The Virtual Museum of Jewish Timişoara was created in February 2021, being funded as a pilot of the Municipality of Timişoara within the project "Rediscover, expose and exploit the concealed Jewish heritage of the Danube Region" DTP2-084-2.2 - REDISCOVER " , a project in which the Municipality of Timișoara is a partner.
The project "REDISCOVER - Rediscover, expose and exploit the concealed Jewish heritage of the Danube Region" was funded by the Transnational Danube Program 2014-2020 of the European Commission (ERDF and IPA funds) and was implemented between 01.06.2018-31.05.2021 . The total value of the project is 1,846,346.45 Euro, the budget for the Municipality of Timișoara being 171,158.05 Euro, of which the ERDF contribution is 85%, the national co-financing through MLPDA is 13%, and the own contribution , from the local budget of Timişoara Municipality, is 2%.
The general objective of the Rediscover project is to use the potential of the Jewish cultural heritage of the partner cities and to develop solutions in the field of tourism based on visibility, accessibility and sustainability. Partners in the project are local governments and cultural / tourist institutions from 8 countries in the Danube region: Szeged (Hungary) - project leader, the Municipality of Timisoara, the Municipality of Galati, local governments and cultural / tourist organizations in Regensburg (Germany), Subotica (Serbia) , Murska Sobota (Slovenia), Osijek (Croatia), Kotor (Montenegro), Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), as well as associated partners, the Jewish Community of Timisoara being the Associate Partner of the Municipality of Timisoara in this project.
One of the most important activities implemented in the Municipality of Timișoara within Rediscover is the creation of the website "Virtual Museum of Jewish Timişoara" - a tourism product.
It is based on a partnership between the Municipality of Timisoara and the Jewish Community of Timisoara, being the result of a successful cooperation in the three years of the project. The Virtual Museum is an important tool in discovering the Jewish contribution to the development of the city of Timisoara, but also a means of community involvement and expression.
The museum intends to:
- present the history, religious life and the traditions of the Jews of Timisoara
- display of the architectural and cultural heritage
- inform about famous personalities from the ranks of Timisoara Jewry
- show their contributions to the economic and cultural development of the city
- preserve and exhibit photographic, audio and video documentary material
- share oral testimonies and memoirs
- present the current vibrant life of the Jewish Community in Timisoara
- inform the public about specific activities of the community
- promote a spirit of openness to other cultures
- serve as an educational and touristic resource
The museum bears the name of Rabbi Ernest Neumann, a spiritual leader and representative of the Jewish community in the second half of the 20th century.
Upon its establishment, the contents of the museum (chapters History; Jewish Timisoara; Religious Life; Social, economic and cultural life; Personalities; Testimonies) are based on the archives provided by Getta Neumann and Irina Stern, who compiled these materials as editors and administrators of the website of the Jews of Timisoara and their friends www.bjt2006.org . Another major source of information and illustrations is the guidebook „Jewish Timisoara: More than a guidebook‟ by Getta Neumann, Editura Brumar, 2019.
The section dedicated to the present of the community is elaborated by the team of the Timişoara Jewish Community, coordinated by its president dr. Luciana Friedmann. A special role in the implementation of the project has ing. Ronald Wagmann, who laid the foundations of this approach. In the future, in the growth stage of this project, we aim to involve as many people as possible, attached to the present and the history of the community, in its realization. In this sense, we propose through the site the digitization of the entire large photographic collection of the community.
The project implementation team from the Municpitality of Timișoara, which managed the Rediscover project, was involved both in the project management of the museum and in its implementation.
Some of the videos included in the museum were created within the Rediscover project.
The creation of this museum is an ongoing process. Possible rectifications, suggestions and additions are most welcome.
Many thanks to the architects Mihai Opriş şi Gabriel Székely, the historians Victor Neumann şi Tiberiu Schatteles, the art critic János Szekernyés, to Lucian Muntean, the wikipedian Ivan Goldberger, to the association „Prin Banat‟ and to many witnesses of past events; to the photographers: Sorin Birstein, Anca Silvia Buzatu, Liviu Gordea, Anath Hanit, Constantin Liciu, Lucian Muntean, Geo Neumann, Getta Neumann, Iulian Păunescu, Renée Nass-Politzer, Michael Schwartz and Csaba Teleki; to the collectors of vintage postcards Octavian Leşcu şi Thomas Mohnács.
Email adress: webmaster@jewishtimisoara.ro