2025 is the year for a Gedenkanstoß
To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, the EVZ Foundation has released the Gedenkanstoß MEMO Study. This representative survey by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence (IKG) at Bielefeld University shows that knowledge about the Nazi era is declining, while support for revisionist views is growing. For the first time, more people agree with the statement “it’s time to draw a line under the Nazi past” than oppose it. Awareness of Nazi crimes, victim groups, local perpetrator sites, and family involvement is fading.
At the same time, young people’s interest in engagement is rising – more than one third of those surveyed want to get to grips more actively with the history of National Socialism, but often lack accessible ways to do so. This is where the new project comes in entitled Gedenkanstoß – denk erinnerung weiter: it brings education, spaces for discussion and creative impulses to places where historical-political projects have rarely been a focus.Starting in May 2025, Gedenkanstoß will tour six cities, the centerpiece being a multi-day exhibition in a public space. The tour opens on 19 May at the German Football Museum in Dortmund with the theme: “National Socialism, football and engaging with the past.”
Sign up here now to join discussions with experts and other participants! The panelists include Julian Rieck from what matters and Victoria Hindelang from the DFL Foundation.
The tour will continue in Bremen, followed by Chemnitz, Pasewalk, Karlsruhe and Nuremberg.
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hillersche villa |
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MITZVAH remembers Jewish life in Görlitz |
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How can history be made accessible digitally? The Education Agenda project MITZVAH by Hillersche Villa is developing new educational formats focused on the Jewish cemetery in Görlitz – one of the few remaining sites of Jewish life in the region. Established 175 years ago, the cemetery on Biesnitzer Straße is the final resting place of about 780 Jewish residents of Görlitz and the surrounding area. The Jewish community was wiped out by the Nazis in 1941, but the cemetery survived and is now owned by the Jewish Community of Dresden. MITZVAH explores which traces of Jewish history are still visible in Görlitz and how they can be made accessible to a broader public. The project combines historical research with digital tools, including apps, audio walks and interactive maps, turning the cemetery into a place of learning – both at the physical site itself and online. |
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| education in motion |
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Emotion overload? A discussion on new ways of learning about National Socialism. |
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Emotions are a central yet often overlooked part of the learning process. Whether empathy, curiosity, shame, anger, boredom, fear or grief: learning about the Nazi era can trigger a wide range of emotions. The topic resonates – but how can and should these emotions be addressed in educational settings? How does emotional experience change in the case of more immersive formats such as theater, VR headsets or film? Is there such a thing as “too much” emotion (bearing in mind the principle of not overwhelming learners)? These and other questions were discussed on April 11 by Dr Lea Wohl von Haselberg, Steffen Jost and Florian Heller. The discussion will be broadcast on the EVZ Foundation’s YouTube channel at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6. |
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| Save the date |
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BRANDENBURGISCHE GESELLSCHAFT FÜR KULTUR UND GESCHICHTE |
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German tour of “For real? Virtual encounters with Nazi-era eyewitnesses” |
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Meet Nazi-era eyewitnesses virtually through a VR headset – this will soon be possible through the touring exhibition “In Echt?”, which will visit eight German cities. From May to September 2025, the mobile exhibition truck will stop at museums, memorials, educational institutions and public squares. The focus is on encounters, conversations and cultural events on site. The project opens up new, interactive ways of engaging with history, offering younger generations easier access to the Nazi past. The tour begins at 2:30 p.m. on May 7 at Brandenburg Gate in Potsdam. |
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| All dates and further details |
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DEUTSCHES NATIONALTHEATER AND STAATSKAPELLE WEIMAR |
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Remembrance as a Resource: A theater becomes a space of remembrance |
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From 29 March to 6 April 2025, the German National Theater Weimar hosted a themed week to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp and the end of World War II in Europe with a program that offered multi-perspective, interactive and artistic approaches to remembrance.
