Conservation Ethics and Sacred Heritage: Reflections from a Megillat Esther

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37558/gec.v29i1.1475

Keywords:

conservation ethics, sacred objets, jewish heritage, religious heritage preservation, intercultural conservation practices, parchment conservation

Abstract

This article presents the conservation treatment of a Megillat Esther (Scroll of Esther) undertaken at the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, which served as a point of departure for a broader reflection on the ethical and methodological challenges involved in conserving Jewish sacred objects. Beyond the technical intervention, the study explores the complex interplay between halakhic prescriptions, ritual function, and professional conservation ethics. It underscores the scarcity of clear, accessible guidelines and scholarly research addressing the care of ritual heritage, leaving conservators with limited reference frameworks when dealing with objects of living religious significance. Drawing on contemporary approaches to values-based and community-centred conservation, the discussion argues for the establishment of interdisciplinary collaboration between conservators, Jewish scholars, and religious authorities to develop coherent, context-sensitive ethical protocols that respect both the material integrity and the spiritual meaning of sacred artefacts.

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Author Biographies

Luis Filipe Pereira, TECHN&ART - Technology, Restoration and Arts Enhancement Center, Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal

Graduated in Conservation and Restoration from the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar (IPT); holds a master’s degree in Museology from the Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies in Lisbon; earned a doctorate in Documentation from the University of Alcalá de Henares. Since 2005, he has developed his professional and scientific activity in preventive conservation, conservation and restoration, and the dissemination of cultural heritage. With extensive experience in projects within Museums, Archives, and Libraries, he is a collaborating researcher at TECHN&ART - Technology, Restoration and Arts Enhancement Center, Polytechnic Institute of Tomar.. He teaches courses in graphic documents in the bachelor’s and master’s programs in Conservation and Restoration at IPT, and is President of the Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers of Portugal.

Ângela Ferraz, TECHN&ART - Technology, Restoration and Arts Enhancement Center, Polytechnic University of Tomar, Portugual

Collections manager at the Tikva Jewish Museum Lisbon, and invited adjunct professor in the Department of Archaeology, Conservation, Restoration, and Heritage at the Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (IPT). She holds a PhD in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration, a master's degree in Museology and Heritage from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and a bachelor's degree in Conservation and Restoration from IPT. She is an integrated researcher at at TECHN&ART - Technology, Restoration and Arts Enhancement Center, Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, and an associate editor of the journal "Conservar Património". Her current research interests focus on community involvement in conservation decision-making, and ethical issues in heritage conservation.

Pedro Proença Cunha, University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET, Department of Earth Sciences, Portugal

He is a Full Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Coimbra, a researcher at MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET, Director of the Sedimentology Laboratory and Director of the Mineral Preparation Laboratory for OSL and ESR dating. He holds a degree in Geology and a PhD in Stratigraphy, Paleontology, and Geo-history from the University of Coimbra. He has forty years of experience as a university teacher and researcher in Stratigraphy, Geomorphology, Sedimentology, Geoarchaeology, and Neotectonics. Responsible for and participant in dozens of scientific research projects. He is the author of about 500 scientific publications. Member of ICOMOS - Portugal.

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Published

2026-05-19

How to Cite

Pereira, L. F., Ferraz, Ângela, & Proença Cunha, P. (2026). Conservation Ethics and Sacred Heritage: Reflections from a Megillat Esther. Ge-conservacion, 29(1), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.37558/gec.v29i1.1475

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2026): Ge-conservación Nº29

Section

Artículos

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