Hanna (real name Johanna) was born in 1906 near Hannover into a jewish family. At the age of 18 she began her studies in Philosophy, Philology and Theology in Marburg. During that time she got in contact with Martin Heidegger. While studying at different german universities she had professors, such as Edmund Husserl and Karl Jaspers.
In 1929 she moved to Berlin and started to look at her religion from a philosophical point of view. In 1933 she was arrested by the Gestapo and fled to Paris after her arrest. In 1941 she left France after being detained in a detention camp. During her time there she thought a lot about Zionism and married her second husband Heinrich Blücher.
In the USA she wrote some of her most important publications such as "Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951) and "The Human Condition"(1958) and was a guest professor at Princeton and Harvard. In 1961 she covered the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem for the magazine “New Yorker”. Those texts are collected in the book “Eichmann in Jerusalem - A Report of the Banality of Evil” and were heavily criticised from parts of society.
Until her death in 1975 she continued writing and teaching. During and after her life she received numerous awards from various countries. ... See more

My name is Joshua Haiden, I am 18 years old and will soon pass my final exams at “Hegelgasse 12” in Vienna, a High School with a strong emphasis on music and art. Since I was a little child, I have always been interested in the process of making movies and subsequently launched my own video projects at a very young age. I therefore aspire to work as a director in the future in order to be able to tell stories to others and enable them to escape their daily routines whilst immersing themselves into another world.
Beginning September 2021, I will render my Gedienkdienst at USC Shoad Foundation (Los Angeles). This institution was founded by Steven Spielberg after having produced one of his most famous movies, “Schindler's List”, so as to preserve the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
I am intrigued by the work that is being done at USC Shoah foundation because it combines my interest in the production of movies with the ability to interact with people from all walks of life and learn about this horrible time.
Since November 2020, I am the Area Spokesperson for the North America cohort of 2021. I am honored to be entrusted with such an important position that allows me to remain in contact with my colleagues in North America and assist in developing a unique team spirit. I enjoy motivating and supporting them in any way possible.
I would like to thank the Austrian Service Abroad for this posting and am already looking forward to my Gedenkdienst!

#austrianserviceabroad #memorialservice #volunteering #uscshoahfoundation #losangeles #usa #jewishhistory #stephenspielberg ... See more

Marion Gräfin Dönhoff was born in 1909 in East Prussia and was editor-in-chief and co editor of DIE ZEIT. She grew up on a noble estate with her six siblings in East Prussia. At the age of 19 she took her A levels and began her studies in Frankfurt. When Hitler seized power, several professors were dismissed and she continued studying in Basel. After receiving her doctorate, she went back to East Prussia, where she managed the family estate. During WW 2 she had strong contacts with the resistance and played an important role in the group of July, 20th 1944.
After WW 2 she fled East Prusia because of the Red Army and started working at DIE ZEIT in 1946. She took over the political department and became a loud and active voice in german politics. In 1971 she received the Peace Price of the German Book Trade for her commitment to reconciliation with Eastern Europe. After retiring from day-to-day journalism she supported a program for ex prisoners and continued her work to improve the relationships between Germany and Eastern Europe. Dönhoff died in 2002 at the age of 92 and left behind numerous books. ... See more

Being part of the South Africa Holocaust and Genocide Foundation makes Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre the most important educational institution in regard to the Holocaust and Genocide in Cape Town, South Africa. The centre’s focus is set on the jews murdered in the Holocaust, the victims of the genocide in Rwanda and other genocides. Furthermore educational work amongst young people is done to show them the consequences of racism and discrimination and make them aware of the dangers of indifference, antisemitism and apathy.
The field of work done by the student GedenkdienerInnen und Gedenkdiener ranges from guidances of permanent exhibitions to the support of temporary exhibitions, fundraising, publicity relations work,work as a translator and work in the archive.

#CapeTown #SouthAfrica #Africa #Gedenkdienst #neverforget #abroad #ayearabroad #travel ... See more

Mein Name ist Nico Forster, ich bin 19 Jahre alt und wurde in Graz in der schönen Steiermark geboren. Schon seit meiner Hauptschulzeit hatte ich großes Interesse an der jüdischen Geschichte wie auch gegenüber dem Holocaust. Außerdem war der Wunsch, einmal in den USA zu leben, seit meiner ersten Amerika-Reise nach Colorado an erste Stelle meiner Bestreben gerückt. Nicht nur wollte ich die englische Sprache meistern können, sondern auch die neuen Kulturen kennen lernen. Ein Auslandsdienst am „Museum of Jewish Heritage“ verband alle diese Aspekte perfekt miteinander.

Doch als im März 2020 ein noch nie dagewesenes Problem namens Corona Virus die Welt eroberte, musste ich mich wohl oder übel für eine andere Bleibe wie auch auf eine andere Arbeit einstellen. Ich beschloss recht kurzfristig nach London zu gehen und für „Jewish Care – HSC“ zu arbeiten. Entgegen meiner Erwartungen entpuppte es sich als eine wirklich schöne Erfahrung trotz all den Einschränkungen.
Meine Aufgaben im Independent Living Carehome bestehen aus der Kommunikation und technischer Betreuung für die Bewohner. Weiters erledige ich Einkäufe von Lebensmitteln, Medizin, Haushaltsartikeln für unsere Tenants.

