Back in January we published an article (here) about the Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) and the 8th Memory train which left Florence, Tuscany with 506 students from 82 different schools scattered right across the Tuscany region on its way for a five-day visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau as part of the commemorations and testimony for the Holocaust.
The station in Florence was of particular importance in Italy as it was there on 8 March 1944 that hundreds were deported to Nazi death camps in sealed waggons.
In fact there is a plaque to commemorate these event right of the start of platform six in the Santa Maria Novella station.
This week at the Cinema Eden in Castelnuovo Garfagnana students from the Iti Vecchiacchi di Castelnuovo with their prof.ssa, Simonetta Vergamini were assembled for the presentation of the Memory Train project which is an ongoing project by a group of local artists, ARTISTIperLAMEMORIA, artistsforMemory who sent a photographer to Auschwitz and Birkenau to document the reactions of the group of students from the IT Campedelli at the site of the Holocaust.
First they were shown the film, “Vuoti di Memoria” by the local historian and author, Oscar Guidi – (his publications include – L’orizzonte chiuso. L’internamento ebraico a Castelnuovo di Garfagnana 1941-1943) and then after an introduction to the project by Sanda Rigali (which can be heard later in this article) the photographer, Caterina Salvi presented to the cinema her film using a tapestry of images and sound to invoke some of the emotions during the short but intense visit.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKVfjGqTeQc
The main intention of the ARTISTIperLAMEMORIA group is to make sure that as the survivors of the Holocaust are rapidly diminishing in number as they reach advanced age, the memory of just what happened in those terrible years now passes to people like the students who took part on the memory train and who spoke with some of the survivors and saw with their own eyes just what were some of the conditions that the people deported to the camps suffered under.
Which is why the last part of the presentation was a short video showcasing the website “The Memory Train” was has been set up by barganews.com, the media partners of the ARTISTIperLAMEMORIA group.
The site, which is already on line, and can be seen here: www.barganews.com/blogs/memory_train is available for all the participants in the project from the IT Campedelli at Castelnuovo and will shortly be open to all the other 506 students from 82 different schools scattered right across the Tuscany region and is designed to be a central meeting point and place for exchange and discussion for all the Memory Trains organised in the future.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQMdl8yAsoo
ARTISTIperLAMEMORIA
DAI LIBRI DI SCUOLA AI LUOGHI DI STORIA – immagini e pensieri dei ragazzi e delle ragazze che hanno partecipato al progetto Treno della Memoria 2013
la fatica e lo sgomento che i luoghi danno contengono, al contempo, la possibilità della memoria. (M.Rossi-Doria)
Crediamo che queste parole riassumino un po’ l’esperienza emotiva provata dagli studenti durante la visita ad Auschwitz-Birkenau ma al fine di rendere concreta “la possibilità della memoria” pensiamo che sia essenziale che queste esperienze vengano rielaborate, approfondite e condivise.
Il fine del progetto che vi presentiamo e’ quello di lavorare insieme ai ragazzi affinché il progetto treno della memoria non sia solo forma, rito, esperienza personale ma possa diventare strumento per capire
“il punto di vista delle nuove generazioni che arrivano ad Auschwitz e si interrogano su cosa significhi per loro quanto successo 70 anni fa” (Marian Marzynski).
“Dai libri di scuola ai luoghi di storia” e diviso in varie fasi:
1/Incontro iniziale con i ragazzi prima della partenza, soffermarsi sui motivi, le aspettative i dubbi, ritratti prima della partenza
2/ il viaggio, la visita ad Auschwitz, gli incontri con i sopravvissuti, fotoreportage e ritratti della visita, impressioni, silenzi
3/incontri all’interno della scuola per lavorare sulle impressioni, i pensieri, raccolta del materiale fatto dai ragazzi, interviste
4/ una volta ordinato tutto il materiale passeremo al fase costruttiva di quello che sarà il loro blog e la pubblicazione di un libro che racconti con immagini e testo la testimonianza dei ragazzi e delle ragazze.
5/ presentazione e divulgazione dei lavori fatti
United Nations statement of commitment
We recognise that the Holocaust shook the foundations of modern civilisation.
Its unprecedented character and horror will always hold universal meaning.
We believe the Holocaust must have a permanent place in our nation’s collective memory.
We honour the survivors still with us, and reaffirm our shared goals of mutual understanding and justice.
We must make sure that future generations understand the causes of the Holocaust and reflect upon its consequences.
We vow to remember the victims of Nazi persecution and of all genocide.
We value the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives to protect or rescue victims, as a touchstone of the human capacity for good in the face of evil.
We recognise that humanity is still scarred by the belief that race, religion, disability or sexuality make some people’s lives worth less than others’. Genocide, antisemitism, racism, xenophobia and discrimination still continue. We have a shared responsibility to fight these evils.
We pledge to strengthen our efforts to promote education and research about the Holocaust and other genocide.
We will do our utmost to make sure that the lessons of such events are fully learnt.
We will continue to encourage Holocaust remembrance by holding an annual Holocaust Memorial Day.
We condemn the evils of prejudice, discrimination and racism.
We value a free, tolerant, and democratic society.