Marco historian Kühnert, and conveys to the story of the concentration camps. In a DW Interview, he explains how he deals with this burden, and why the growing anti-Semitism in Europe is not surprising.
Marco Kühnert ran from 2004 to 2017 regular educational events in the Neuengamme concentration camp memorial. Since 2017, he is the Director of the Hamburg school Museum. DW-author Felix punch wine met the historian, to learn how to deal with the burden of such a task as a memorial to a teacher.
DW: Mr Kühnert, as it considers it to be a day with the national socialist crimes to be confronted?
Marco Kühnert: I am not come to in any case around it, to develop a strategy. Without it is not. Before I started in 2004, in the Neuengamme concentration camp memorial, I did guided tours in the exhibition “crimes of the Wehrmacht”. This has been a burden on me and both my professional and my private life is negatively affected. I was then subjected to a work-related Supervision, which has helped me a lot, and without the I in the memorial would have been able to work.
What measures have you taken?
I started to pay attention to what the Constitution and mood of the day, I find myself and to make me aware of the substantive aspects of my work make me to create. This I then – to address instead of, as before, obsessively – and to are omitted and I on other points. Also the breathing is important. To make sure aware of it helps to calm oneself and to objectify. Overall, it has changed my approach to work with the time. I am a very emotional, occurring to an objective occurring memorial educators. This has me helped to take my work in the evening to take home.
Prisoners of the Neuengamme concentration camp to work under the supervision of SS guards.
They convey history to Young and Old. Does it make a difference whether you bring the history of the Holocaust, a 14-Year-old or a 70-Year-old?
The age is only one criterion of many. Because 14-Year-old are not all the same. The same applies for older people. My approach is – and this is going to sound very social-democratic – the people there to pick up where you are. This means that I try to capture their life situation, as far as possible, and then see what visitors expect of me. Older people often want to get a lecture like as much information as possible from me. Younger people will keep the mostly hardly longer than ten minutes.
In the case of events with young people, I noticed that there is often a specific thing that arouses a sudden your interest. For example, girls store at the visit to the memorial on the Situation of women and girls in the concentration of attention. Then a whole group of young girls around me suddenly and asks: “How was it in the warehouse with Menstruation? How was the Hygiene? How was the sexual violence?” It is important, especially to younger people, so that you can look around and perhaps sub-topics to explore, which will lead you to the theme overall.
Historians and memorial pedagogue Marco Kühnert
Many people are calling for an end to the history of the Holocaust. At the same time, the number of anti increases Semitic crimes in many countries in Europe. It needs new approaches in the historical and political educational work?
These developments make me concerned and angry. I am, however, – and this is actually much worse – not in the least bit surprised. And that makes me thoughtful. I don’t stand in front of it and think: “How can this happen after decades of political education work?”. I think the varnish of civilization is thin, and certain dynamics, processes, and mechanisms – as such, I understand racism and anti-Semitism rather than as an individual prejudice – to break again and again train. In times in which you will be incited all the more.
And what can you do about it?
The States urgently need to develop new strategies and in the schools of contemporary racism and anti-Semitism must be discussed. Often, you will be treated there, namely, as purely historical phenomena. In addition, it is important that the middle East conflict in detail and in a balanced way, as many anti-Semitic Attacks to legitimize today on this Background. Young people need to understand that an attack on Jews or Jewish institutions in this country that is motivated in any way by the middle East conflict, is a purely anti-Semitic process. Because behind it is, that a Jews living in co-responsibility for the policies of the Israeli government that you don’t find the right one.
Could be the compulsory visit to a concentration camp memorial with a class, an additional measure?
The debate, which was conducted at the beginning of last year, on this issue, I found very interesting. Very good and serious have been represented positions. It is a question that can be answered with a Yes or a no. There are in the States of different approaches. In Bavaria, visiting a concentration camp memorial the country is rooted far in the curriculum. Here in Hamburg it is not across the Board, but still an integral part of many of the individual school curricula.
The Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg in the 1940s. Of the approximately 100,000 prisoners, less than half survived.
A visit is mandatory to establish, I think, is rather counterproductive. We should rather ask: How is such a visit – and especially followed up? How do we engage? How we can create new and better forms of teaching for the subject? I don’t think that the issue is handled too much – in this Position you will hear Yes. I think it is often not taught well enough. It is important that teachers make the subject to strong emotional and moralizing. Because that might lead students to develop a more protective attitude.
The conversation Felix blow wine.
In Hamber school Museum, the guides Kühnert Marco, on the occasion of the Holocaust remembrance day 28. January to 22. In March, the special exhibition “In the shadow of Auschwitz” by the photographer Mark Mühlhaus and the Federal centre for Political education.