©Janine Gielis

At these schools, lectures, guided tours through the exhibition and workshops on antisemitism and historical remembrance culture were conducted. Particularly noteworthy was the commitment of Israeli student groups, some of whom offered multilingual tours and asked in-depth questions about the development of the project and the significance of historical documents. The educational work focused on exploring how antisemitic measures in Germany during the 1930s affected the lives of the individuals whose biographies are presented in the travelling exhibition. It was addressed in detail how exclusion, disenfranchisement and social stigmatization profoundly altered, and in many cases completely destroyed, their family structures, professional prospects, and life paths.

Moreover, connections to the present were drawn, especially regarding developments after October 7^th 2023 and the following war. Israeli students reported how antisemitism shapes their lives today, for example through insecurity abroad, media debates, and increasing social polarization. Linking historical analysis with current experiences led to intensive discussions about continuities of antisemitic manifestations and their impact on young people.

During the stay, a total of thirteen schools were visited, eight of which hosted the full exhibition. These included schools in the greater Tel Aviv area (Gush Dan), Mazkeret Batya, Even Yehuda, Kadima-Tzoran, Rehovot and Netanya, as well as schools in the north of the country, for example in Maghar and Deir-al-Asad.

Existing school partnerships were further consolidated and moreover, several Israeli schools expressed concrete interest in new cooperation with schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, enabling the continued expansion of networking activities.

©Janine Gielis

An important aspect of the trip involved meetings with political representatives of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. In Tel Aviv, a personal meeting was held with the President of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mr. André Kuper, during which existing exchange programs were acknowledged and future student visits to North Rhine-Westphalia were discussed. In addition, the project had the opportunity to welcome the Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs and Media of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mr. Nathanael Liminski, to the exhibition at Ironi Yud Daled High School in Tel Aviv. During his conversation with students, Minister Liminski emphasized the importance of school exchange activities and the contemporary relevance of historical learning in the context of current antisemitic developments. Among other topics, the students discussed “Never again is now”, remembrance culture in Europe, and their own experiences with antisemitism.

The large number of visits by political representatives from North Rhine-Westphalia not only reflects the deep sense of connection the state feels toward Israel, but also shows that the moment has come to further strengthen relations at multiple levels. For us, the most meaningful level is the establishment of school partnerships and exchange programs, which receive special support from the Office of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Israel. 

In retrospect, the project manager Janine Gielis values the trip with great significance for bilateral educational work. The active participation of teachers, school leadership and political representatives underscores the social and educational importance of the project. For 2026, “We, the six million” is planning two follow-up visits of four weeks each, in order to continue the newly initiated lines of cooperation, visit partner schools and consolidate existing exchange initiatives.

Partner

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