Opening event

31 July evening - “Honouring the Resistance and Resilience of Holocaust Survivors and passing on their Testimonies to Younger Generations” - Venue: Auditorium Maximum of Jagiellonian University, Kraków

This cultural evening of remembrance is dedicated to honouring the resistance and resilience of Holocaust survivors and passing on their testimonies to younger generations. The event highlights the experiences, the voices and reflections of Holocaust survivors. Various artistic contributions explore transgenerational reflections and new forms of the transmission of memory. The event aims to inspire and educate future generations about the enduring legacy of these Holocaust survivors.

Moderator: Riah Knight
Piano: Adrian Gaspar

Program Highlights

Christian Pfeil
Christian Pfeil, born in 1944 in the Lublin ghetto, will share his family’s story, during and after the Holocaust. He reflects on his experiences and the importance of giving testimony. Christian Pfeil will also perform his song “Nie Wieder” (Never Again) live on stage.

Emanuel Barica: Portraits of Roma Heroes of Resistance
Emanuel Barica is the artist behind the exhibition “Roma Heroes of Resistance,” which will be inaugurated this evening. Barica’s live performance will feature real-time drawing, capturing the essence of passing on the legacy of survivors, as it unfolds. His work, deeply inspired by the stories of Roma and Sinti Holocaust survivors, adds the visual dimension to the evening.

Adrian Gaspar & choir: Na Bister!
Adrian Gaspar composed Na Bister! on the occasion of the 75th Memorial Day as a tribute to all Sinti and Roma murdered under National Socialism. It was premiered at the 2019 commemorative event in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Together with young people of the minority, Adrian Gaspar wrote a three-verse text in Romani to accompany the composition.

Harri Stojka: Musical Reading
Harri Stojka, together with Claudius Jelinek and Konstanze Breitebner, presents a selection of poems written by his father, Johann “Mongo” Stojka, when he was as a little boy imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Loewana Weiss: Poetic speech
Through poetry and spoken word, Loewana Weiss, a young Sintizza from the Netherlands, shares her grandfather’s stories on his family’s experiences during the Roma and Sinti Holocaust.

Tribute to Raymond Gureme
Aline Miklos and Karolina Mirga will reflect on Raymond’s legacy, the inspiration, strength and confidence he has shared with young people for years, introducing also the exhibition about Raymond opening on 31 July: Raymond Gurême – A path of memory and resistance. Honoring the resistance of Raymond and his family members, Aline performes the “song of the sisters of Raymond”.

Dikh He Na Bister youth group: Voices of Survivors
The Dikh He Na Bister youth group will present quotes from Holocaust survivors adding a powerful voice of reflection and remembrance to the evening.