Professor Aleida Assmann opened the week with a keynote address and spoke to journalist Shelly Kupferberg about cultural memory and current perspectives on remembrance. Highlights included the German premiere of the monodrama “Whistle. My Mother Was Mengele’s Secretary”, the dance theater piece “Plasma and Penicillin” about photographer Lee Miller, the performance “And now Hanau”, and the children’s opera “Brundibár”, presented at the Buchenwald Memorial. Panels and discussions explored how remembrance can be passed on across the generations – including through new media and the arts – with guests such as Hannah Brinkmann, Susanne Siegert, Clara Ehrenwerth and Gina Wiedemann. |
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| Explore the project here |
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Report shows: Jewish students under exceptional strain since October 7, 2023
On February 27, 2025, the American Jewish Committee Berlin (AJC Berlin) and the Union of Jewish Students in Germany (JSUD) published a report on antisemitism at German universities.
Since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, Jewish students have faced a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents on campuses. From threats and hate speech to physical violence: for many, university is now a place of fear. Jewish students report that they not only feel abandoned in their grief and fear, but also that they are being systematically excluded and delegitimized.
Daniel Poensgen of the Federal Association RIAS responded to the question of how many antisemitic incidents RIAS has recorded at universities since October 7, 2023 by stating some alarming figures:
“[…] Throughout the whole of 2023 we documented more than 150 incidents at universities, with around three-quarters of them occurring after October 7. By comparison, the number in 2022 was about 20. We don’t yet have reliable figures for 2024, but we can already see that this disturbing trend is continuing. It’s important to note that we only count incidents that occur on campus. So antisemitic insults or remarks that Jewish students encounter in peer group chats, for example, are not even included.”
Exactly one year ago, we discussed these issues with Hanna Veiler, former president of JSUD (German Union of Jewish Students), and German-Israeli historian Dan Diner in our event series EVZ Conversations!. You can watch the full recording here.
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Theater der Jungen Welt Leipzig: youth, music, resistance
The project SOUNDS OF RESISTANCE spotlights youth resistance to National Socialism, including the Leipzig Meuten, a group of young people who defied state-imposed youth culture. Their passion for swing music and subcultural self-expression became a quiet – and later open – form of resistance. Various youth groups and professional artists in Leipzig and Duisburg worked on the history of the Leipzig Meuten under the direction of Schorsch Kamerun over the course of a whole year. The result is the walk-in concert installation Meuten Memorial Movement, which was officially opened on Lindenauer Markt in April.
On May 8, 2025, Theater Duisburg will be transformed into a HOUSE OF RESISTANCE: a walk-in installation, performances and music will spark reflection on and engagement with a diverse remembrance culture. The event was created by a variety of local groups – from community choir to youth orchestra. |
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| Reserve free tickets here |
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| mdr |
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Interview with the director: opera marks 80 years since the liberation of Buchenwald |
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“[…] The prisoners [in our production] are portrayed as they were […] before they were deported to the camps – musicians, academics, workers, teachers. Seeing what they no longer are makes it even more powerful,” said director Jossi Wieler about his production “Die Passagierin”. Telling the story of an Auschwitz survivor confronting a former concentration camp guard, the opera was staged in Weimar as part of the “Remembrance as a Resource” project, marking the liberation of Buchenwald. In the interview, Wieler also talks about the challenge of portraying the horrors of Auschwitz. |
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| Read the interview |
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| lag magazine |
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Remembering the long end of World War II in Europe |
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Funded by the EVZ Foundation, this special edition of the magazine “Learning from History” explores the diverse perspectives on and remembrance of May 8,1945. Experts look at the “long ending” of the war in Europe – a period that, for millions across various countries, continued to be a time of violence, displacement and existential hardship long after May 8. |
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| Read from May 8 |
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Dr. Tobias Markowitsch from Schülerakademie Karlsruhe |
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Around 8,000 criminal proceedings that were heard before the former Mannheim Special Court during the Nazi era are now part of the holdings of the Karlsruhe General State Archive. As part of the Education Agenda project “Denunciation-Repression-Persecution”, a selection of exemplary Nazi special court files is being compiled and digitized with the involvement of schoolchildren.
