What do our partners and project participants say about their projects in the Education Agenda NS-Injustice?
© Iris Hax
Today, education about Nazi injustice is more urgent than ever. The history of forced labor and the Holocaust must be kept alive to prevent ignorance and denial from taking over the space of remembrance. We especially need to show young people that knowledge of what happened to those who were persecuted must not be left to gather dust in history books – it should shape how we think and act today. Through our project, we shed light on the history of forced labor in Greece and the suffering of its victims to raise awareness about the dangers of Antisemitism and racism. What moved me most was confronting the fate of the Jewish people who were forced to work in Karya under horrific conditions and were murdered there or later deported to extermination camps. Remembering these people requires us to act with reflection, which will also have an impact in the future.
Iris Hax, project: Karya 1943. Forced Labor and the Holocaust, Nazi Forced Labor Documentation Center
© Andreas Schlager
It is crucial to constantly re-examine the relationship between past and present, add to it based on facts, and redefine it. Our knowledge of history remains the foundation for making connections, but it is only by contextualizing individual aspects that we can compare and understand. … Our theme week offered a quick succession of events and exchange formats. The interest and involvement of so many young visitors and their positive response make me hopeful that future generations will remain engaged with our history and take an active interest in it.
Hasko Weber, Artistic Director of the German National Theater Weimar,
Project: Ressource Erinnerung [Remembrance as a Resource]
More than 5,000 Antisemitic incidents in 2024 alone show just how deeply Antisemitism is embedded in our society. … Antisemitic narratives circulate widely through language, imagery, pop culture, and social media. Educational work must therefore engage with historical continuities and explain the function of Antisemitism for both individuals and society. Our project “Under Pressure?” takes up this challenge: it connects historical perspectives with current issues, highlights the social responsibility of media and media creators, and offers practical tools and action strategies for journalists.
Maren van Norden, project: Under Pressure? Media and Antisemitism in the National Socialist State and Today, Kölnische Gesellschaft für Christlich-Jüdische Zusammenarbeit (Cologne Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation)
© Nikolai Wolff
We want to address with the murders of people with disabilities in a way that produces living knowledge. For the participants, the gravity of our workshops creates an emotional investment when the victims stop being numerical abstractions and start to be recognized as “individually distinct beings.” We provide a context here. … Living knowledge of the National Socialist era is more than just knowledge. It is a way of relating to the world in which a secure sense of identity is not built by devaluing others. How can people learn this? By everyone involved in our workshops contributing what they can and thereby being taken seriously. We combine this with the possibilities that art offers in terms of its capacity to make destructive experiences bearable.
Prof. Jochen Bonz, project: Grafeneck – Münster/ 1940 – Heute, Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia
During the pandemic, I developed a strange feeling that I can hardly describe – maybe a sense of solitude comes closest. This performance project has given me the chance to get to know a diverse group of new people and form deeper connections. We’ve grown closer as an ensemble, and I think that’s wonderful!
Isabella Beebe, participant in the youth theater project Gallus-Geschichten [Gallus Stories], Junges Schauspiel Frankfurt
