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Future of coming to terms with Nazism and commemoration: Conference in Parliament provides insight into planned measures for the commemorative year 2025
Find out more about the future of remembrance in Austria. This article presents the opening of a conference at which experts discussed Nazi commemoration and coming to terms with it. From contemporary witness reports to panel discussions, the article offers exciting insights. Read on to find out more!
Future of coming to terms with Nazism and commemoration: Conference in Parliament provides insight into planned measures for the commemorative year 2025
The focus of the first conference of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism was the future of Nazi reappraisal and remembrance in Austria. The event, which took place in Parliament, also looked ahead to 2025 – the 80th anniversary of the end of the war and the Second Republic.
In his opening speech, National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka, who also took part in the conference as chairman of the board of trustees of the National Fund and the Fund for the Rehabilitation of Jewish Cemeteries in Austria, praised projects that contribute to bringing the culture of remembrance into the 21st century. In light of current events, Sobotka emphasized the importance of active engagement in the present.
In her introduction, Hannah Lessing, board member of the National Fund, discussed the successes the National Fund has achieved so far. The fund has been supporting survivors of Nazi crimes since 1995.
A contemporary witness, Katja Sturm-Schnabl, told of her experiences as a six-year-old child when she and her family were deported to a work camp by the Nazis. In her keynote speech, a historian, Brigitte Bailer, highlighted how the Republic of Austria dealt with the Nazi victims. In addition, political scientist Elke Rajal from the University of Passau discussed the development of anti-Semitism since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
A panel discussion discussed the question of how the memory of the victims of National Socialism in Austria can be organized in the future. Oskar Deutsch, the President of the Israelite Community, Barbara Glück, the Director of the Concentration Camp Memorial, Andreas Kranebitter from the Documentation Archive of the Austrian Resistance, Susanne Janistyn-Novák, Parliamentary Deputy Director, and Moritz Wein from the Ministry of Science took part in the discussion. Philipp Auberger, Tabea Chaharlangi and Moritz Gemel also gave interesting insights into their experiences as memorial service providers.
This conference was an important platform to discuss the future of remembrance and coming to terms with Nazism in Austria and to develop innovative approaches.
Further information about the conference and the discussions can be found on the Austrian Parliament website.