On February 23, 2026 the EVZ Foundation will be represented at Cafe Kyiv with two program events and an information stand.

Nothing was left …? Holocaust education in wartime: The “Holocaust by Bullets” – the mass shootings of Jews and Roma/Romnja between 1941 and 1945 – remains a blind spot in European remembrance culture. In the fifth year of Russia’s war of aggression, historic sites and memory culture are still under threat. The EVZ Foundation brings this topic into focus with an interactive event at Cafe Kyiv: following the premiere of the short film “Holocaust in Kharkiv” by journalist Lesya Kharchenko, a discussion will address the challenges and relevance of Holocaust education in wartime.

A second panel, From Stories to Records: How Ukraine Is Shaping Its Collective Memory – held in cooperation with Commit and the Robert Bosch Foundation – explores how Ukraine’s collective memory is taking shape amid Russia’s war of aggression and brings German and Ukrainian memory cultures into dialogue with one another. The discussion will also address the importance of “third places” for vibrant, shared remembrance.

At the EVZ Foundation stand, visitors can find out about funding activities in Ukraine and explore the digital learning resource “Nothing was left …?”, which offers methods for conveying the history of the “Holocaust by Bullets” based on the short film “Holocaust in Kharkiv”.

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Dates

“In class, you don’t learn about what people actually felt”

On the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism, the Augen auf [Eyes Open] Cinema Day 2026 brought people together in cinemas across Germany to watch films addressing Nazism, persecution, resistance, and their aftermath to this day. Discussions with filmmakers, experts and committed participants highlighted the power of film as a medium. 
After the premiere of DAS GEHEIME STOCKWERK, students asked questions about the Nazi era: “Why did the Nazis hate the Jews?” They also shared their emotional reactions to films such as THE ZONE OF INTEREST: “The film caused a sense of revulsion in me – an incredible and very distinct feeling I would rather not experience again.”
Under the motto When do I raise my voice?, the cinema day raised questions about responsibility and civic courage. “Right now we still have the opportunity not to look the other way but to raise our voices. That’s a privilege that is still enjoyed by only a small part of the world’s population,” said Professor Meron Mendel of the educational center Bildungsstätte Anne Frank. Renate Aris reminded the audience: “I am the last Holocaust survivor in the Dresden, Chemnitz and Görlitz region. After me, there will be no one left from this region who is able to bear witness.”

For the first time, the Augen auf [Eyes Open] Cinema Day 2026 was supported by EVZ Foundation Film Ambassadors. Young people aged 18 to 25 attended screenings in several cities and talked to visitors, students and experts in the areas of film and historical-political education. Their impressions will provide original content for the EVZ Foundation’s social media channels in the coming weeks.
In Frankfurt am Main, the Film Ambassadors met screenwriter Katrin Milhahn (DAS GEHEIME STOCKWERK), Professor Meron Mendel and members of Omas gegen Rechts [grandmothers against the Right]. In Dresden they spoke to students and also to Holocaust survivor Renate Aris about the significance of January 27, while in Berlin they conducted interviews about the premiere film with rbb, director Norbert Lechner and lead actor Silas John, among others.
The Film Ambassadors used their perspectives to bring Cinema Day closer to young audiences. More impressions will follow soon on the EVZ channels.

Maya Roisman works at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt. She manages the museum’s TikTok channel and is active in the Jewish Student Union. In connection with the school cinema program in Frankfurt am Main, she spoke to children and young people about their impressions, thoughts, and questions regarding the films.

In your view, what opportunities does teaching history through film have to offer?
There are many different ways to approach National Socialism and the Holocaust. People learn in different ways, too. While some need facts, numbers, and texts, others find it easier to engage with the topic on an emotional, personal level – such as through a story. A lot of people can be reached in this way.
In the film A REAL PAIN, we encounter characters who deal very differently with their emotions and who struggle internally at the site of the crimes. A lot of people might identify with this. We’re often expected to show clear, unambiguous feelings when we talk about these topics. But I believe it’s really important to explore your own mixed feelings when engaging with the subject. Art as a form of expression can convey this ambivalence and the complexity of memory in a particularly powerful way.

A REAL PAIN tells the story of two cousins whose grandmother has died – a Holocaust survivor from Poland. So the film addresses a real historical turning point: a lot of historical eyewitnesses are no longer alive, or else they’re very old. This has a major impact on how memory is passed on, especially within families.