You can check out the entire video by clicking this link!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxQ2YL2QsfQ


“My mother knew the man who was overseeing the whole Jewish problem there. [… ] He was a friend of my parents, a neighbor. She approached him and begged him to give the little boy to her. [Karina’s four years old cousin, who was destined to be deported] He said: ‘Why do you need him? He cannot work. What should you do with him?’ He looked down at her and he said: ‘If you don’t disappear this minute, I will put you in the vehicles too’. So what could she do? She left. That was a friend.”
Gabrielle Karina’s (*1930 in Bratislava, former Czechoslovakia) adoring, solicitous and sheltered childhood was shattered apart at the tender age of 8, when World War II emerged.
Early on her mother, who shared a delicacies store with her husband, partook in the partisan movement. Karina's mother proficiently acquired a list of Jews, who were designated to be deported and therefore managed to save numerous Jewish residents from the Nazi persecution.
During her mothers' resilience and resistance, Gabriele accompanied her to underground meetings, as her mother had contemplated, that soldiers wouldn’t dare to stop a lone mother with her young child after 6 pm, the curfew solely mandatory for Jewish residents. Following closely, Gabriele's parents managed to secure false papers. Afterward, they went into hiding. Karol Blanor, a valiant young lawyer, accommodated them, aware of the vital consequences.
Gabriele shared her story with us. Listen closely.

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The Fondazione Museo della Shoah was founded in July 2008 on the initiative of the “Comitato promotore del progetto Museo della Shoah”, a committee set up in late 2006 to promote the construction of a museum dedicated to the Shoah in Rome. The inauguration of the exhibition spaces took place in 2015.

The following exhibitions are in the museum: The exhibitions “Dalla terraferma alla terra promessa:: Aliya Bet dall’Italia a Israele, 1945-1948”, which deals with the history of the flight of European Jews to Israel via Italy, “1938 vite spezzate” on the proclamation of racial laws in Italy, “Solo il dovere oltre il dovere” on anti-Jewish propaganda in Italy. Other projects such as workshops for school classes etc. are also being organised.

The duties of the foreign officers at the field office are to help with the organisation of events, to prepare seminars, to assist with press relations and research work, and much more.

In 2020, Andreas Oliva does his Gedenkdienst at the field location. For 2021, Tobias Habermayer is the Gedenkdienst candidate.

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D-Day:
On June 6, 1944, the Allies landed in Normandy. It was the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi rule. A total of about 150,000 soldiers reached the coast that day. At the same time, 23,000 paratroopers landed in the hinterland of the coast the night before. In addition to the ground troops, the project was also supported by 7,500 aircraft, which were primarily intended to destroy German defense systems.

Nevertheless, the attack claimed numerous casualties on the Allied side, because the troops could not be brought directly to the beach from the landing craft. Therefore the soldiers had to get to the beach through waist-high water and were exposed to the German defense without any protection. The German soldiers had the advantage that on the one hand they had a good view over the coast from their bunkers and on the other hand they were still protected. Hitler himself, however, did not suspect this attack in Normandy, but was firmly convinced that the Allies had Calais in their sights. The British had placed an army made of cardboard, rubber and wood near this place. German reconnaissance planes reported what they had seen, which is why preparations were made in that region and not in Normandy, where the actual attack took place.

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The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 had a massive impact on the course of the Second World War.
That attack on the port of Hawaii only came about because the US terminated important economic agreements with the Japanese. As negotiations about possible new contracts stalled, the Japanese planned a surprise attack. So they started the attack with several aircraft carriers with a total of 441 aircraft, two battleships, six submarines and twelve other combat ships, as well as supply ships. The Japanese offensive began on the night of December 7, 1941, and a large part of the American battleships was destroyed by the morning of the following day. The Japanese goal of making the American fleet inoperable for at least the next few months was achieved. A total of 2,403 American soldiers died and 1,178 were injured that day. This attack, however, led to the United States' entry into World War II.

