Since 2010 our association ZWEITZEUGEN e.V. has interviewed contemporary witnesses of the Holocaust and documented their stories. In the witnesses‘ stead we tell their life stories at (school)workshops, presentations, in magazines and at exhibitions. In doing so we become secondary witnesses who prevent the stories from falling into oblivion.
More than 120 volunteers are committed to the project of secondary witnessing in the german commemorative culture. 16 of them, being part of the team „exhibitions and presentations“ are about to develop a new multimedia and interactive concept for our exhibition.
Visitors of every age shall become secondary witnesses and pass on these stories because talking about the terror of national socialism means learning from the past for the future and acting responsibly in the presence.
„Everyone listening to a witness will become a witness themselves.“
Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor (1928 - 2016)
We present our exhibition all over Germany. The portraits of the interviewed contemporary witnesses are its focus. The forceful pictures make possible a direct and personal access to the examination of the unutterable. Little commenting pictures complete the photographs. In them the answers to the question „What has helped you to go on after you survived?“ are mirrored. For many contemporary witnesses these were family members. For some it was art that helped them to handle their traumas. Cheva Wolf e.g. paints especially colourful pictures, Shoshanna Maze forms sculptures and Rolf Abrahamson knots carpets during sleepless nights.
So far the pictures and the printed out interviews spoke for themselves to a great extent. Now we want to expand our offering in the form of a broad interactive museum educational service so that history will become even more tangible.
As part of our workshops (young) participants can write letters to the contemporary witnesses whose story they heard. The appreciation and sympathy expressed especially by children and teenagers are very meaningful to the survivors and the joy the witnesses express is touching. Have a look at the following video and see some letter deliveries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svLCNN8BlA8
For us the encounters with the contemporary witnesses are a life changing experience. Their strength, openmindedness and warmth are a daily inspiration to commit ourselves to the passing on of life stories and to face antisemitism and other grouprelated inhumanities.
Thank you very much for your support!
