Tel Aviv: Białystok Jews and Polish Righteous
The conference will be held in Jerusalem, Yehud and Tel Aviv between November 15th and 17th, 2010. Dr. Grażyna Olszewska-Baka is the congress chairwoman.
The project was created in cooperation with Yad Vashem, the Beth Hatefutsoth Museum in Tel Aviv and the University of Białystok. “The International Congress evolved from the idea of Restoring Memory of East European Jewry started at the Białystok Congress held in May 2009, during which a resolution recommending establishing the Institute for Eastern European Jewish Heritage in Białystok was passed”, writes Dr. Grażyna Olszewska-Baka.
The Białystok and Grodno regions can be seen as prewar centers of Eastern European Jewry and of a dynamic development of the Jewish space. According to the organizers of the congress, it is the area where the “modern role of the Polish Jewry in the world” was shaped.
On the third day of the conference, November 17th, at the Beth Hatefutsoth Museum in Tel Aviv will take place a special session devoted to the rescuing of Jews. This panel discussion is entitled “Testimonies of the Memory witnesses and the Righteous Among the Nations”. The panel devoted to the Righteous will be a part of the second plenary session, which will last from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.
Among the most important subjects of the conference are: “The European history and identity of Białystok Jews in the world”, “Cultural and historical role of Eastern European Jews”, “The universal role of Białystok Jews”, “Polish-Jewish relations in the Białystok region – between particularism, integration with Polish culture and a general approach. Processes of assimilation of the Jews from Kresy”, “Attitudes of young people from Europe and Israel towards anti-Semitism and stereotypes”, “Polish-Jewish communication and dialogue”.
The detailed program of the conference can be found on the website of the Michel de Montaigne French-Polish Foundation for New Democratic Practices.