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The aid organisation Offenes Herz (Italian: Punto Cuore) is an international association of believers within the Roman Catholic Church and stands up for a culture of compassion. The association was founded in Argentina and in 1990, it was episcopally recognised followed by being canonically recognised by the Holy See in 2000. It is operating in 20 countries all over the world and has a consultative status with the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSCOC) of the United Nations.

The social service project provides the opportunity for practicing Austrian Catholics to get involved in an institution of Offenes Herz in Italy (on the island of Procida). Every day they welcome children who come there to play games, have a chat, paint or do their homework. Moreover, the social service volunteers pay visits to families of people in need on the island. The intention behind this is quite simple: The volunteers want to maintain friendships while accompanying the people in different moments of their lives. Offenes Herz also serves as a bridge between the people and social institutions. The volunteers accompany their friends in cases of illness and bureaucratic procedures while also intermediating with the respective institutions in cases of drug dependency.

This year, Anna Kleemair is doing her Social Service in Punto Cuore. A successor of hers has not been determined yet.

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The Galicia Jewish Museum was founded by Chris Schwarz in 2004 and focuses mainly on commemoration of the Holocaust while also attempting to cultivate the former colourful and divers regional Jewish culture.

The museum itself includes one permanent exhibition called "Traces of Memory" which attempts to present exclusively through pictures what Galicia was like before the Holocaust and what happened there during and after that time. There are also several temporary exhibitions and the museum is one of the biggest education institutions dealing with the topic of Judaism in Poland. However, the spaces are not only used for exhibitions but also for hosting different events. Those events range from Jewish festivities of the Jewish Community to architectural congresses. It is a very interesting and versatile museum.

At the moment, Sebastian Grünanger is doing his Gedenkdienst here.

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The Austrian Service Abroad wishes Merry Christmas!

The Berlin Wall
The Berlin has divided the city of Berlin into two halves for almost three decades and has been a symbol for the world's division into East and West. However, on 9 November 1989, the most famous border installation goes down all of a sudden.
After World War II has ended, Germany is split up by the war's victorious powers. The two German states DDR and BRD are established. Many citizens disagree with this division. Especially young East Germans are unhappy about living in the Sowjet-controlled DDR. Millions flee to the West. The DDR is in danger of falling apart.
From 1954, escaping from East Germany is thus punished with imprisonment and in 1961, the Sowjet leaders decide to entirely close the border. In Berlin, a wall is established and more borders are secured.
Some audacious people manage to escape with hot-air balloons and through tunnels, but many are arrested in their attempts and about 300 people die.
Only at the end of the 1980s the situation changes due to a change of government at the top of the Sowjet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev intends to reconciliate with the West and admonishes the DDR to change its policy. On 9 November 1989, the time has come and thousands pour towards the border crossings of Berlin. The border guards are overwhelmed and decide to open the gates. In the same night, more border crossings go down.

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In the next Wednesday conference on the 16th of December at 8 pm we welcome two very special guests.
Benjamin "Bini" Guttmann, was born in 1996 in Vienna,.
After graduating from high school in 2014, he initially did community service in the Jewish Museum Vienna, after whom he began a law and Political science studies at the University of Vienna.
He has been co-chairman of the Austrian Jewish students (JöH), and since 2020 President of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS) in Brussels.

Mila Stojanovic, who was born in 1990, grew up in Belgrade in a Jewish - Orthodox family. She discovered her personal connection to Judaism in her Jewish Youth group, which also characterized her further educational path. After studying Education in Belgrade, she worked ten years as a “counselor” and at the “Center for Informal Jewish Education in Belgrade”.
She is now the education coordinator of Haver Srbija, where she helps to develop and
implement programs on Judaism, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
in public schools.
Mila Stojanovic also holds the position as the Executive Director of the European Union of Jewish Students.

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Hello,

I'm Nikolas Kaschik from Mödling, a small town in the suburb of Vienna. Two and a half years ago I decided to join the Austrian Service Abroad. My main motive was to do my part to ensure that the Holocaust and its victims are never forgotten.

After an intensive preparation, I have been doing my Service Abroad at “Selig Court - Independent Living Apartments” since September 1st, 2020. It provides assisted living for Holocaust survivors and refugees. My main task is the technical support for the residents. In addition, I am a welcome social contact for the tenants, as most of them are very isolated due to the corona crisis.

