Center of Studies Zakhor has ceased its activities.

This site gathers the result of work done during the period 2008 - 2012.

Why the Center of Studies ZAKHOR?

We see the importance today of presenting to the civil society, the scientific world, the universities and research centers, the public administration and the Jewish collectivity at large, the contribution of a Jewish dimension to the reading of history and the interpretation of legacy, for its better understanding and comprehension.

This Center of Studies will take care of research and work in issues related with Jewish heritage, tangible and intangible, from a perspective that accounts for the collective Jewish memory and its capacity of transmitting.

We propose to take the experience of the Jewish people as a primordial element to explain its transcendence. By raising the knowledge of Jewish presence at all times -including today- we seek to contribute to the cultural diversity of our society, bringing in elements for this new phase of respect and coexistence in Europe.

From this position, we will ask meaningful questions for our times, such as: what is the value of heritage? who are we preserving for? what use should be given to heritage? what are the ethical limits of scientific research? how do we interpret historical data? etc.

Center of Studies ZAKHOR was created to

• Sensitize the society in general, the Jewish communities and the public administration, about the value of a heritage common to us all and the benefits of transmitting it at national and European levels.
• Encourage the preservation and appreciation of sites with historic, cultural or religious Jewish interest.
• Protect ancient cemeteries from any kind of abandonment, damage, exhumation, destruction or improper actions.
• Propose actions to raise their significance based -among others- on local directives and national regulations about citizen’s rights as well as agreements between the nations and the Jewish communities, according to which cemeteries are inviolable.
• Offer an expert Jewish participation to bring in contents for the use of heritage that will help its better understanding.
• Facilitate communication among different interested agents (national and local administrations, museums, Jewish communities, universities and private entities) to interpret and transmit the development and contributions of Judaism and Jewish culture in these lands as well as in the Diaspora.
• Collaborate with the public administration in its tasks to study and preserve the national historic heritage, seeking solutions for complex situations in a way that they are compatible with Jewish tradition.
• Collaborate with local and international experts on the subject, in their tasks to study and preserve the national historic heritage, seeking solutions for complex situations in a way that they are compatible with Jewish tradition.
• Study and analyze the process of reinsertion, development and contribution of Jewish culture to the Catalan and Spanish societies, since its return at the end of XIX c., after four centuries of absence.

All actions and activities will be oriented towards the fulfillment of these objectives.

Center of Studies ZAKHOR is a not for profit entity, whose main area of activity is Catalonia and any other geographic reference be it national or international related with its mission and interests.