| Dear Readers, |
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"Keep your eyes and ears open to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again" – our mission is encapsulated in these cautionary words spoken by Holocaust survivor Edith Erbrich in November 2024 to young people involved in an Education Agenda project in Terezín: fostering contemporary remembrance of Nazi injustice and actively strengthening the resilience of democratic civil societies.
With this in mind, we’re now launching a new, nationwide initiative: the Augen auf [Eyes open] Cinema Day on January 27. Join us to watch thematically curated films at the cinema – also including talks and discussion sessions with inspiring guests. In addition to this cinema initiative, we run numerous NS-Injustice Education Agenda projects that offer a range of different ways of engaging with the history of National Socialism, thereby actively helping to combat antisemitism and antigypsyism here and now.
In this issue you can find out more about the antisemitism-critical work we do in adult education through our project "Informed, courageous, committed!" and there’s also a chance to listen to some of the results of the project "Musical heritage of the Roma/Romnja".
App pick: All the historical themes relating to the city of Frankfurt bundled conveniently in a single app? The Historical Museum has just launched the project „(M)eine Stadt-(m)eine Geschichte!“ with the aim of expanding the Frankfurt History App so as to provide additional perspectives and tours on the topics of forced labor, resistance and persecution.
Let’s unite in remembering the victims of these unparalleled atrocities as we actively work towards a more just future in the face of current societal and political challenges!
Dr. Andrea Despot
CEO of the EVZ Foundation |
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| GESTAPOKELLER AND AUGUSTASCHACHT MEMORIALS |
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| Where cheering turned to suffering: Nazi forced labor at sports fields and soccer pitches |
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| The National Socialists set up camps for forced laborers on numerous sports fields: a new website now lists 170 such sites, showing just how widespread these crimes were – in a whole range of cities including Kiel and Vienna, and encompassing everything from small village clubs to large-scale metropolitan sports associations. The website provides historical documents and interviews with contemporary witnesses, and the historical events are visualized in a graphic novel. |
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Explore the sites and stories  |
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| UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA |
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| Website with 26 escape stories and biographies of Holocaust survivors |
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| From Berlin via Karlsbad and Prague to the USA – the route taken by Jewish trans activist and artist Charlotte Charlaque to escape from the National Socialists can be retraced on the website "Remapping Refugee Stories 1933-53". This new Education Agenda project relates the stories of 26 people who escaped the Holocaust, visualizing the events in an interactive world map. The biographies feature a great diversity of perspectives in terms of age, gender, sexuality and religion. In addition to the escape stories and biographies, the website also offers multimedia insights into the themes of Nazi injustice, forced displacement and exile. |
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| Explore the new website here |
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| Romaniphen e.v. |
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| Concert, documentary and book presentation: the musical heritage of the Roma/Romnja |
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The association RomaniPhen presented the main outcomes of the Education Agenda project "Memories of Samudaripen in the musical heritage "of the Roma/Romnja in Berlin-Neukölln. This project focused on the genocide of the Roma/Romnja and their resistance activities, as expressed in songs that preserve memories across the generations. The Roma/Romnja Youth Choir, Tayo Awosusi-Onutor and the Dejan Jovanovic Ensemble performed traditional Roma/Romnja songs that were originally composed in places as the concentration camps in Serbia.
Shot in Serbia, the documentary Poems of Pain and Remembrance explores the musical heritage of this minority and brings descendants’ stories to life.
The new book "Das Leben der Roma ist voller Tränen" by Zlatomir Jovanovic shows how music became a survival and remembrance strategy. |
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| Find out more about the project |
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| THEATER DER JUNGEN WELT LEIPZIG |
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SOUNDS OF RESISTANCE: youth resistance against Nazi injustice |
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Can a political movement emerge from dance steps? When does music become the soundtrack of resistance? When is non-conformity opposition, and when is opposition resistance? These are the questions addressed by the Education Agenda project "SOUNDS OF RESISTANCE".
It focuses on the history of youth groups that refused to identify with the youth culture prescribed by the National Socialists. Their conduct and their political activity brought them into direct conflict with Nazi ideology, causing them to be targeted by the Gestapo.
United by their enthusiasm for swing music, the so-called "Leipzig Meuten" ["Leipzig gangs"] used to meet up at Lindenauer Markt: this square will now be the venue for a swing dance performance by a Sounds of Resistance youth ensemble to mark the opening of the "Meuten Memorial Movement" next April. The event will also include readings of texts written by the performers themselves and by former youth group members. The performance is being developed under the leadership of director and musician Schorsch Kamerun. This musical theater project dedicated to remembrance culture also includes other artistic and educational initiatives.
