Brussels, January 10th, 2013 - "The systematic murder of millions of European Jews must not be reduced to a faceless statistic or historic anomaly."These are the words of New Zealand artist Perry Trotter who has developed an exhibition to communicate the gravity of Holocaust in a unique way. It is entitled Shadows of Shoah. Using photography and original music, selected episodes from survivors' experiences are presented in a brief, compelling format. To reach a new generation for whom the Holocaust holds little relevance or significance, powerful and evocative art has been produced while maintaining historical accuracy.
ECI has teamed up with Perry Trotter to help disseminate Shadows of Shoah video presentations from the online exhibition to its constituency in Europe and beyond. Special efforts will be made to reach young people.
In 2007, then European Commissioner, Jan Figel from Slovakia spoke at the ECI hosted International Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Brussels. In his speech he noted that "the greatest challenge is to keep the memory alive among the new generations who have little or no knowledge about the atrocities during the Holocaust."
"The Holocaust is not only a tragedy of the past but something which we must be reminded of again and again in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past", he said.
Already in 1997 a Swedish survey found that many of the young people were not convinced that the Holocaust had actually taken place.
The launch of the Shadows of Shoah exhibition is part of a new effort of ECI to reach the next generation with the urgent message of the Holocaust. "If we do not say no to anti-Semitism, in time, one day it will be too late. "
Contrary to previous years, the 'Learn from History' campaign 2013 will not end on International Holocaust Remembrance day, January 27th, but rather be fully launched on that day in churches and faith groups around. The exhibition will be kept online throughout the year, enabling youth groups and others to access the exhibition and make use of the material at their own convenience.
The exhibition will be updated with new video presentations on a regular basis in order to provide as many personal testimonies as possible about the human suffering during the Holocaust. The short film clips can be screened in church meetings and other commemoration events on Sunday 27th January and throughout the year.
The online exhibition can be viewed on www.learnfromhistory.eu