© Maya Roisman
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?
Maya Roisman: 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.
How do you think history education will change in the future?
Maya Roisman: I’m very concerned that future generations will live in a society where nobody is or has been personally acquainted with anyone who experienced this war and these crimes. I fear that history will become abstract – almost like fiction. A chapter in a history book that you might memorize, but where there is no personal connection or sense of responsibility. I believe this will have a major impact on how we perceive present-day events and political developments – and also on our capacity to take action as a society.
Films always involve a degree of fictionalization. It’s often difficult for audiences to know what is based on historical fact and what was added for dramatic effect. For this reason, at the Augen auf [Eyes Open] Cinema Day we provide an educational framework to address children’s and young people’s questions after viewing the film, enabling them to talk about their impressions and reflect collectively on how the past is portrayed. This opportunity for contextualization is often lacking on social media. The Jewish Museum Frankfurt is now on TikTok, too. What strategy do you pursue on this social media channel, and what prompted you to take this step?
Maya Roisman: A lot of people increasingly use social media such as TikTok as a search engine – that’s where they acquire knowledge. The medium is firmly established in day-to-day life, and it can also function as a space for discussion and remembrance.
It’s important to the Jewish Museum to present complex and difficult historical topics in ways that are understandable and tangible, especially for young people. The goal of the newly launched TikTok channel is to counter antisemitism, fake news related to Jewish culture and history, and Holocaust trivialization. The aim is to make the stories of Frankfurt’s Jewish residents visible and let the facts speak for themselves.
