Young people preserve the memories of Holocaust survivors

Children and young people pass on the stories of Holocaust survivors who are no longer able to do so themselves: this is the focus of the work done by the initiative “Zweitzeugen” in Germany. Volunteers encourage children and young people to engage with the biographies of Holocaust survivors so as to preserve their memories and pass on their stories. After all, those who survived the Holocaust are now very old, and there will soon be no one left who can tell their story themselves.  

Around 22,000 children and young people are involved in the organisation who are actively committed to combating anti-Semitism and discrimination. Ever since it was founded in 2014, the organisation has encouraged young people to take on responsibility in society. In order to reach children and young people, it runs an educational scheme consisting of workshops and projects that are implemented in collaboration with schools. “We particularly want to reach children and youngsters whose family and social environment makes it difficult for them to access educational programmes,” says Christina Walther of “Zweitzeugen”. But how is it possible to establish contact with Holocaust survivors who can share their biographies with young people? 

In its early days, the organisation actively approached museums, Jewish institutions and also individuals. It has since established a widespread network. “Zweitzeugen” conducts interviews with Holocaust survivors and then documents the stories in a kind of magazine and also in podcast episodes, which the children and young people then work with at the next stage of the process. In addition, the organisation provides them with material that enables them to put the reports into context from an analytical, historical perspective. All “Zweitzeugen” members are issued with a symbolic ID card, says Walther: “To round off the process of engaging with the biographies, letters are written to the survivors and their families.”  

The organisation maintains close contact with the survivors, too. Volunteers engage in dialogue with them and provide them with regular updates on the work being done by the organisation. 37 interviews have been conducted to date. In order to build on its educational work going forward, the organisation says it will also explore the stories of other groups in the future such as Sinti and Roma.