From the Novi Sad Raid to Auschwitz – Novi Sad the capital of the remembrance culture
A program dedicated to various aspects of the culture of Holocaust remembrance, the purpose, meaning and future of remembrance, the problems we face in this field, and the challenge posed by contemporary antisemitism
Antisemitism – a shared European challenge
Antisemitism has been present for centuries, manifesting in various forms of (Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward 1 Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities (Working definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance IHRA) discrimination and violence 1 against the Jewish communities around Europe.
It culminated during the Holocaust – the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and murder of Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, perpetrated between 1933 and 1945 in front of the eyes of millions of bystanders. This continent-wide genocide destroyed individuals, families, communities, and cultures developed over centuries. After facing this unprecedented crime, post-war Europe was built upon the commitment of Europeans to ensure that such atrocities never happen again. We pledged to continue our shared future based on core democratic values: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human and civil rights. Still, antisemitism did not end.
Today, again, antisemitism is on the rise across Europe.
The program “From the Novi Sad Raid to Auschwitz – Novi Sad the Capital of the Remembrance Culture,” developed by Terraforming and a group of dedicated Serbian and international partners, is built around the three three pillars of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life:
1. Preventing and combating all forms of antisemitism;
2. Protection and nurturing of Jewish life;
3. Education, research and remembrance of the Holocaust;
From 17 to 19 June, 2 through a series of public panel discussions, exhibitions, and performances, we will demonstrate our commitment to stand against antisemitism in all its forms, our dedication to fostering Jewish life, as well as improving research, education, and memorialization of the Holocaust.
During the three eventful days, we will explore a range of topics, such as:
• European cooperation on countering antisemitism through education;
• Antisemitism in times of social insecurity, misinformation, and fear;
• Graphic novel in teaching about the Holocaust;
• ew roles of archives, libraries, and museums in countering Holocaust distortion and denial;
• Future of remembrance in times without living survivors;
• Holocaust memory in the emerging landscape of digital cultural heritage;
• Gender perspectives in Holocaust education and countering antisemitism;
In 2022 we mark 80 years since the Novi Sad Raid, a series of military and police operations carried out by the Hungarian armed forces against the Serbian and Jewish civilians in January 1942. In this massacre, Hungarian fascists killed at least 1.400 people on the streets of Novi Sad and along the banks of the Danube. This event has forever changed the city and evolved into an inseparable part of its identity. During the program, we will examine the memorialization of the Novi Sad Raid as part of the shared European historical experience and an essential element in the European mosaic of Holocaust remembrance.
The program will reach its highlight when in partnership with the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture (AEPJ), we launch the European Days of Jewish Culture to celebrate life, culture, and our shared European future.
The program was developed by:
Terraforming
Partners:
- European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ)
- Jewish Museum Greece, Athens
- Galicia Jewish Museum, Krakow
- CENTROPA Zentrum für Jüdische Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts e. V., Hamburg
- Jugend- & Kulturprojekt JKPeV, Dresden
- Archives of Vojvodina, Novi Sad
- Cultural Center of Novi Sad
- Historical Archive of the City of Novi Sad
- Matica Srpska Library
As part of the program, we will have a series of public forums in which we will discuss various aspects of the culture of remembrance in the context of contemporary social challenges with a special emphasis on antisemitism.
Exhibition: "Graphic Novel in Holocaust Education - From the Novi Sad Raid to Auschwitz"
The exhibition “Graphic Novel in Holocaust Education – From the Novi Sad Raid to Auschwitz” will show a whole range of educational materials developed in the format of graphic novels based on true stories and young people who lived and suffered during World War II. Terraforming has been developing this type of educational material for several years and this exhibition will show what they have achieved until today.
Exhibition: "The Future of Memory - From Raid to Auschwitz"
The exhibition “The Future of Remembrance- From the Raid to Auschwitz” will commemorate one of the most terrible events that forever changed the face of Novi Sad – the Novi Sad Raid in a specific way. It will show different places in the world where the memory of the suffering of our people is kept.