How do you make working with files interesting for students – and what kind of feedback do you get in the workshops?
Every file tells the story of a person who came into conflict with the Nazi regime – often because someone in their circle reported them, sometimes anonymously, for something like a conversation at a pub, a rumor, or a political opinion. Since there was no functioning rule of law under National Socialism, the injustice becomes especially tangible for students today. It helps them understand the value of democratic structures and encourages them to reflect on justice, injustice and the law. |
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| Read more |
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5 p.m. to 6 p.m., MAY 13, ONLINE |
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In the spotlight? Tips and tricks for successful media outreach |
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What does successful media outreach look like in 2025? How can I get journalists interested in my projects, topics or events? Which tried-and-true tips still apply – and what new strategies should we bear in mind? We’ll be discussing these questions at the next Communicators’ Meet-up. This is a networking format aimed at professionals working on memory culture and the history of Nazi injustice. Twice to four times a year we invite practitioners to share ideas and experiences. This session will feature contributions from Dr Barbara Schüler (University of Münster) of the EVZ-funded project Asking the Pope for Help, and Anabel Bermejo (better nau GmbH agency). |
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| Join the network now |
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MAY 8, BREMEN AND OTHER CITIES |
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Europe-wide Liberation Dance Flashmob |
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During the Nazi era, young people with a non-conformist appearance and a love of jazz and swing dance were persecuted. The Education Agenda NS-Injustice project “Degenerate Music: Persecuted swing dancers and jazz musicians in Northwest Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland” is marking the anniversary of the liberation from National Socialism with a “Liberation Dance Flashmob” in memory of the victims. The flashmob was created with the involvement of dancers from all over Europe. Everyone is invited to join in – at 6 p.m. on May 8 in Bremen’s central square and in other cities across northern Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. You can learn the choreography in advance via a tutorial or at a workshop. |
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| Find out more about the project |
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MAY 9 AND 10, FRANKFURT |
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Of their own free will? People make history in Gallus |
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In the Gallus district of Frankfurt, the theater group “Junges Schauspiel” is searching for traces of Nazi-era ideologies and attitudes in today’s structures of work, community and migration. To what extent do people shape their own histories – not entirely “of their own free will”, but still consciously? As part of the project “Gallus Geschichten”, the “Of their own free will?” events connect with historical and cultural associations as well as migrant-led organizations. What are the experiences, perspectives and utopias that drive their community engagement? Together with artists, the theater team is developing performances in urban spaces and other creative formats. |
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| Find out about the events now |
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may 17 and 18, art'rhena cultural center |
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Dance performances “Bridge for the Future” to mark May 8. |
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At the bridge over the Rhine in Breisach, the Educational Agenda project “Bridge for the Future – Pont pour l’avenir” combines historical research, biographical work, and dance. In collaboration with the internationally renowned Battery Dance Company from New York, Blaues Haus Breisach brings the history of Nazi injustice to life for young people from France and Germany through the Dancing to Connect program. The crowning conclusion of the project is a joint German-French dance performance on the Rhine Bridge on May 17 and 18. |
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| Find out more |
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| issue 06/2025 |
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Our next issue comes out at the beginning of June! |
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In the next issue we will once again focus on the EVZ Foundation’s topics and projects. Look forward to a new interview in our “Shrinking Spaces” series and new case studies on the subject of far right memory politics. 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
Website
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Responsible:
Dr. Andrea Despot
Editorial:
Sophie Ziegler, Katrin Kowark, Jana Bültge, Sonja Folsche, Sarah Keller, Thomas Stein
Image Credits:
Form-ID, Hillersche Villa/MITZVAH, Stefanie Loos, BKG/Ta-Trung, Schülerakademie Karlsruhe, Marie Laforge, Candy Welz
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