Volkswagen Deepens Holocaust Remembrance with ‘Flashes of Memory’ Exhibition Visits

View into the exhibition ‚Flashes of Memory. Photography During the Holocaust’ © Volkswagen Group

(IN BRIEF) Volkswagen reaffirms its commitment to Holocaust remembrance by inviting its employees and trainees to visit the “Flashes of Memory: Photography during the Holocaust” exhibition at the Museum für Fotografie in Berlin. This initiative aligns with Volkswagen’s corporate culture of remembrance and its dedication to combatting racism, discrimination, and antisemitism. The exhibition, brought from Yad Vashem to Germany for the first time, presents a compelling collection of photographs and films capturing the Holocaust from various perspectives. The recent employee visits aim to deepen understanding and promote a culture of remembrance, complemented by discussions with Volkswagen’s Head of Heritage. Volkswagen also extends its support to students from the Carl Hahn School in Wolfsburg, who initiated the “People Help the People” project. These efforts underscore Volkswagen’s commitment to learning from its history and actively opposing discrimination. The exhibition remains open in Berlin until January 28, 2024, and Volkswagen continues its role as the educational partner, offering free programs for visitors to engage with the exhibition’s themes.

(PRESS RELEASE) BERLIN, 30-Nov-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Volkswagen Group (ETR: VOW3), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of automobiles and commercial vehicles, reaffirms its commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by extending a warm welcome to Volkswagen employees and trainees for immersive visits to the “Flashes of Memory: Photography during the Holocaust” exhibition at the Museum für Fotografie in Berlin. As an integral component of Volkswagen’s corporate culture of remembrance, this initiative aims to deepen understanding and promote a culture of remembrance while vigorously combatting racism, discrimination, and antisemitism.

In a historic collaboration, Volkswagen Group, serving as the education partner of the exhibition, has brought “Flashes of Memory” from the World Holocaust Remembrance Center Yad Vashem to Germany for the first time. The exhibition offers a profound insight into the Holocaust through a compelling collection of photographs and films, providing a window into the perspectives of perpetrators, victims, and liberators.

 
The most recent series of visits to “Flashes of Memory” took place recently, enabling Volkswagen employees from various Group facilities to engage with the exhibition, which will run until January 28, 2024. These visits are a collective effort between the Group and its employees to enhance their engagement with the ongoing exhibition, which has been open since March 2023. In addition to encountering visual records of Jewish deportations, ghetto living conditions, and the liberation of concentration camps, the guests had the privilege of engaging in discussions with Dieter Landenberger, Volkswagen’s Head of Heritage, about the paramount importance of fostering a robust culture of remembrance and continuing the relentless fight against racism and discrimination. The exhibition features an array of visual documents created by both Jewish photographers and Nazi personnel, drawing from Yad Vashem’s extensive collection.

Volkswagen has also extended a heartfelt invitation to students from the Carl Hahn School in Wolfsburg to embark on a journey to Berlin and explore the exhibition. These students initiated the “People Help the People” project, which seeks to promote a deeper understanding of forced displacement and refugee assistance. In recognition of their admirable efforts, Volkswagen’s Youth and Trainee Council, in collaboration with Vocational Training representatives, presented the Sara Frenkel Award for respect, tolerance, and civic courage to the project team. The award, named in honor of Sara Frenkel, a Holocaust survivor dedicated to remembrance work and the fight against antisemitism, pays homage to her enduring legacy.

These exhibition visits underscore Volkswagen’s comprehensive remembrance efforts, firmly grounded in the company’s commitment to learning from its history and actively opposing antisemitism, discrimination, and racism. Benita von Maltzahn, Director of Cultural Engagement at the Volkswagen Group, remarked, “Due to the strong interest in the exhibition, ‚Flashes of Memory’ remains longer on view in Berlin. It is a blunt evidence of the cruelest result of ruthless antisemitism, and it is a powerful reminder that is needed today more than ever before. Never again, Germany or any other country in the world can accept antisemitism. As partner of the exhibition, we have helped to create a platform for the wider public as well as for our employees to engage with this topic and the learnings.”

Since the opening of the “Flashes of Memory: Photography during the Holocaust” exhibition, Volkswagen has served as the educational partner, providing vital support for the development and implementation of educational programs such as “Ask Me!” and “Close Up!” These programs offer visitors the opportunity to interact with guides, pose questions, and participate in public discussions with experts to gain deeper insights into the themes explored in the exhibition. Importantly, both programs are offered free of charge.

Media contact:

Rita Werneyer
Corporate Communications / Spokesperson Live Communications
+49 (0) 5361 9-79110
rita.werneyer@volkswagen.de

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SOURCE: Volkswagen Group