Students from the German Language High School (NEG) "Goethe" in Burgas joined the global initiative "We Remember" (#We remember), whose goal is to preserve the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, so that the horror of the past is never repeated.
"Our conversation today will not be pleasant and entertaining - on the contrary, it will be painful and sad." With these words, the chairman of the Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation (CEBC) "Alef" Alberta Alkalay began her story about the events of 83 years ago and the horror of the Holocaust - the greatest crime against humanity, which took the lives of more than six million Jews, reported the Center "Alef".
On January 27, 1945, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland was liberated. The Nazi camp became an emblem of death, of the complete dehumanization of man, of the emanation of absolute evil. These were not just murders. People were subjected to excruciating experiments and inhuman torture, Alberta Alkalay said. The deputy director of the gymnasium, Maria Tsenova, also told her students about her visit to Auschwitz years ago. "I thought I was ready for what I would see, but I wasn't. The dozens of gas chambers, the tons of hair, the thousands of children's shoes and clothes that are accumulated there - this is a sight that I will never forget," Tsenova pointed out, adding that such meetings are important to preserve the memory of the victims and not repeat the mistakes of the past.
In front of the students, Alberta Alkalay also told about the bright example - about those nearly 50,000 men, women and children, Bulgarian Jews, who did not leave with the trains to death. They were saved thanks to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, politicians, diplomats, writers and public figures, but also thanks to ordinary people who, at that most terrible moment, did not say "this is not my problem", but stood up for their fellow citizens, neighbors and friends. Sharing the fate of her saved and perished relatives of Jewish origin, she excitedly stated that she is proud to be Bulgarian - because the Bulgarian people are the only ones who had the courage to stand up to the status quo and declare to the world "never again".
In order to preserve the memory of the saviors, but also to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, the "Alef" Center has been organizing the International Literary and Film Student Competition "He who saves one human life, saves an entire universe" for 13 years. High school students from all over Europe and Israel participate in it, who, through the means of artistic storytelling or cinematography, tell about the persecuted Jewish population, awaiting deportation to the death camps, and about the humanity and courage of the Bulgarians, which led to the unprecedented act of saving the Bulgarian Jews. The team of CEBC "Alef" presented to NEG "Goethe" some of the latest editions of the collection, which contains the artistic works of the winners of the competition.
During the event, the students of the German Language High School had the opportunity to touch and see the short films created by their peers, who were awarded in the twelfth edition of the International Literary and Film Competition.
Every year, thousands of people around the world join the campaign by sharing a photo or video on social media with the hashtag #Weremember. The "We Remember" campaign was initiated in 2017 by the World Jewish Congress and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. The international initiative honors the memory of the millions of victims of the Holocaust and reminds of the lessons of history. It calls for the preservation of memory, the opposition to hatred and the protection of human dignity.