The Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea (Center of Contemporary Jewish Documentation; CDEC) is an independent cultural and historical institution in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, dedicated to promoting the study of the events, culture, and circumstances of the

Jewish People Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

in Italy in the context of modern times. The CDEC was founded in 1955 at the initiative of the Italian Jewish Youth Federation ''(Federazione Giovanile Ebraica Italiana).'' Its stated objective: the research and documentation of all forms of anti-semitic persecution in Italy, and the Jews' contribution to the Resistance in Italy. ''(per the CDEC charter, 1957)'' Since 1986, the Center operates as a not-for-profit Foundation, under the name La Fondazione Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea — CDEC.
Michele Sarfatti
has served as the Foundation's director during the years 2002–16.

Activities

Departments

The Center functions as a study and research facility. It curates exhibitions and organizes encounters between students and docents. Its operations are divided between the following departments: * Library * Media center * Historical archive * Archive of Prejudice * Teaching the Holocaust

Digital exhibition

In late 2006, the CDEC inaugurated its website offering a digital exhibition of its holdings. Thousands of items, comprising photographs, letters, journals, memoirs, and official documents, tell the story of Jewish life in Italy from the mid-19th century to the years of persecution at the start of the Second World War, through the Holocaust, and into the postwar period. The site, presently in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, is due to be translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Righteous Among the Nations

The CDEC Foundation represents Italy in the recognition of the "

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sav ...

Collaborations with other institutions

The CDEC operates in collaboration with Holocaust documentation institutions worldwide, including: *

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

* The Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service

External links

Official websiteDigital exhibition
{{coord, 45, 28, 36.20, N, 9, 10, 00.90, E, dim:1000_region:IT_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Archives in Italy Libraries in Milan Jewish Italian history Judaism in Italy Holocaust commemoration Libraries established in 1955 Organisations based in Milan Religious organisations based in Italy Jewish organizations established in 1955 1955 establishments in Italy Culture in Milan