Welcome to the website of the project „After the traces of our neighbors: Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Holocaust“

Scientific project titled „After the traces of our neighbors: Jews in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Holocaust“, funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union and by the Culture Division of the Federal Chancellery of Austria (former Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture of the Republic of Austria), aims to revive Jewish history of Bosnia and Herzegovina and preserve its legacy. It will run from December 2013 to May 2015. Tangible and intangible heritage of Jews in the cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was Holocaust largely irreversibly destroyed during the Holocaust and then largely erased from the history and memory, will be explored and presented to the public.

The idea of this project was met with great interest in scientific community, cultural and educational institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Austria. Partner institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina are: Institute for the History of Sarajevo, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Tuzla, The Archive of Tuzla Canton, Association of archival employees in Tuzla Canton, “La Benevolencija” Sarajevo, Mixed Secondary School “Musa Ćazim Ćatić” from Kladanj and Secondary School “Milorad Vlačić” from Vlasenica, while project partners from the Republic of Austria are: Faculty of Law, University of Vienna, Department of Political Science, University of Vienna, the Austrian government organization “Erinnern.at”, and responsible for the project is Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Austria.

On December 4, 2013 in the Institute for History in Sarajevo, the partnership agreement was signed between the institutions participating in the project from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the project applicant, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Austria.

The project was officially added to the list of the top projects in the program “Europe for Citizens” for the period 2007 to 2013 by the Ministry of Education, Art and Culture of the Republic of Austria (BMUKK), with more details about the project announced in their official publication. This project also represents a kind of introduction to mark the 450th anniversary of the Jewish Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Project activities include the publication and presentation of publications in Bosnian and English language in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Austria, photo exhibition in Sarajevo, pilot projects introducing education about the Holocaust as an elective course at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Tuzla and high schools in Vlasenica and Kladanj, and presentation and publication of results of the project in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Austria. The aim is to create new forms and dimensions in the active memory of our Jewish neighbors, Holocaust victims from Bosnia and Herzegovina.