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| Explore the project |
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On November 21, the workshop and networking day "Done with learning!? Antisemitism-critical Education at the Workplace" was held in connection with our Education Agenda project "Informed, courageous, committed! A Joint Initiative Against Antisemitism":
Participants exchanged views on antisemitism-critical work in adult education with a focus on heterogeneous learning spaces, antisemitism after October 7, and dealing with emotions. Valuable input was provided by Dr. Josef Schuster, patron of the initiative, and Marina Chernivsky, head of the Competence Center for Education Critical of Antisemitism, while the workshops and best-practice presentations with a focus on peer counseling likewise offered crucial takeaways. To conclude, the author Dana von Suffrin read from her collection of writings on Jewish themes entitled "Wir schon wieder. 16 jüdische Erzählungen".
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| Watch the short film about the event here! |
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| ARD |
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| Memorial concert at the former Theresienstadt concentration camp |
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| "It’s quite an experience for them [youngsters]. They’re so positive, and they ask me questions I often wish adults would ask," says Edith Erbrich, survivor of Theresienstadt concentration camp, talking about the school students involved in the Education Agenda project "I’m Walking through Theresienstadt". At the final concert of the project at the Terezín memorial, the students played the children who performed the opera "Brundibár " here around 80 years ago. Under the direction of actor and musician Roman Knižka, the ensemble OPUS 45 recited texts and performed pieces of music created by artists who were Theresienstadt inmates. |
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| Watch the Tagesthemen report |
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| MDR |
Murdered. Concealed. Forgotten. The victims of Nazi "euthanasia". |
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| MDR’s documentary series "Exakt – Die Story" followed the Education Agenda project "Eloquent Silence" at the University of Jena, which looked into the fate and lives of three victims of Nazi "euthanasia" crimes. More than 300,000 people with disabilities and mental illnesses were systematically murdered as "life unworthy of life" from 1939 onwards. The film report focuses on the killing methods used at institutions such as the Hadamar killing center, and also the long silence after 1945. Testimonies show how the suffering of those concerned and their descendants continues to have an impact to this day. |
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| Watch the feature in the ARD media library |
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| NDR |
Memorial dedicated to the fate of children born of "forbidden relationships"
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| The traveling exhibition created by the Education Agenda project "They're still here! Children from forbidden relationships between Germans and prisoners of war or forced laborers" at Sandbostel Memorial is dedicated to the life stories of 20 children born of "forbidden relationships" during the Nazi era. The film report features the daughter of a Soviet prisoner of war, Katharina Sämann, who talks about her origins and experiences. In addition to creating the exhibition, the project also facilitates dialog between those who share this background and makes an important contribution by critically examining a chapter of Nazi history that has received little attention to date. |
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| To the "Hallo Niedersachsen" video |
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| the young ensemble performing "Zeit für Zeug:innen" at Junges Schauspiel Frankfurt |
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Who talks about the past and why? What is told and what is left unsaid? The testimonies of Holocaust survivors are regarded as crucial to maintaining a vibrant awareness of history. The participatory exhibition "Witnesses to history? A laboratory of memory" at Frankfurt Historical Museum focuses on family histories, the experience of dictatorship, educational trajectories, political struggles, migration and how people deal with crises – and invites the youth theater group Junges Schauspiel to engage in an artistic exploration of these themes. In a multifaceted performance, a diverse ensemble demonstrates why the stories told by contemporary witnesses remain relevant today and why biographical accounts should continue to be shared.
What do you personally associate with being a contemporary witness?
Isabella Beebe: To put it simply, it’s about overcoming personal trauma. Contemporary witnesses have endured immense injustice and suffering, so as I see it, their testimony always involves pain to some extent. Experiencing discrimination and overcoming it – either on your own or with the help of others: that’s what being a contemporary witness is all about to me.
Abdul Noorzei: For me, being a contemporary witness means experiencing history at first hand, preserving vital insights, and taking on responsibility for the future. |
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| To the whole interview |
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| with Luis Engelhardt, manager of "Zusammen1", a project run by MAKKABI Deutschland e.V. |
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As recently as the beginning of November 2024 there were alleged antisemitic riots and mob-like chasing incidents on the sidelines of a TuS Makkabi Berlin youth match. What does your association do to help victims of antisemitic attacks?
