Course description
This course examines how European cities reconstruct the Jewish past in the urban landscape. It focuses on the transformation of former Jewish neighborhoods, synagogues, cemeteries, and museums into heritage sites after the destruction of European Jewry during the Shoah.

Students investigate the rise of Jewish heritage preservation after 1945, the reconstruction of historic Jewish quarters, and their role in shaping public narratives about the Jewish past. The course also examines the growth of Jewish heritage tourism, the commercialization of Jewish memory, and debates about authenticity and ownership. Who produces Jewish heritage and for whom, and to what extent have these projects transformed the Jewish past into a cultural commodity or tourist spectacle? What happens when Jewish memory becomes part of national cultural policy? We will also discuss a striking paradox: Jewish presence in many European cities is minimal today, yet the Jewish past is prominently displayed in the built environment. What has been called "virtual Judaism" is part of a broader politics of memory, including efforts at historical reckoning and symbolic expiation after the Holocaust.

Case studies include Berlin, Prague, Kraków, Budapest, Vienna, Paris, and Amsterdam, where the Jewish past has become a visible element of the urban landscape. One unit focuses on Venice, a test case for the politics of Jewish heritage in Europe. Following a field trip, students will examine the preservation of the Venetian Ghetto, and the transformation of the area into a major heritage site visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists. Venice illustrates how Jewish history is reconstructed in a city where the Jewish population is very small, how the ghetto has been integrated into the city's global tourism economy. At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Analyze how European cities reconstruct Jewish history through heritage sites.
• Evaluate scholarly interpretations of Jewish heritage revival, including debates on "virtual Judaism," commercialization of memory, and the role of tourism in shaping public narratives.
• Compare heritage policies and urban memory practices across cities such as Berlin, Prague, Kraków, Budapest, Paris, Amsterdam and Venice.

This seminar-style course is discussion-based. It is designed to draw students from various disciplines. It does not require prior knowledge. The course uses clear case studies and avoids highly-specialized historiography. The focus is on one key question: how and why European cities reconstruct and display Jewish history in places where Jewish communities are often small or absent today.

Evaluation methods
Evaluation is based on the following components:

• Weekly one-page "reaction papers" -- talking points on the readings, preparation for class discussion: 20%.
• One field trip report (approximately 5-7 pages): 20%. Students visit the Venetian Ghetto, record their observations, and use the course readings to analyze the site as a case study of Jewish urban memory, tourism, and heritage politics.
• One class presentation based on a short opinion essay (4–6 pages): 20%. Students submit a 4–6 pages opinion piece addressing a specific topic discussed in the course and present their argument in class.
• One final research paper (approximately 15-20 pages): 40%. Under my mentorship, students formulate and answer a research question using sources from one or more relevant disciplines.

Reading list

Karen E. Till, The New Berlin: Memory, Politics, Place (2005).

Michael Meng, Shattered Spaces: Encountering Jewish Ruins in Postwar Germany and Poland (2011). Erica T. Lehrer, Jewish Poland Revisited: Heritage Tourism in Unquiet Places (2013).

Shaul Bassi, "The Ghetto, Venice: The Future of a Memory Site." Jewish Culture and History 15, no. 3 (2014): 189–201.

Ruth Ellen Gruber, "Beyond Virtually Jewish: New Authenticities and Real Imaginary Spaces of Jewish Heritage in Europe." Jewish Quarterly Review 108, no. 3 (2018): 396–420.

Magdalena Waligórska and Erica Lehrer (eds.), Jewish Heritage, Jewish Tourism, Jewish Memory (2022).

Course duration: 40 hours of tuition
Credits equivalence: 6 ECTS

Last updated: August 7, 2026