“AN IDENTITY IN THE BALANCE” – Teacher Training Course

CORSO DI FORMAZIONE DOCENTI* – VI EDIZIONE

TEACHER TRAINING COURSE – VI EDITION

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNEY BETWEEN CULTURE, ART, AND HISTORY

January 8 – May 4, 2026

Starting January 8, 2026, one of the most awaited training events for teachers across Italy returns: the sixth edition of the course “Jews and Judaism in the Contemporary Age,” an interdisciplinary program that will run until May 4, 2026, offering 54 hours of free online training. The course is accredited on the ministerial platform SOFIA (code 102028).

The initiative is a collaboration between the Department of Cultural Heritage and Activities of the Jewish Community of Rome, the Progetto Memoria Association, and CeRSE – Roman Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. This year, it has been enriched with a new, exceptional partner: the Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage in Italy (FBCEI), which will curate the module dedicated to the vast Jewish cultural heritage present in our country. The 2026 edition, titled “Identity in the Balance,” embodies the purpose of the program: to explore how Jewish identity has developed, transformed, and interacted with the surrounding world in the contemporary age. The topics will include integration and belonging, moments of dialogue and openness experienced by European Jewish communities, and the fractures dramatically created by history, particularly with anti-Jewish persecution and the Holocaust. The goal is to offer tools for understanding a complex and rich reality, recognizing the contribution that Judaism has made to European culture, science, and society, before and after the Holocaust. The course also stems from the need, now more pressing than ever, to promote knowledge and awareness at a time when anti-Semitism is once again resurfacing forcefully and the number of direct witnesses to the Holocaust is progressively decreasing.

The structure is designed to allow everyone, teachers and enthusiasts, to easily follow the lessons: 18 meetings over four months, 36 lectures, 33 teachers and experts, and 54 hours of training activities. Each meeting lasts 90 minutes, with one hour of presentation and a half hour dedicated to in-depth discussion and discussion. All lessons are held online and recorded for access at any time. Materials, bibliographies, abstracts, and presentations will be available on the Progetto Memoria website, creating a permanent database. Teachers can earn training credits by attending at least 15 hours.

In addition to modules dedicated to Jewish culture, the memory of the Holocaust, and portraits of families and historical figures who have shaped Italian and European Judaism, this year’s program introduces three new thematic strands: aspects of contemporary Israeli society, for a more informed understanding of the complexity of the State of Israel; Judaism and Psychoanalysis, a journey combining the Bible, dreams, Freud, Jung, and ethical reflections; and Jewish cultural heritage in Italy, a journey through synagogues, archives, catacombs, cemeteries, and ancient books, curated by the FBCEI.

The course is based on the commitment of a scientific committee composed of scholars and professionals from universities, cultural institutions, and Jewish communities: Silvia Haia Antonucci (Jewish Community of Rome), Stefania Buccioli (Italian Philosophical Society and Progetto Memoria), Tommaso Caliò (University of Rome “Tor Vergata”), Sarah Catelani (Jewish Community of Rome), Andreina Draghi (FBCEI), Claudia Hassan (University of Rome “Tor Vergata”), Claudio Procaccia (Jewish Community of Rome), Giorgio Segrè (FBCEI), Liana (Lilli) Spizzichino (Jewish Community of Rome), and Sandra Terracina (Associazione Progetto Memoria). Alongside them, 33 professors represent the heart of the initiative: rabbis, historians, psychologists, scholars, archaeologists, journalists, essayists, and professionals active in Italy and abroad. Their lectures, diverse in approach and content, ensure a multidisciplinary and up-to-date perspective. The course is not limited to lectures. Teachers are encouraged to bring the topics covered to class, engaging students in in-depth activities. The papers may be published on the Progetto Memoria website, thus contributing to the dissemination of content and the development of new teaching projects.

Teachers and professionals wishing to participate in the course are invited to email eventi@progettomemoria.info, including their name, surname, telephone number, email address, place of residence, and, if teachers, the school and subject taught. Tenured teachers can also register via the SOFIA platform (code 102028); however, email confirmation is required to receive the lesson links.

THE COURSE IS: FREE, ONLINE AND OPEN TO ALL

For more information click on the following link