Materials

Elena Drapkina: A Jewish Partisan

The manual presents the didactic possibilities of using the film "Elena Drapkina: Jewish Partisan" in the educational process. The film is dedicated to the fate of the prisoner of the Minsk ghetto. The publication contains examples of lesson plans and various accompanying materials addressed to teachers of history and social studies, as well as to anyone interested in modern approaches to teaching the history of World War II.

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Separated by war. War children remember: Mogilev

This book contains the memories of people who were born and lived before World War II in Mogilev and its environs. These are stories of men and women with different fates, but all of them had childhood or adolescence divided into three parts: "before the war", "during the war" and "after the war."

What are four years of a person's life? A moment, no more. And in a war? Eternity! These few years have changed the life of countries and peoples, changed the person himself. United by the common theme of the war, sincere, vivid and emotional, like the impressions of children, the memories are filled with the wisdom of old people who have lived their lives.

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Separated by war. War children remember: Bykhov, Shklov

The book contains memories of the natives of Bykhov, Shklov and the surrounding area about the war, the time when they were children and adolescents. These are confessions of Jews, Russians and Belarusians who lived, played, studied together, and whose former life was destroyed. These are the stories of those who are called ordinary civilians, about how and thanks to what they survived.

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The digital tools and formats for the historical projects: lifehacks and cases from Belarus, Ukraine and Poland.

The current situation connected with the COVID-19 pandemic has provoked the fact that some organizations have suspended their activities, others have forced to reconsider the traditional work formats. Therefore, we decided to present several cases of projects on historical topics that were adapted to new conditions and, based on their experience, tried to highlight some recommendations for the future projects. What to plan and how for 2021?
As part of the article, we will present the case of the #брюдершафт art project, which was implemented by The Naked Room gallery together with the Past / Future / Art memory culture platform in October in Ukraine, as well as the case of the international historical hackathon # hack4history, which took place in November in Minsk.

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The culture of memory in the national and supranational contexts: ethics, digitalization, the formation of civilized relations

This is a study, revealing the peculiarities of national and supranational culture of memory of war and its consequences, the formation of civilized, ethical relations, structural modernization of the commemorative space, “non-violent resistance” to ideological barriers. A great responsibility lies with the teaching community, it depends on the teachers which meanings will be offered to the younger generation for their own reflections on the Second World War.

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Commemorative practices related to the history of Jews and the Holocaust on the example of Minsk, Odessa and Warsaw

The main purpose of this essay is to compare commemorative practices related to the history of the Jewish population and the Holocaust in three cities of the former Eastern Bloc: Minsk, Odessa and Warsaw. Before World War II, all three cities were important multinational centers, with a large Jewish community in each of them. Jews participated in all spheres of social, political and cultural life. Today, in these three cities, we can find synagogues, Jewish cemeteries, museums and exhibitions, memorials, monuments, and even Jewish schools.

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The image of the invader. Soviet and German soldiers in the eyes of local communities based on oral history studies.

In the collective memory, soldiers who committed crimes are attributed non-human features. Ascribing inhuman characteristics to the tormentors allows the victims to tame the invaders, to reconcile with them. Despite the stereotypes established over the years (the German soldier - cruel, stiff, even inhuman, impeccably dressed; Soviet – poor, drunk, wild, looters), there are many testimonies by German and Soviet soldiers, which stand in opposition to the functioning of the official/collective stereotype and narrative.

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HiStories around the corner - IWalks for teenagers

The project aims to make (local) history come alive and attractive for youngsters with the help of a digital app for smartphones that works as an interactive guide or an interactive tour (via app that links several places)

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Youth about World War II: memory and perception

What do students and schoolchildren from Ukraine and Russia know about the war, what they feel, how they perceive and evaluate, how they think, how they remember? How do families remember World War II and how are young people involved in the remembrance process? What do students and schoolchildren know about the war through social channels of information (school, traditional and modern communication channels)?

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The sign will not be erased. The fate of Ostarbeiters in letters, memoirs and oral stories

During the Great Patriotic War, the heroes of the book, the very young people from cities and villages of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, were driven into Nazi Germany, where they were called Ostarbeiters (Eastern workers). Interviews, letters, memoirs, and photographs stored in the Memorial archive tell us about what they experienced in captivity and what they had to experience after returning to their homeland. Published for the first time, these documentary evidences of human destinies make us take a fresh look at the pages of war that seemed famous.

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