Virtual Shtetl
The Virtual Shtetl (Template:Lang-pl) is a bilingual Polish-English portal of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, devoted to the Jewish history of Poland. It was officially launched on June 16, 2009. The portal lists over 1,240 towns with maps, statistics and picture galleries. In the future, it will also include an interactive system by which Internet users will interact with each other. It will create a link between Polish-Jewish history and the contemporary, multi-cultural world.
The "Virtual Shtetl" is an extension of the real Museum scheduled to open in 2011 on the site of the Warsaw ghetto. Its main objective is to provide a unique social forum for everyone interested in Polish-Jewish life. The "Virtual Shtetl" re-tells the history of Polish Jews which existed, to a great extent, in a town or a village (Yiddish: shtetl)
The portal provides information on small towns and big cities - both about the past and the present. It covers both contemporary and pre-war Poland. The English version enables Jews from all over the world to research their own Polish ancestry. Creating a fuller picture of Polish-Jewish history and Polish-Jewish relations was possible thanks to the efforts of many institutions, organizations and individuals. Because the subject is so broad, the initiatives for further research and development are considered infinite. Numerous resources have been provided by the Polin portal and the Jewish.org.pl community portal. Other Internet projects which have participated were the www.izrael.badacz.org and Diapozytyw (Adam Mickiewicz Institute) as well as the Jewish Historical Institute.[1]
VIRTUAL SHTETL
Virtual Shtetl (Polish: Wirtualny Sztetl) is an innovative multimedia platform dedicated to history of Jewish communities in Poland. It is a project of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland.
Launched in June 2009, Virtual Shtetl has amassed one of the most comprehensive collections of material related to the history of local Jewish communities in Poland but neighboring countries. As of June 2013, Virtual Shtetl has collected almost 68,300 contemporary and archival photographs, over 1000 audio and video recordings, and more than 30,000 pages of text related to 2246 towns and villages. The uniqueness of Virtual Shtetl lies not only in its comprehensive content, but also in its use of social media. Based on Web 2.0, Virtual Shtetl mobilizes thousands of users throughout the world in a massive collaborative effort to document Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust.
Activity
The content of Virtual Shtetl is dynamic. In addition to providing historical accounts and archival materials related to local Jewish communities in Poland, Virtual Shtetl features contemporary documents, street maps, memorabilia, photographs and other pictorial material, as well as audio and video recordings and scholarly essays.
Contributors include academics, local history activists, and people who simply want to share their knowledge of the Jewish past of their towns with others. Participants are motivated to put their knowledge to work. They not only contribute to building the portal, but also they support local educational activites, foster dialogue, and take part in preservation projects. As an educational project, Virtual Shtetl encourages active and collaborative learning. Educational materials designed for teachers and students and suitable for classroom use can be downloaded from the portal. As a news portal, Virtual Shtetl is one of the liveliest sources of current information about ongoing projects and events relating to Jewish heritage and Jewish life today in Poland and neighboring countries.
Community
Virtual Shtetl offers unlimited access to contributors and visitors. Based on Web.2.0 solutions, Virtual Shtetl is a social community portal. Users co-create the portal’s content. In this open museum without walls, everyone with an interest in the history and culture of Polish Jews can contribute materials. By so doing, they foster awareness and appreciation of the Jewish past in their localities. They also help to preserve both the tangible and intangible heritage of the 3,500,000 Jews who lived in Poland before the Holocaust.
Virtual Shtetl is available in eight language: Polish, English, German, Hebrew, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian.
Virtual Shtetl depends not only on individuals but also institutions and organizations, most importantly the Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland. It also collaborated with Polin, an Internet portal, jewish.org.pl,izrael.badacz.org, and Diapozytyw (Adam Mickiewicz Institute).
References:
1. Dwa lata projektu Wirtualny Sztetl w sieci!. Kulturalna Warszawa, June 19th, 2011 [accessed on Dec.17th, 2011].
2. Mobilny Wirtualny Sztetl. Multi Communications, Jul.6th, 2011 [accessed on Dec.17th, 2011].
3. Wirtualny Sztetl. Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich. [accessed on Dec.17th, 2011].
4. Wirtualny Sztetl. Mazowiecki Urząd Wojewódzki w Warszawie, Jan.24th, 2011 [accessed on Dec.17th, 2011].
6. BBC
External links:
• Wirtualny Sztetl
• Wirtualny Sztetl, YouTube video recordings
• Wirtualny Sztetl on Facebook
See also
- The Holocaust in Poland
- History of the Polish Jews
- Włodawa Synagogue at the List of active synagogues in Poland
Notes and references
