About CJN
Centropa Jewish Network
Connecting european jewish youth with their heritage - and with each other
Before Communism fell in 1989, there was one Jewish school in all of Central Europe – in Budapest – and it had 12 students. Today, more than 30 Jewish schools in 20 countries see over 5,000 students every day, and whatever the future holds for European Jewish life, it is sitting in those classrooms today.
That is why we created the Centropa Jewish Network, a platform for teachers to share best practices and brainstorm with each other so students can create new technology projects and share them with each other—and with their counterparts in Israeli and American Jewish schools, too.
Our teacher training seminars – both physically and online – educational materials, resource packs, and student competitions are all about one thing: connecting European Jewish youth with their heritage – and with each other. We work for a Jewish Europe that is better connected, educated about the past – and ready to shape the future.
Our Team
Mária Lieberman
Director
Mirus studied Russian Language and Literature at the ELTE University and has a PhD in Russian Art and Literature. She is passionate about informal education and Jewish heritage, and one of her core values is to preserve Jewish communities and heritage for the future. Mirus comes from a bilingual, multicultural family and have a very colorful family history, which is why she feels very close to Centropa’s personal stories. She is the director of Centropa Budapest, and oversees our Hungarian and Jewish school programs.
Eszter rózsa
Project coordinator
rozsa(at)centropa.org
Eszter has been working in the Hungarian nonprofit sector for more than 20 years. She volunteered in different organisations in many countries and thus had the chance to see different approaches to the civil sector. These experiences inspired her work in organising events and coordinating projects. She founds it rewarding to be able to help connect people with similar convictions and aspirations. Jewish heritage is a crucial part of Eszter’s identity. She considers it important to preserve Jewish culture and historical memory. At Centropa she is the project coordinator of the Centropa Jewish Network (CJN).
Sára Szilágyi
Hungarian program coordinator
szilagyi(at)centropa.org
Sára studied Minority and Ethnic Studies at ELTE University in Budapest. She has been working in NGOs and education projects about social issues for many years. She really enjoys facilitating trainings with non-formal education methods and supporting young people in creating their own initiatives. She was part of different Jewish youth and educational organizations in Hungary and also the Roma Genocide Remembrance Initiative. At Centropa she is the coordinator of the programs in Hungary.
Erzsébet Sándor
Cafe Centropa coordinator
sandor(at)centropa.org
Erzsi Sandor started working as a journalist in 1994 and her first article was about the MNG-Holocaust exhibition. She worked 20 years at the Hungarian Radio (Magyar Rádió) where she produced many shows about Jewish topics, including Centropa stories. In 2013 she got fired even though she thought she will retire from this position, but it was not so. Afterwards Erzsi started working in PR whilst she also wrote books, one of her books from this time is „Anyavalya”. This story is about how her mom, aunt and herself tried to survive after the war. 1,5 years ago Erzsi joined the Partnership 2gether organization where she volunteers to run events for her peers who are second generation Holocaust survivors. At Centropa she will be coordinating the Café Centropa Budapest programs and plans program for our interviewees.
