Collaboration for Political Education between the Ministry of Culture and New York Holocaust Museum

Culture Minister Ina Brandes met representatives of the Jewish community in New York. During the exchange with Ben Golub (President of Jewish Community Relations Council), Marc Wolf (Vice President of Development at Jewish Community Relations Council) and Richard Rosen (Member of the Board of Governors, American Jewish Committee), Museum Director Jack Kliger came to an understanding and Minister Brandes look forward to working together on a planned project for children of primary school age. The culture of remembrance in Germany is perceived as exemplary in America, said Kliger.

Minister Ina Brandes: “It is our ongoing task to make the cruelty of the Holocaust understandable, especially to young people. The Museum of Jewish Heritage uses objects to tell the personal story of numerous Jews and thus brings the suffering into the living environment of the museum visitors. The exhibition is so poignant and touching because the focus is always on the individual and their biography. This approach can make our culture of remembrance in political education even better.”

The Museum of Jewish Heritage works with more than 30 contemporary witnesses of the Holocaust. It is conceivable to bring contemporary witnesses together with young people from North Rhine-Westphalia in video conferences in order to keep the memory of the Nazi atrocities alive and alive.

Children are confronted with information much earlier today, namely as soon as they use a mobile phone and sit in front of a screen, said museum director Kliger. It is all the more important to protect them from disinformation and to provide them with facts. Kliger also showed great interest in using music to enter into a dialogue with children and young people about origin and history. He looks forward to benefiting from the experience of Concerto Köln. The managing director of Concerto Köln, Dr. Fiona Stevens accompanied the delegation from the Ministry of Culture and reported positive experiences with young people from Cologne. In the future, the international ensemble could perform at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York, said Kliger.

A delegation of museum directors from North Rhine-Westphalia with Minister Brandes will be in New York until Wednesday. The program includes numerous museum visits to get to know new possibilities of audience development. The delegation also attends a Concerto Köln concert in Carnegie Hall. The musicians have established themselves worldwide as figureheads for historically oriented performance practice.