We’re very sad to see how football is used as a platform for antisemitic statements and behavior. This is why MAKKABI Germany launched its project "Zusammen1" in 2020 as a central point of contact for dealing with antisemitic incidents and for antisemitism-critical educational work through sport. We’re actively engaged in the areas of research, education and structural development. With the aim of shedding light on this widespread but unseen issue and in order to improve professional follow-up, "Zusammen1 " introduced a reporting button for antisemitic incidents in sport a year ago in cooperation with the federal association RIAS. Incidents can be reported and documented anonymously on a low-threshold basis. |
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| Read the interview |
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| JANUARY 17, MÜNSTER |
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| Opening event and exhibition with participants of the project "Grafeneck – Münster // 1940 – today" |
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What does the murder of people with disabilities during National Socialism have to do with us today? The Education Agenda project "Grafeneck – Münster // 1940 – today" focuses on the Nazi "euthanasia" crimes perpetrated at Grafeneck killing center in Baden-Württemberg. More than ten thousand people with disabilities were systematically gassed at this facility within a period of one year during the Nazi era. The central focus of the exhibition is a seven-meter collage of images which was created by students of the Catholic University of Applied Sciences NRW during visits to the Grafeneck memorial.
On January 21 and 29, information events and workshops will be offered in connection with the project which are aimed at teachers and school students with the aim of exploring the topic in greater depth from the perspective of cultural education. |
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| Details of dates and times |
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| JANUARY 18 AND 19, FELLHEIM |
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| Evoking and collecting memories: two-day writing workshop "Butter, livestock, destruction" |
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| What do we know? What have we been told? What remains hidden? Using the method of "intuitive writing", this workshop explores the told and the untold, the unknown and the past of Germany’s Nazi history. In a non-judgmental and confidential space, Nazi family stories can be written down and shared. The workshop will be led by director, actress and lecturer Crescentia Dünßer. No previous experience of creative writing is required. Attendance is free of charge. |
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| Find out more and sign up |
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| JANUARY 27, BERLIN – ROSTOCK – FRANKFURT AM MAIN |
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| Save the date: Augen auf [Eyes open] Cinema Day on January 27, 2025! |
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We’re organizing the first ever nationwide Cinema Day to mark the annual Day of Remembrance dedicated to the victims of National Socialism!
On this day in each of the cities of Berlin, Frankfurt am Main and Rostock, there will be four screenings of films that critically examine Nazi history and the Holocaust in different ways, with special guests in attendance. Aimed at all age groups, our Cinema Day will seek to turn cinemas into places of remembrance, interaction and dialog. The program includes impressive films such as "A Real Pain " by and with Jesse Eisenberg, and "The Most Precious of Cargoes" by Michel Hazanavicius.
And be sure to mark your calendar: from 2026 onwards, Cinema Day will be a nationwide film week! |
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| Find out more about the program and get your tickets here! |
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| JANUARY 28, FRANKFURT AM MAIN |
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| Presentation of an audio tour of the Italian military cemetery in Westhausen |
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| The Historical Museum in Frankfurt is presenting a new audio tour that provides information about the fate of the more than 4,700 Italian victims of the Second World War who are buried in the cemetery. Developed for the Frankfurt History App by ANPI Frankfurt, an Italian partisan association, the tour offers insights into the biographies of the victims at twelve stations. After the presentation, visitors will be invited to try out the app for themselves. Those attending the presentation include Doreen Mölders (Historical Museum Frankfurt), Massimo Darchini (Consul General of the Republic of Italy) and Ina Hartwig (Head of Cultural Affairs, City of Frankfurt am Main). |
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| Don’t miss out |
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| NEWSLETTER 02/2025 |
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| Our next issue comes out at the beginning of February! |
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| The next issue at the beginning of February will once again be dedicated to the EVZ Foundation’s wide-ranging themes and projects. In an interview with one of the Foundation’s partner organizations you can find out about the dramatic situation in Belarusian civil society and why support from exile is more necessary than ever. So be sure to stay tuned! |
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All issues at a glance  |
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Stiftung Erinnerung,
Verantwortung und Zukunft
Friedrichstraße 200
10117 Berlin, Germany
T +49 (30) 25 92 97-0
F +49 (30) 25 92 97-11
www.stiftung-evz.de
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Responsible:
Dr. Andrea Despot
Editorial:
Jana Bültge, Sarah Keller, Katrin Kowark, Thomas Stein, Sophie Ziegler
Image Credits:
Andrea Vollmer, Theater der Jungen Welt Leipzig, Alina Simmelbauer, Felix Grünschloß, MAKKABI Deutschland
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| © Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft, 2025 |
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