I am grateful for the opportunity to do my exciting memorial service in the vibrant metropolis of London.
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My name is Luka Mirčeta, I am from Innsbruck and I graduated from the Academic Gymnasium in Innsbruck this summer. On October 1st, 2020 I started my Holocaust Memorial Service at the Association of Jewish Communities of Serbia - Belgrade Jewish Historical Museum.

In the next few months the focus of my work will be the digitization of the archive. It consists of annual reports, so-called “Bilten” books, which I digitize.

In addition to my work at the museum, I was also able to attend a commemoration ceremony where the victims of the “Kladovo Transport” were remembered.

I am very happy that I can do my Holocaust Memorial Service in Belgrade and I am already looking forward to the next 9 months in Serbia!

Greetings from Belgrade,

Luka Mirčeta

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Within 100 days, the genocide in Rwanda caused one million victims who where were slaughtered in the most primitive manner. The external political powers refused to intervene in Rwanda during the whole 100 days.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial was established in 1999 as a reaction to this genocide and the torn state. The Memorial's area covers the mass graves of 250,000 victims and creates a room for an exchange between perpetrators and victims while also dedicating itself to the after-waves of genocidal structures.

Only targeted and internalized propaganda and a corrupt and lapsed state can lead to the construction of genocidal dimensions. Thus, through interviews with contemporary witnesses, projects focusing on dealing with the past for teachers, parents and pupils as well as the substantive discussion of the genocide, commemoration of the past and shaping the future at the same time is attempted.

In 2020, Jakob Kuks and Franzie Schatzl are doing their Peace Service in Kigali and devote themselves to the Social Media appearance of Aegis Trust and the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

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Bertha von Suttner Peace Institute, The Hague

The Bertha von Suttner Peace Institute in The Hague, a stone's throw from the Palace and the courts located in it, is a privately financed NGO that carries out peace work based on Bertha von Suttner's ideas and ideals. In addition to large-scale festivities such as Suttner's 175th birthday party, the BvS Peace Institute acts as an international network for historians, researchers and novelists who deal academically with Bertha von Suttner. The Bertha von Suttner Peace Institute provides a unique insight into peace lobbyism and the development of the European peace movements. It offers the opportunity to deal with pacifism and its forms in a philosophical and scientific way and to become a friend of Bertha.

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The Waldheim Affair:

Waldheim was Secretary General of the UN between 1972 and 1981 and earned himself a good reputation there. He was described as "an Austrian the world trusts".

In 1985 Kurt Waldheim ran for the office of Federal President as representative of the ÖVP. As a result, research on Waldheim's past during the 2nd millennium BC was conducted. World War II.

From March 1986 onwards, publications on Waldheim's past began to accumulate and it was reported that he had served between 1942 and 1943 in a unit that brutally attacked partisans and deported masses of Greek Jews to German concentration camps. Waldheim had concealed this and his membership in National Socialist associations such as the SA or the National Socialist Student Union in his previously published biography. More and more such information was brought to the public.

Waldheim denied any war crimes and claimed he knew nothing about them. The election campaign became increasingly aggressive and the resistance against Waldheim grew.

In the first round of elections in May 1986 Waldheim narrowly missed the absolute majority with 49.6% of the votes. He won the subsequent runoff election with 53.6% and thus became Federal President.

After the elections Austria became increasingly isolated in foreign policy terms. Waldheim was not invited by any western state and was visited by only a few heads of state.

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My name is Sebastian Grünanger and I am from Wernberg in Carinthia. I decided to do a Holocaust Memorial Service two years ago because I think it is my responsibility to work for the commemoration of the Holocaust.

My museum is the Galicia Jewish Museum in Kraków. Just in my first two months at the office, I have worked on a wide variety of projects and have already gained a lot of great experience. At the moment my main task consists of the organization of online projects. Depending on how the situation in Poland develops, my area of ​​responsibility will expand and I will give tours and lead workshops.

I can recommend every Austrian to take this step. You are rewarded in many ways and this experience is an incredible enrichment.

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