SPARK Session by Serena Sancataldo: Preserving Collective Memory: The Case of Holocaust-era Documentary Heritage

Invitation for MACCH SPARK Session by Serena Sancataldo: Preserving Collective Memory: The Case of Holocaust-era Documentary Heritage 

Wednesday 1 April 2026, 13:00-14:00pm at The Plant at FASoS (Grote Gracht 76, ground floor).

Serena Sancataldo: Preserving Collective Memory: The Case of Holocaust-era Documentary Heritage

During this SPARK Session, Serena will explore the challenges of provenance research in relation to Judaic books and manuscripts. The systematic displacement, spoliation, and destruction of cultural heritage, including libraries and both public and private book collections, during the Holocaust, and even in earlier episodes of antisemitic violence, highlights the legal and ethical complexities involved in identifying, authenticating, and, where appropriate, restituting or repatriating Judaic texts. 

To respond to this challenge, the Cultivating Best Practices in Judaica Provenance White Paper, a project developed by the National Library of Israel and the Association of Jewish Libraries, seeks to draw attention to the distinctive historical and cultural dimensions of Jewish books, manuscripts, and archives while guiding stakeholders and institutions operating in the sector. Against this backdrop, Serena focuses on the scope of application and target of the White Paper, as well as on the operational strategy proposed. Furthermore, her research advances an examination of the project’s interaction with the existing legal framework for provenance research, particularly in the context of Holocaust-era looted cultural property. Serena proposes to look at the project in light of the Washington Principles (1998) and the newly adopted Best Practices to the Washington Principles as key legal instruments in identifying, researching, and, where appropriate, returning looted objects. The ultimate goal of this discussion is to draw attention to the development of these guidelines and assess the effectiveness of their implementation, aiming to address existing gaps and enhance the transparency and fairness of the market for Judaica books. 

Serena Sancataldo is a PhD Candidate in Criminal Law at the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” and member of the UNESCO Chair on Business Integrity and Crime Prevention in Art and Antiquities Market team - serena.sancataldo@unicampania.it.  

We hope you can join us for Serena’s presentation. Please email us at macch@maastrichtuniversity.nl to confirm that you will be attending. We look forward to seeing you there! All are welcome, so please feel free to share this invitation in your networks.

All our best,

Claartje Rasterhoff and Maria Andreou
on behalf of the MACCH team

https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/maastricht-centre-arts-and-culture-conservation-and-heritage