This week, at the West University of Timișoara, the opening of the new Center for Jewish and Israeli Studies will take place, an event that will take place in the presence of the UVT management and the invited personalities from the Romanian Jewish Community, which will mark the initiation of new perspectives cultural and educational related to Romanian-Israeli relations and Jewish culture.
During the event, the UVT community will have the honor of being visited by HE Mr. David Saranga, Israel's Ambassador to Romania, who will be accompanied by Mrs. Luciana Friedmann, President of the Jewish Community of Timișoara. The guests will be welcomed by the rector of UVT, prof. dr. Marilen Gabriel Pirtea, together with the director of the Doctoral School of Philosophy, Sociology and Political Sciences within UVT, prof. Dr. Silviu Rogobete. Also, they confirmed their participation (through online interventions) and Mrs. Maia Morgenstern, an important personality of Romanian cultural life and holder of the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of UVT, who will be the honorary director of this new institution, as well as Mr. Ioan Holender , in his capacity as Doctor Honoris Causa of UVT, an intellectual representative of European culture, promoter of the ties between Romania and Israel. In addition to these guests, Mr. Moshe Idel, professor of Jewish thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, together with Mr. Silviu Vexler, deputy in the Romanian Parliament from the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, also confirmed their participation at the opening of the center.
The Western University of Timișoara (UVT) has identified a significant opportunity to launch this new Center for Jewish and Israeli Studies in Timișoara, for the purpose of studying and promoting cultural interference between the Jewish and Romanian communities, given the close historical ties existing between the two communities in the Banat area.
Among the specific objectives of this center are the development and promotion of Romanian-Israeli cultural and research projects, the construction of a specialized library, collaboration with the Jewish Community of Timişoara and elsewhere, the organization of exhibitions and events with Jewish themes, as well as the realization of exchange of experience between the academic communities of the two countries.