Für die Möglichkeit, meinen Auslandsdienst in der Großstadt London und nebenbei im sozialen Bereich zu absolvieren, bin ich überaus dankbar!

#london #england #jewishcare #betreuung ... See more

My name is Nico Forster, I am 19 years old and was born in Graz in the beautiful state of Styria. Since attending Junior High School, I was very interested in Jewish history and the Holocaust. After having visited the Colorado, I developed the strong desire to live in the United States for at least a certain period of time. Not only did I want to perfectionate my command of the English language but also immerse myself into other cultures. By rendering my Gedenkdienst at the „Museum of Jewish Heritage“ I would have been able to combine all of these aspects and let my dream come true.

In March 2020, however, the COVID/19 pandemic took hold of the world. It was therefore not possible for me to enter the US and, on the spur of the moment, I decided to opt for doing my Service Abroad at the „Jewish Care - HSC“ in London. Despite my concerns and the restrictions put in place, spending ten months in Great Britain turned out to be a truly fantastic experience.
At the “Independent Living Carehome“, I not only communicate with our residents on a daily basis but also offer technical assistance to each and every one of them. In addition, I am also shopping for groceries, medication and household items for our tenants.

I am forever grateful for the opportunity to render my Service Abroad in the cosmopolitan city of London and work in the sector of social services.

#london #unitedkingdom #jewishcare #assistance ... See more

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man/woman changes his/her own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him/her... We need not wait to see what others do.”

Mahatma Gandhi (real name Mohandas Karamchand) was born on October 2nd, 1869 as the fourth of four children in a family that belonged to the merchant caste (upper class) in Porbandar in West Gujarat / India.
After studying law in London, he went back to corrupt India to work as a lawyer, first in Bombay, then in his homeland of Gujarat.
Gandhi was the initiator of the nonviolent liberation of India from the colonial rule of the British Empire. He organized a movement that campaigned for the country's independence through non-violence, fearlessness and lack of interest in material. Among other things, he organized non-violent strikes against the colonial government and boycotts against imported goods.
After a campaign of violence got out of hand and Gandhi was imprisoned from 1922-1924, his next goal was independence from Britain.
The infinite number of counter-actions against the British (“salt march”, hunger strikes, etc.) finally led to India's independence on June 3, 1947.
Gandhi died in 1948 as a result of the assassination attempt by a nationalist, but one thing is clear: the world still celebrates the freedom fighter as a role model and national hero.

#austrianserviceabroad #serviceabroad #voluntarywork #ahimsa #nonviolence #independence ... See more

The memorial site in the „JVA Wolfenbüttel” is placed in the impressive and historical lower saxon Strafgefängnis (prison) Wolfenbüttel, which was transformed into a place of execution in 1937. Based on this, the memorial site is doing research regarding the history of justice and punishment during the time of National Socialism. Knowledge is enlarged through cooperation with national and international research institutes.
The Gedenkdienst in Wolfenbüttel deals intesively with the justice system of National Socialism and provides the possibility of assisting with exhibitions, workshops, doing research and public relations work.

#Germany #LowerSaxon #Braunschweig #Wolfenbüttel #memorialsite #prison #Justice #Justicesystem #research #neverforget ... See more

Dobar dan!

My name is Sascha Baumann, I am 22 years old and come from the wonderful Austrian state of Burgenland (specifically from Nickelsdorf). After four years of preparation, I am currently rendering my Friedensdienst at the “Centre for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights” in Croatia (at Osijek).

I was made aware of the opportunity to render a Service Abroad instead of a normal civil service by my teacher of religious education. With the words “That might be something for you!”, he handed me an information brochure on the organization. Whilst preparing for my Friedensdienst, I was presented with the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, gather valuable experience and initiate countless projects within the organization. All of this was possible even before I started my Service Abroad in December 2020.

At work, I am mainly occupied with the transcription of audio files, the participation in online workshops regarding the topics of integration and inclusion of marginalized groups and the conduct of research on initiatives to further integration of the Roma community in Croatia.

A Service Abroad is so much more than simply a period of ten months that is spent abroad! It presents the opportunity to grow as an individual, immerse oneself in a new culture and make the world a better place by working within a group of intrinsically motivated colleagues.
#peaceservice #serviceabroad #osijek #croatia #peace #centerofpeace ... See more

The Geschichtswerkstatt “Leonid Lewin” in Minsk, founded in 2003, is a member of the union of jewish public association and communities in Belarus. The Geschichtswerkstatt was formed in cooperation with Dortmund, as a shared project of Internationale Bildungs und Begegnungswerke. The placement is located in the area of the former Minsk Ghetto.
The goal of the Geschichtswerkstatt is to create a productive encounter of contemporary witnesses of the Holocaust as World War 2 and young people. 150 contemporary witnesses are taking part in this educational work.
The tasks of a Gedenkdiener is the participation in activities of the social project with survivors of the Holocaust, the support of events and workshops, publicity work and everyday work at the Geschichtswerkstatt.
The class of 2020 and 2021 ist formed by Elias Wolf and Valentin Yashin who will support the Geschichtswerkstatt.

