Our Grade 10 bilingual students visited the Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Düsseldorf on 16th July to learn more about the history of National Socialism and the persecution of people under the Nazi regime. The visit began with a short introductory session that established background knowledge as to the site itself and the importance of remembering the victims of the Holocaust.

After the introduction, the students were divided into small groups and worked with original case files of individual victims. Each group studied the life story of a different person, exploring how Nazi persecution affected people from various backgrounds. The cases included Lotte, an SPD resistance fighter who opposed the Nazi regime, and Ally, a young girl with Down syndrome who became a victim of the Nazis' so-called "euthanasia" program. Through letters, photographs, and official documents given to the Mahn- und Gedenkstätte by the victims´ families, the students gained a deeper understanding of the personal experiences and fates behind the historical events.

Thus the workshop encouraged students to reflect on the consequences of discrimination, dictatorship, and intolerance. By examining the stories of individual victims, the visit made history more personal and highlighted the importance of defending human rights, democracy, and respect for all people.

Kathrin Ortmayr