Institute for Jewish Culture
Started its activities in 1975. Our goal is dual: to stimulate and support cultural activities conducted by Jewish groups and organizations as well as to prevent antisemitism and ethnic prejudice by initiating and supporting informational and educational activities on all subjects connected to Jewish historical experience and present and, in this context, to the subject of Holocaust and its lessons, essential for shaping a decent, democratic society.
We are convinced that preventing ethnic prejudice is essential for preserving and strengthening democracy. Thus, as time went by, activities aimed at general public became increasingly important. Consequently, most of our present activities are aimed at broadly defined general public, that is schools, organizations and individuals.
In order to be able to answer the needs of school pupils, teachers and the general public, we have built up a reference library and a collection of audiovisual materials covering the subject of the Holocaust as well as Judaism, Jewish history, etc, and put these resources at the disposal of the users. In our daytoday activities we want to assist teachers, students and the general public by offering materials, tutoring and advices on how to organize different types of group activities and individual projects. On our Internet site a visitor can find basic materials on the Jews in Sweden, their history and present, on Judaism, our catalogue as well as links to other sites of interest.
On this background, the Living History project meant for us a tremendous intensification of our daytoday work. The requests for assistance, tutoring and loans of materials from both general public and the school sector increased periodically to the utmost limits of our ability. During this period we also published new materials on the Holocaust and connected issues.
After 24 years of continuous activity we are quite well known and appreciated. It is obvious to us that the informational and educational needs, as well as their importance in the continuous fight for democracy, are tremendous. Thus, we are often frustrated by awareness of insufficient work, this as a result of a permanent lack of adequate means; but also proud of our contribution to the work for a better society.
We think that if consciously followed up, the Living History project, with all its democratic potential, might have turned a new page in our societies.
For further information:
IJK, Institute for Jewish Culture, Winstrupsgatan 1, Se-222 22 Lund
Tel: +46-46-148052, Fax: +46-46-148784
e-mail: ijk@ijk-s.se