#Minsk #Belarus #EastEurope #Gedenkdienst #History #Holocaust #WorldWar2 #educationalwork #contemporarywitnesses #youth #neverforget #inmemory ... See more

Hedy Lamarr was born in 1914 in Vienna and was an austrian-american actress, inventor and film producer. From an early age on, she was interested in acting and participated in various plays and films. In 1933 she became famous around the world due to her first film "Ecstasy", which was forbidden in some countries because of a particular nude scene. In the same year she married an austrian arm producer, who she left again a couple of years later. In 1938 she moved to the USA where she continued her career and participated in more or less 25 film productions.
During WW2 she supported the USA against Germany and together with Georg Antheil invented a technology that made it more difficult to jam torpedoes. Her new technology was not used until the 60ties and the US army gave the public access to it in the 80ties. Today her invention is particularly important because it is used for Bluetooth. During most of her lifetime she did not get recognition for her inventions. She was usually noticed for her private life and her beauty, while people forgot about her inventions, her engagement agains Nazi- Germany and in favor of reconstructing Austria after WW2.
Hedy Lamarr died in 2000 in the USA. Nowadays there are various books and films about her life. Last year there was an exhibition dedicated to her at the Jewish museum of Vienna.

#österreichischerauslandsdienst #auslandsdienst #freiwilligendienst #reisen #erfahrung
#hedylamarr #womeninscience ... See more

Dzień dobry! My name is Andreas Jesse and since September 2020, I am part of an extremely dynamic team working in the department of education at the POLIN - Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. The museum mainly deals with the history of Polish Jews by organizing interesting and insightful expositions.
My duties as a holocaust memorial servant are manifold and I am able acquire new skills on a regular basis. Furthermore, the museum provides volunteers from all corners of the world with the ability to work here and grow as individuals. It is therefore quite easy to network, make friends and meet new people.
My responsibilities at the museum include conducting research, translating from English to German, supporting current projects of POLIN and working in public relations.
I am looking forward to living in the city of Warsaw for the next ten months and make new
experiences.

#austrianserviceabroad #memorialservice #volunteering #poland #warsaw #museum #polishjews #jewishhistory #publicservices #volunteeringabroad ... See more

I am Pablo Muñoz, a half-Colombian from Vienna, and I'm going to graduate this year. In the second year of high school I went abroad to the Philippines, which taught me immense respect for other cultures as well as the ability to adapt to other ways of working. As soon as I returned to Austria, I knew that I wanted to experience something like this again.

I will do my Service Abroad at the Casa de los Tres Mundos in Nicaragua the year after I graduate from school. Not only will I have the opportunity to work on a social project, but also finally fulfil my wish to get to know the culture and way of living, my father grew up with.

The Casa de los Tres Mundos is an institution, located in the city of Granada, which not only enables exchange between different cultures, but also wants to support the artistic skills of the local people.

My job will include maintaining the IT infrastructure and homepage, participating in events and the like and working on art projects with children and young people.

#austrianserviceabroad #volunteerwork #socialservice #granada #nicaragua #tresmundos #centralamerica #socialproject ... See more

Buonasera,

my name is Anna Kleemair, I am 19 years old and I come from Seckau in Styria. Since September I have been at the international organization "Offenes Herz" as a social servant on the small island of Procida in the Gulf of Naples. When I started looking for an aid agency and heard about "Offenes Herz", my heart's desire to be there for other people and to do to charity grew.

I live with other international volunteers and we try to be a place of comfort, community and friendship for the locals of the island.

At the moment, our worktasks consist of visiting our friends and spending time with them. For example, we prepare coffee for a neighbor who is depressed every morning, to add some color to her daily life. We often play cards with our friends or cook together. Moreover, we teach them English and accompany them when they visit government offices.

In the future, I hope that we will be able to spend time at the retirement home, the hospice and the hospital regularly again, as was the case before the lockdown.

#austrianserviceabroad #volunteerwork #socialservice #italy #procidaisland #offenesherz ... See more

The foundation “pour la Mémoire de la Déportation” based in french Paris was founded in 1990 and serves as an umbrella organisation of several associations and societies devoting their work to the themes of deportation and imprisonment during the time of National Socialism and the Vichy regime. Head of the foundation is the french government through various ministries and it’s focus is set on the support of former interned and their families, as on the preservation of knowledge about deportation and internment.
The tasks of a Gedenkdienerin/Gedenkdiener are very widespread, covering for example information processing, networking with other institutions and public relations work.
Sebastian Draxl is supporting the foundation this year, followed by his successor Tobias Wiendl.

#Paris #France #Europe #Gedenkdienst #research #Holocaust #neverforget ... See more