Interview with Tal from Israel about visiting Auschwitz memorial site

On January 27, 2011, just before the beginning of the commemorative ceremony in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sebastian conducted an interview with Tal (28), an Israeli participant in the International Meeting 2011. The interview is in English.

Tal works in the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum in the Kibbutz Lohamei Haghetaot. She has visited the State Museum Auschwitz three times, each time in a different setting. In the interview, Tal speaks about the implications of these differences for the way how she, as an individual, is dealing with memory and commemoration. She points out how the multi-national character of the International Meeting 2011, and the diverse composition of the group, are opening up new perspectives. Other issues which are raised in the interview are the importance of authentic places for remembering and commemorating and the (limited) possibilities which web 2.0 is offering for educational work.

2011-01-27 Interview Tal by mkwprojekt2011_1

„Лишь бы боль и голод ушли, горя“ // “If only the pain and hunger disappeared in flames”

The visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial site and the experience gained from the conversations with the witnesses of the past inspired Yuliana Ryazantseva from Russia to write a poem which she would like to share with us.
The poem is narrated on behalf of a prisoner who is about to die. His image embodies the nameless suffering of millions of people who experienced the same fate.

Notatki na marginesie spotkania z dyrektorem Państwowego Muzeum Auschwitz–Birkenau, panem dr. Piotrem M.A. Cywińskim.

Im bliżej było końca Międzynarodowego Spotkania, tym bardziej zastanawiałam się, ile we mnie z Niego zostanie. Radość z bycia pośród interesujących ludzi wielu krajów i języków może szybko ulotnić się w konfrontacji z moją szarą, warszawską rzeczywistością. Rytm zajęć warsztatowych, zwiedzania, rozmów, wkrótce miała zastąpić codzienna rutyna. Zajęta wypełnianiem obowiązków prawdopodobnie nie wrócę już do zdigitalizowanych wspomnień Świadków historii. Ważnej lekcji, co robić z doświadczeniem zwiedzania (pielgrzymowania?) Auschwitz udzielił mi jego dyrektor Piotr Cywiński podczas spotkania w przededniu obchodów 66 rocznicy wyzwolenia .

Artikel über Internationale Begegnung im Museumsmagazin Auschwitz

Heute ist die aktuelle Ausgabe des Magazins „Oś“ erschienen, das vom Staatlichen Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oświęcim veröffentlicht wird. Auf den Seiten 12, 13 und 16 des Heftes finden sich Texte und Fotos, die im Rahmen des ersten Teils unserer Internationalen Begegnung im Januar 2011 entstanden sind. Vorläufig liegt nur die polnischsprachige Ausgabe vor, doch soll in Kürze auch eine englische Übersetzung erscheinen.

Die Texte entstanden im Rahmen des Text-Workshops unter der Leitung von Paweł Sawicki. Im Einzelnen sind dies ein Beitrag von Anat aus Israel und Katarzyna aus Polen sowie ein Interview, das Jakob aus Deutschland mit Mustafa aus Mazedonien durchgeführt hat. Die Texte werden in Kürze nochmals separat auf dieser Seite veröffentlicht werden.

Me ... a Human Being in Auschwitz? // Ich... ein Mensch in Auschwitz?

How do you start to answer something, if you don’t believe in your answers? How do you ask something, if you don’t know the questions? How do you write something, if your sentences are missing?

How do I feel, after my visit to Auschwitz? I was asked this question a couple of times, but how should I be able to answer, if I, Mustafa Jakupov, have so many doubts and questions in my head after my visit at this “tourist attraction”… Indeed I choose a word such as attraction, because many people treat it as such “After the terror, tourists came …” I saw so many people, young and old, running around with their cameras; so many pictures have been taken. But have the lessons been learned and also taken with our mental camera for storage and “flattering” in front of our friends? Yet I think it is wrong to generalize and judge people, since everyone has its own motives for visiting Auschwitz.

Interview with Dorota about the memory of Auschwitz in Poland

On January 27, 2011, just before the beginning of the commemorative ceremony in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Sebastian conducted an interview with Dorota (25), a Polish participant in the International Meeting 2011. The interview is in two languages: the questions were posed in English, and the answers given in Polish. It deals with the significance of Auschwitz-Birkenau for herself and in Polish culture and collective memory, as well as the differences in commemorative practices depending on the specific circumstances of a visit. The topic of web 2.0 and its potential for future practices of remembering and commemorating Nazi crimes in Europe is only touched briefly before the beginning of the ceremony.

2011-01-27 Interview-Dorota by mkwprojekt2011_1