Memory Futures
The project was inspired by research examining the role of memory in imagination and future thinking. Recent neurological and neuropsychological studies reveal striking similarities between remembering the past and imagining or simulating the future, including that the same part of our brain is responsible for both our memory and for dreaming and imagination.

It is not only true that the more we can remember the more we can understand, but also that the more we remember, the more creative and bold we can be when anticipating the future. Conversely, as studies of amnesia patients indicate, the inability to remember the past results in an inability to imagine or anticipate the future. Remembrance, therefore, is a crucial prerequisite of imagining our common future in Europe and the future of the European Jewish community. Thus Memory Futures will aim to frame Holocaust remembrance,
research and education in a way that helps target audiences understand how the Holocaust impacted European Jewish Communities and also learn about the Jewish culture in Europe today as well as to imagine and co-create the future of the European Jewish Community.

Limmud
Limmud is an independent, non-denominational Jewish organisation that prides itself on creating spaces and events that are welcoming to people of all backgrounds and beliefs. Its main ethos is to create grass-roots learning events that encompass a multiplicity of opinions, methodologies, and modalities. Limmud’s model is innovative in itself in that it employs a system of 10 values which underpin each event. The values (e.g. Diversity, Empowerment, Participation) encourage horizontal, grass-roots structures and promotes civic engagement.

They also create spaces for respectful and nuanced conversations as an antidote to rising populism (Respect, Community and Mutual Responsibility, Agreeing to Disagree). Developed 40 years ago, the model of Limmud has been adopted in over 70 countries around the world, creating inclusive, open communities of learning.