Jewish Pasts as European Heritage: Memory and Belonging in Eastern Europe

This article examines how four European cultural and heritage initiatives represent Jewish pasts in post-communist East Central Europe. Comparing projects in Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and Romania, it traces portrayals of Jewish cultural life, persecution, recovery, and European belonging. The findings show how urban programmes foreground biographies, transnational routes connect dispersed sites, heritage labels articulate European significance, and awards recognise specific practices. European recognition broadens institutional visibility but does not necessarily deepen historical interpretation or demonstrate changes in public memory. The analysis highlights the importance of local historical specificity and Jewish agency within wider European heritage narratives.