Interactive Workshops for Students Based on the Life Stories of Holocaust Survivors
We offer interactive workshops for students in grades 8–12, exploring three main topics through the personal stories of Holocaust survivors. These sessions are built around family, love, school life, first jobs, survival, and the rebuilding of life after the Holocaust—real stories that help bring history closer to students in an engaging and relatable way.
The workshops can be also held in our office in the Rumbach Synagogue building, allowing us to include a short visit inside the synagogue as part of the experience. Following the session, there is an opportunity to speak with Holocaust survivors upon request.
Each workshop uses personal narratives, short films, and photographs from Centropa’s archive to foster both an emotional and historical connection to the past—making the experience impactful and memorable.
1. Hungarian Jewish Family Stories
Students explore everyday life through the personal stories of Hungarian Jewish families. We focus on themes such as family, youth, education, work, survival, and postwar rebuilding. In addition to personal stories, we provide historical context to help students better understand the time period.
Duration: 90 minutes
Target group: Grades 8–12
2. In the Footsteps of European Jewish Women
This workshop presents the 20th-century history of European Jews through the lives of women from Hungary, Germany, Poland, Greece, Spain, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. These stories highlight not only persecution, deportation, and escape, but also survival and rebuilding after the Holocaust and WWII. Students work in small groups, exploring each woman’s story through creative tasks.
Duration: 90 minutes
Target group: Grades 8–12
3. In the Footsteps of Imre Kinszki – Photography Workshop
What connects Robert Capa, László Moholy-Nagy, Martin Munkácsi, and André Kertész? They were all world-renowned photographers of Hungarian Jewish origin who emigrated between the world wars. Imre Kinszki, a talented contemporary of theirs, remained in Hungary and perished in the Holocaust.
In this workshop, students learn about the lives and works of these five photographers while gaining insight into early 20th-century Hungarian Jewish history. The session also includes hands-on photography tasks. Following the workshop, there is an opportunity to speak with Judit Kinszki, Imre Kinszki’s daughter.
Duration: 90 minutes
Target group: Grades 8–12
For more information about the programs, please contact Sára Szilágyi at szilagyi [at] centropa.org (szilagyi[at]centropa[dot]org).
