Jewish participation / European Encounters

CEJI’s biennial European Encounters programme has been developed in order to strengthen Eastern and Central European Jewish communal leadership by facilitating co-operation and encouraging the exchange of ideas and best practice between European Jewish organisations and communities.

Reflecting CEJI and partner organisation the European Council of Jewish Communities (ECJC)’s experience and expertise, the programme also provides capacity-building opportunities related to EU affairs, fundraising, programme development and project management. This enables community leaders to understand and utilise the opportunities afforded by the EU in terms of both political activism and funding in the fields of Education, Culture and Social Affairs in order to further Jewish participation at a European institutional level.

European Encounters was first launched in 1996 as a training programme on the European Union for Western European Jewish organisations. In 2004, in partnership with the ECJC, CEJI organised a training session in Budapest, tailored specifically to the needs of Jewish organisations from Central and Eastern Europe.

Following the success of this seminar, a second training was held in Sofia, Bulgaria from 7 – 10 May 2006 in partnership with the ECJC and with the support of Hanadiv Charitable Foundation, the Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Around 40 participants from 12 Eastern and Central European countries attended the seminar, which was led by CEJI and ECJC staff, representatives of the sponsoring institutions, EU officials and local Jewish leaders.

A guide listing EU funding opportunities and foundations relevant to Jewish communal organisations was developed by CEJI in 2004. This document emphasised the importance of well-defined strategies, good partnerships, provided guidelines for submitting applications and project management skills.

Download the European Encounters EU Fundraising Guide (PDF 370kb)

The next European Encounters seminar is planned to take place in 2008. For further details about the programme contact Policy Officer Gidon van Emden.