As part of the official International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations, we were honored to present our traveling exhibition, ‘Between Life and Death: Histories of Rescue during the Holocaust’, at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg. This exhibition stands as a tribute to the remarkable courage and humanity of those who risked everything to save lives during the Holocaust.
The event brought together distinguished guests, including Theodoros Roussopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Aleksander Pociej, Chargé d’affaires a.i. of Poland, and Israel Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi and President of the Council of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, a Holocaust survivor born in Piotrków Trybunalski. Their visit, guided by prof. Piotr Trojański, academic consultant of the exhibition, underscored the importance of preserving these testimonies and engaging in moral reflection on historical atrocities.
The exhibition’s opening was accompanied by a screening of the film by Polish Institute of National Remembrance ‘Passport to Paraguay’ (dir. Robert Kaczmarek), which highlights the efforts of Polish diplomacy in rescuing Jews during the Second World War, shedding light on the often-overlooked Polish-Jewish cooperation against German Nazi persecution.
The Assembly’s session also marked the presentation and adoption of the report ‘Multiperspectivity in Remembrance and History Education’, emphasizing the essential role of history education in fostering pluralism, democratic values, and critical engagement with the past. The report advocates for incorporating diverse perspectives into curricula and strengthening collaborations between schools, cultural institutions, and initiatives like those of ENRS, ensuring inclusive and meaningful historical education.
As highlighted in the report, ENRS remains dedicated to these efforts through projects like ‘Between Life and Death’, which has traveled to 18 cities across Europe and beyond, engaging audiences in profound reflections on the Holocaust’s universal lessons.
Watch the gallery here:
