Student workshop on history and remembrance took place in Oświęcim  

From November 2nd to 7th, 2024, the non-profit organization what matters, together with the World Jewish Congress (WJC), the Fritz Bauer Institute and the Student Initiative at I.G. Farben Campus, organized a seminar for students from different faculties and universities. It took place at The International Youth Meeting Center in Oświęcim in cooperation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and the Auschwitz Jewish Center.

70 participants from Germany and Austria joined the program, where they addressed the history of the camp complex and discussed the future of remembrance. The participants also dove deeper into the topic of German industry in the times of National Socialism, especially I.G. Farben and the company’s own camp Auschwitz-Monowitz.

The history and the consequences of the Holocaust are important topics. Nevertheless, students rarely have the opportunity to get to know the place that has become a symbol of the Holocaust from different perspectives as part of an organized trip lasting several days. This is hardly ever possible to do together with students from other universities and different faculties, making such programs even more valuable.

“Seldom does one have the possibility to visit the historical sites of the Holocaust as part of the studies. It was the first time such an interdisciplinary event had taken place. We had a week of intensive discussions about the history of Auschwitz and the future of remembrance. The feedback from the participants is clear: they would like to have more seminars like this. We are incredibly grateful for the support of the Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation, which made this project possible.”

Dr. Andreas Kahrs, Founder and Director, what matters gGmbH

The program is on of the examples of how future generations can learn about the Holocaust and how knowledge of National Socialism can be sustainably preserved in our society.