Many Jewish sites protected by UNESCO
Under the World Heritage Convention, UNESCO protects many sites linked to Jewish culture and traditions, including the Jewish quarters of Budapest, Hungary; Odessa, Ukraine; and Prague, Czech Republic. It also protects the historic synagogues of Delos, Greece, and the ShUM sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz in Germany.
Created in 1965, the World Monuments Fund quickly became a leading partner of UNESCO. Both organizations have completed iconic restoration projects in the city of Venice, Italy; the Mahadev temple complex in Nepal; the Citadelle Laferrière in Haiti; and the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia.
Since 1988, the World Monuments Fund’s Jewish Heritage Program (JHP) has contributed to the conservation and protection of nearly 60 sites in 28 countries. In its early days, the JHP was primarily dedicated to the restoration of Ashkenazic synagogues in Central and Eastern Europe in the aftermath of the dissolution of the USSR. The scope of the program has gradually expanded, implementing projects in Brazil, China, Morocco and India, ranging from documenting traditional houses in Uzbekistan to preserving the oral histories of Cape Verde’s Sephardic community .
This partnership with UNESCO makes it possible to launch new initiatives in Eastern Europe, particularly in Ukraine. It will also improve inventories and protection of Jewish heritage in Central Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Arab world.