Program
Friday – Jun 17, 2022
1 – Panel
Antisemitism in Times of Crisis, Disinformation and Fear
TIME: 11: 00-12: 30
PLACE: Historical Archive of the City of Novi Sad
MODERATOR: Miško Stanišić, Terraforming
PANELISTS:
• Dr. Milan Koljanin
Historian, Steering board member, Memorial Center „Staro Sajmiste“, Belgrade
• Anna Wencel
Educator, Galicia Jewish Museum, Krakow
• Emrah Gürsel
Head of International Partnerships, Kreuzberger Initiative gegen Antisemitismus KIgA e.V., Berlin
• Stefan May
Project manager, Jugend- & Kulturprojekt JKPeV, Dresden
2 – Panel
The Future of Memory
TIME: 17: 30-19: 00
PLACE: KC Svilara
MODERATOR: Miško Stanišić, Terraforming
PANELISTS:
• Dr. Victoria Walden
Senior Lecturer in Media, School of Media, Arts and Humanities, University of Sussex, The Sussex Weidenfeld Institute of Jewish Studies, Brighton
• Jan Erik Dubbelman
International Director, Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
• Helge Theil
Program Coordinator, Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft EVZ, Berlin
• Dr. Alexandra Patrikiou
Historian, Jewish Museum Greece, Athens
3 – EXHIBITION OPENING:
Graphic Novel in Education about the Holocaust – From the Novi Sad Raid to Auschwitz
TIME: 19:00
Opening speeches:
• Jan Erik Dubbelman
International Director, Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
• Martina Maschke
Director for International bilateral Affairs and Holocaust Education at the Federal Ministry of Education of Austria, Vienna
Saturday – Jun 18, 2022
4 – Panel
Rebuilding the Life After the Holocaust – 80 Years Later: Achievements, Challenges, and Tasks for Future
TIME: 11: 00-12: 30
PLACE: KC Svilara (The Silk Factory)
MODERATOR: Miško Stanišić, Terraforming
PANELISTS:
• Hannah Miriam Lessing
Secretary General, National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, Vienna
• Dr. Olga Manojlović Pintar
Historian, Senior Researcher, Institute for Recent History of Serbia
• Katja Grosse-Sommer
Historian, CENTROPA, Hamburg
• Victor Sorenssen
Director, The European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage AEPJ, Barselona
5 – Panel
Baruh Brothers’ Sisters – to Auschwitz Gender Perspectives in Memorialization and Education
TIME: 14: 00-15: 30
PLACE: KC Svilara
MODERATOR: Miško Stanišić, Terraforming
PANELISTS:
• Filip Gajić
Actor, director, writer and screenwriter, Belgrade
• Dr. Ivana Pantelić
Historian, Associate Researcher, Institute of Contemporary History, Belgrade
• Dr. Julia Bala
Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist, Amsterdam
• Marissa Roth
Photojournalist, Santa Monica, United States
Sunday – Jun 19, 2022
7 – Celebration
Kick-Off of the European Days of Jewish Culture
(in cooperation with the Jewish Community of Novi Sad’s program „Synagogue – the Meeting Point“)
TIME:17:00-18:30
PLACE: Novi Sad Synagogue
SPEAKS:
• François Moyse
President, The European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage AEPJ, Luxembourg
• Mirko Štark
President of the Jewish Community of Novi Sad
MUSIC PERFORMANCE: The Hashira Choir, The Maayan Dance Group and The Kol Shel K’fir Quartet
“What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor but the silence of the bystander.”
– Elie Wiesel
8 – Panel
No More Silence – Addressing Antisemitism at Local, National and European Level
TIME: 19:00-21:00
PLACE: Serbian National Theater (The Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad)
MODERATOR: Miško Stanišić, Terraforming
PANELISTS:
• Dr. Felix Klein
Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism, Berlin
• Martina Maschke
Director for International bilateral Affairs and Holocaust Education at the Federal Ministry of Education
• Dr. Leon Saltiel
Representative at UN and UNESCO and Coordinator on Countering Antisemitism for the World Jewish Congress, Geneva
• H.E. Annika Ben David
Swedish Ambassador to Serbia, representing Swedish IHRA Chairmanship 2022, and Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2023
• Robert Sabadoš
President, Federation of the Jewish Communities of Serbia, Belgrade
Support:
Foundation “Novi Sad – European Capital of Culture“
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance IHRA
through the project “Holocaust, European Values and Local History”
Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft EVZ
through the project “Ester – young people remember”
Co-funded by the European Commission under the
Rights, Equality and Citizenship (REC) Programme of the European Union
through the the project “HANNAH: Challenging and Debunking Antisemitic Myths”