UNESCO heritage, remembrance, and contemporary identity: festivities of Jewish culture in small towns in the Czech Republic

Třebíč, the only Czech town with its Jewish quarter listed as UNESCO World Heritage, has transformed its historical legacy through two annual festivals—Shamayim Jewish Culture Festival and Jewish Town Revived. These events have redefined the Jewish material culture from a neglected past into a prestigious identity marker for today's non-Jewish population. Through long-term fieldwork (2017–present), this study reveals how the festivals appropriate tangible monuments and intangible references, blending them with contemporary performances—predominantly by non-Jewish artists—to reimagine Jewish heritage. The research explores the boundaries of historical fidelity in these celebrations while examining their broader impact on urban revitalization and collective memory.

Skořepová, Z. (2024). UNESCO heritage, remembrance, and contemporary identity: festivities of Jewish culture in small towns in the Czech Republic. Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 24(1), 137–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725886.2024.2417294