The Elie Wiesel Study Tour: Explore the Past. Shape the Future!
This project was launched in the 75th year of the liberation of Auschwitz, in cooperation with American Councils Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, and with the support of the U.S. Embassy. The Centropa Foundation participated as a project partner. A total of 30 university students took part—20 from Romania, 5 from Hungary, and 5 from Moldova.
The aim of the project was to deepen participants' understanding of the Holocaust and World War II, while raising awareness of the dominant national narratives surrounding these events. The program began with a three-week online course, after which students developed their own independent projects—taking an active role in preserving and passing on Jewish heritage.
Centropa was involved in the selection process at the beginning of the project and led two online workshops for students from all three countries. The first, an introductory session, familiarized participants with the Centropa archive. The second focused on the Centropa film Survival in Sarajevo – Friendship in Times of War, offering insight into the personal stories of Holocaust survivors as well as a powerful example of intercultural cooperation during conflict.
Due to the pandemic, only the Hungarian team was able to participate in the study trip to Poland originally planned for all three countries. Instead, they explored the history and contemporary life of Jewish communities in Hungary, including site visits in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region, Balatonfüred, and several thematic walking tours in Budapest.
