The European Routes of Jewish Heritage Incubator 2026 Kicks off in Slovakia, Exploring the Role of Jewish Heritage in Local Development
Bratislava, 19 October 2026 – The 8th edition of the European Routes of Jewish Heritage (ERJH) Incubator is now underway in Slovakia! From 19 to 21 October, professionals and heritage practitioners from across our European network are coming together in Bratislava, Trnava and Trenčín for three days of learning, exchange and collaboration under this year’s theme: “The contribution of Jewish heritage to local development.”
Organised by the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ), in close cooperation with the Jewish Heritage Foundation – Menorah, coordinator of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Route, the Incubator has become a key annual gathering for our network, combining professional development with opportunities to exchange experiences and strengthen connections across Europe.
This year’s edition focuses on a particularly relevant question: how can Jewish heritage contribute to the cultural, social and economic development of the places where it is found? Beyond preservation, the programme explores how heritage can become a living resource for local communities, fostering participation, dialogue and sustainable development.
An inspiring start in Bratislava
Our programme began on Sunday with a warm welcome to Bratislava, including visits to the Museum of Jewish Culture, the Bratislava Synagogue and the Jewish Community Museum, followed by a reception generously hosted by the local Jewish community.
Monday’s sessions at the Jewish Community Centre have already provided a stimulating start to the Incubator.
Jeremy Leigh, from Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and a member of the ERJH Scientific Committee, led an excellent opening keynote exploring the contribution of Jewish heritage to local development, followed by a highly engaging workshop on practical tools for assessing the impact of Jewish heritage routes.
These sessions have offered valuable perspectives and generated thoughtful discussions among participants, encouraging us to reflect not only on how we preserve and interpret Jewish heritage, but also on how we understand, measure and communicate its wider contribution to the communities and territories around us.
The programme continues this afternoon with a collaborative workshop led by Marc Francesch Camps, AEPJ’s European Routes of Jewish Heritage Project Manager, dedicated to developing a new approach to presenting our European network through its website, followed by a session with Maroš Borský on Jewish heritage in Slovakia as a medium of dialogue.
Three cities, one shared conversation
Over the coming days, the Incubator will take participants beyond Bratislava to explore Jewish heritage across Slovakia, combining site visits with discussions on local partnerships, sustainable tourism and heritage management.
On Tuesday, in Trnava, Alessia Mariotti, from the University of Bologna, will lead a workshop on building local alliances around Jewish heritage, examining how cultural routes can engage with different stakeholders and contribute to territorial development.
The programme will culminate on Wednesday, 21 October, at the magnificent Trenčín Synagogue, with the international conference “European Cultural Routes and Their Role in Local Heritage Development”, part of the official programme of Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture.
Opening the conversation to a wider range of European cultural routes, institutions and heritage professionals, the conference will feature contributions from Rui Gomes, Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and Director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes, alongside experts and representatives of cultural routes and heritage initiatives from across Europe.
It will provide a valuable opportunity to connect the experience of Jewish heritage routes with broader European discussions on cultural heritage, community engagement and local development.
A special thank you to our Slovak partners
None of this would be possible without the dedication and generosity of our local partners.
We would like to express our warmest gratitude to Maroš Borský and the entire team of the Jewish Heritage Foundation – Menorah, for their outstanding work, commitment and hospitality in making this edition of the Incubator possible.
Our sincere thanks also go to the Jewish Communities of Bratislava and Trenčín, the University of Trnava, the Trnava Regional Tourism Board and all the local partners and institutions contributing to the programme.
We are delighted to be discovering Slovakia’s extraordinary Jewish heritage together and, above all, to continue strengthening a European network built on cooperation, shared learning and the conviction that Jewish heritage is an essential part of Europe’s living cultural landscape.
More to come from Slovakia over the next two days!
