Warsaw will host the opening ceremony for the upcoming European Day of Jewish Culture (EDJC) on Sunday, September 6. The theme this year is love. “Few cities embody as much of European Jewish history as Warsaw does: centuries of vibrant Jewish life, its near-complete destruction during the Holocaust, and the determined efforts of remembrance, renewal, and cultural rebirth that continue today,” said the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ), the organization that coordinates the event across Europe.
This year marks the 27th edition of the initiative. The choice of Warsaw “reminds us that love is also an act of resilience: the commitment to rebuild, to remember, to reconnect, and to create new relationships between cultures and generations.” While Poland’s capital will be the main host city, Bologna has been chosen as the leading Italian host city. According to Daniele De Paz, president of the local Jewish community, this designation “represents a success for dialogue, culture, and the opportunity to rebuild a relationship with the city after some rather intense and difficult years.”
Bologna, Italy’s Lead City for 2026
This is the first time that Bologna will serve as Italy’s lead city for the event. De Paz said he hopes this will help restore the central role of the Jewish community of Bologna in institutional relations and everyday life. In recent years, these relations have weakened. This was partly due to the importation of Middle Eastern conflicts into the local context, often affecting the quality of relationships and, at times, limited freedom and open dialogue.
“Now, however, we have a great opportunity,” said De Paz. ” The theme of love certainly helps in this regard. It can be interpreted in many different ways and offers many perspectives and meanings.” De Paz was also pleased to announce a forthcoming event that will bring together Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference with Alfonso Arbib, the president of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis, and Imam Yahya Pallavicini of the Islamic Religious Community.
The Bologna edition of the European Day of Jewish Culture will open with a musical performance. The aim is to break with the traditional opening format of the event. Institutional speeches and greetings will follow. “Representatives of the local and regional governments will certainly attend,” said De Paz. “We also expect members of the national government to participate.”
Working Together with Nearby Jewish Communities
One of De Paz’s goals is to bring together the presidents and representatives of the Jewish communities in Ferrara, Modena, and Parma—the other three cities in the Emilia-Romagna region where a Kehillah is based. “This follows the model of our work as the lead community for the UCEI’s Keshet project under the guidance of our religious minister, Marco Del Monte.” The project aims to strengthen relations between Jewish communities without a permanent rabbi. It also promotes opportunities for meetings and social gatherings throughout the year. “Our community is small but active and dynamic,” said De Paz.
He also shared further details about the program for the European Day of Jewish Culture in September. The event will also close with music. A final concert will be held in the square in front of Bologna’s Holocaust Memorial. The concert will explore the relationship between tango and Judaism. Throughout the day, scholars and rabbis will offer different perspectives on love in Jewish thought and tradition. Events will be held in Jewish venues and more neutral spaces across the city. “We hope to fill these places with meaningful content and a large audience,” said De Paz.
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Translated by Elizabeth El Khoury and revised by Caterina Mansani, students at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste, trainees in the newsroom of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities – Pagine Ebraiche.