Chair of the Jewish Religious Community of Warsaw; and Alina Marincean, AEPJ Project Manager for the European Days of Jewish Culture.

Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland, offered a commentary, while institutional remarks were delivered by Piotr Rypson, Director of the Department of National Heritage at Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and Maciej Fijałkowski, Secretary of the City of Warsaw.

A central moment of the programme was the presentation of two new publications developed by AEPJ at the request of the European Commission: A Living Story Across Europe – Handbook on Jewish Heritage and Presence, Plurality, Continuity – Handbook on Fostering Jewish Life in Europe. Presented by AEPJ Director Victor Sorenssen together with contributors to the publications, the handbooks form part of the implementation of the EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life 2021–2030 and draw on the contributions of more than forty experts, practitioners and community representatives from across Europe.

The programme also introduced the National Library of Israel’s digital exhibition The Song of Songs: A Jewish Love Story, presented by Naomi Bloom Wurtman, Project Coordinator for Gesher L’Europa. Drawing on the Library’s collections, the exhibition takes the Song of Songs — with its gardens, pomegranates, vineyards and language of longing — as a starting point for exploring how love has been imagined across Jewish culture, from illustrated editions and visual art to music and poetry.

The Warsaw ceremony marked the official beginning of this year’s edition and the start of several months of activities celebrating the richness and diversity of Jewish life and heritage across Europe.