In mid-June, SWPS University in Kraków hosted a group of students and academic teachers from the New Bulgarian University, who attended an intensive workshop focused on “The Holocaust in (Pop)Culture”. The workshop was part of an initiative “Places of Memory” carried out annually by NBU. The traveling seminar was funded by the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA).
Memory — foundation of peace
“Places of Memory” is NBU’s collaborative initiative. Every year students travel to a different country and university to delve into the history of the region, learn about important events, and draw valuable learnings from the past.
This year, the workshops in Poland concerned the Holocaust remembrance. The students took a tour of the historical Jewish quarter in Kraków and the area where the Jewish ghetto, established by Nazi Germany during WWII, was located. They also had a unique opportunity to meet a Holocaust Survivor, Bernard Offen, at the Jewish Community Center of Krakow (JCC Krakow). The next day, students visited Auschwitz–Birkenau Memorial and Museum, the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
Students from NBU and USWPS meet a Holocaust Survivor at Jewish Cultural Center in Kraków (JCC Krakow).
Bernard Offen (right), a Holocaust Survivor at JCC in Krakow.
Students from NBU sightseeing in Kraków.
Coffee shop in the former synagogue in Kraków, Poland.
The travelling seminar culminated in a workshop and lecture on “How to pass on the lessons of the Holocaust”. Under the direction of Justyna Berniak-Woźny, Ph.D. from SWPS University’s Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies in Kraków, students worked in groups and presented their learning and conclusions to the whole gathering.
There were also occasions for socializing, sampling the local cuisine, and coffee time in the historic building of a former synagogue.
Students from NBU attending workshops at USWPS in Kraków.
Students present during the workshop on Holocaust remembrance at USWPS in Kraków.
Workshops on Holocaust remembrance at USWPS in Kraków.
Academics from NBU sampling local cuisine in Kraków Poland.
ERUA — creating opportunities for collaboration
The travelling seminar is an example of ERUA’s mission to enable inter-university collaboration, internationalization, and bringing together students from different countries to work on joint projects. This time, students from Bulgaria had an opportunity to travel to Poland, learn about Polish history, experience the local culture, and meet their fellow students from SWPS University. SWPS University is responsible for the implementation of this aspect of the ERUA’s mission.
ERUA Member Universities
Funding