New online platform “Knowing Jews and Judaism”

A new online platform, “Knowing Jews and Judaism,” has just been developed and published, and can be accessed at this link: www.italia.dejaproject.com

The platform aims to:
• Raise awareness of the history, culture, and life of Jews, with a particular focus on Italy.
• Raise awareness of the specificity of Judaism in its diverse and complex forms.
• Encourage recognition of Jews and Judaism as an essential component of Italian and European society, history, and culture.
• Raise awareness of a critical approach to entrenched and internalized prejudices and hostility.

The platform contains an educational package, designed primarily for the first three years of secondary school, but also of interest to a broader and more diverse audience. It can be offered and accepted in its entirety or even just in parts.
It offers an online, asynchronous, multimedia, and interactive course, with texts, images, videos, and various activations, aimed at stimulating curiosity, in-depth study and independent reflection, awareness, and critical thinking.

The course is divided into four modules:
1. Jews and Judaism: the most important cultural and religious aspects.
2. The two-thousand-year presence of Jewish communities in Italy and their history.
3. Stories: some examples of Jewish influence and contribution to Italian and European society.
4. Recognizing anti-Jewish prejudices

For schools:
In addition to the course, two School-to-Work programs are offered, aimed at developing and further creatively leveraging learning, actively engaging students, and empowering them to become promoters of Jewish cultural heritage.

The two Work-Based Training programs are:
• “Beteavòn – Buon appetito,” which involves designing and preparing a menu of Italian Jewish cuisine for a tasting event.
• “Travel Design,” which involves planning a study trip focusing on the Jewish artistic and cultural heritage in Italy.

The platform developed by the UCEI is part of the European project “D.E.J.A. – Digital Education about Jews and Antisemitism”, funded by the C.E.R.V. program for policies to prevent and combat antisemitism, including through education. In addition to Italy, it involves other countries: Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.