Virtual sessions, talks and lectures

Dr. Jerzy Wojcik / David Kennedy / Wojciech Menzyk

The Auschwitz Virtual Tour is our first session created in 2020. It consists of a 2-hour lecture and a virtual tour of the largest extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. However, it is not just a typical tour but a narrative story that addresses the structure of the camp, as well as the living conditions, the fate of Jewish prisoners, and the process of extermination of the Jewish people. It is much more than just virtual sightseeing. It is a story about Auschwitz, during which we use both drone clips and panoramic photos, historical images, and footage recorded by the Russians during the liberation in January 1945. Since 2020, we have 'guided' over 100,000 individuals in this virtual manner: students and adults alike. And we will continue these sessions in the years to come.

Status: available

Dr. Jerzy Wójcik / David Kennedy

The virtual session on Dachau is an exploration of the first concentration camp established by the Nazis back in 1933. The structure of Dachau was then replicated in almost every subsequent concentration camp. Therefore, Dachau represents the symbolic beginning and the roots of the criminal machinery, which in its initial phase involved the elimination of political opponents. The virtual session will not only allow understanding of the camp's structure and the living conditions of the prisoners but also enable understanding of the political goals of the Nazis. It will also illustrate the initial stage of operation and the transformation from a democratic system to a completely totalitarian one.

Dr. Jerzy Wojcik / Dr. Tomasz Cebulski

The session dedicated to 'Operation Reinhard' aims to tell the history of the Holocaust comprehensively, focusing the audience's attention on both the organizational and infrastructural aspects, as well as the personal experiences of the genocide victims. The mentioned educational session will be a narrative story, through which we will thoroughly explain to American youth what happened to the Jewish population in Poland during the war. The session consists of two parts - each lasting about 1.5 hours. In the first part, we learn about the history of decisions, known as the Final Solution of the Jewish Question. We analyze the decision-making process in detail, culminating in the Wannsee Conference. Additionally, we discuss the first experiments with the extermination process: Operation T4, the extermination of Jews in the East by Einsatzgruppen, and the operation of the first death camp - Chelmno nad Renem.

The second part of the virtual session provides a detailed description of the establishment of individual extermination centers: Majdanek, Treblinka, Belzec, and Sobibor. This session primarily demonstrates the logistics of extermination: the creation of a decision-making center in Lublin and the subsequent establishment of additional centers.

Dr. Jerzy Wojcik / David Kennedy

Auschwitz was the most terrifying of the death camps. However, in addition to the Auschwitz camp (which we discuss in a separate session), there existed the town of Oświęcim, which had been around for 700 years. During the war, the Jewish population of the town was almost completely annihilated, while other residents were persecuted and many were expelled. Their homes were taken over by the Nazis, who largely inhabited the town while serving at the Auschwitz camp. The session addresses the immensely important topic of the Nazis' functioning in the small town of Auschwitz, depicting the fates of individual units as well as the history of Rudolf Höss - the commandant of Auschwitz, whose house (taken from a Polish family) was located right next to Auschwitz I. On the other hand, the session presents the town of Auschwitz, starting from its pre-war history, through wartime events, up to the present day. Topics covered during the session include not only the subject of Nazis working in the camp but also German families who moved to the town and German children raised in the shadow of gas chambers.

Dr. Jerzy Wojcik / Dr. Tomasz Cebulski

This lecture is incredibly inspiring as it pertains to the life of Elie Wiesel - a survivor of Auschwitz who dedicated his life to the fight for remembrance. The lecture does not cover the history of Elie Wiesel's youth; although at the beginning of the lecture, we do briefly refer to it and show Auschwitz and the place of Elie Wiesel's selection. However, the lecture encompasses the post-war history and presents the life and development of Elie Wiesel. From his work as a journalist in Paris, through his pivotal meeting with Francois Mauriac in Tel Aviv, to the writing of the book "Night". It is precisely these events and the experience of Auschwitz that shaped Elie Wiesel, who throughout his later life nurtured and emphasized the role of memory in our civilization. The lecture is an inspiring presentation about the choices we make in life. Elie Wiesel's life is and should be a guide for young people, who often face dilemmas and difficult life choices.

Status: available from May 1st, 2024

Dr. Jerzy Wojcik / Dr. Tomasz Cebulski

The topic of German companies during World War II has been a taboo subject for many years. The session covers the presentation of five German companies that had branches near the Auschwitz concentration camp or cooperated significantly with the largest extermination camp. The largest conglomerate was the IG Farben company, which served as an umbrella company for five other German firms. Additionally, the session includes the history of Siemens, Allianz, Degesch, and Topf und Sohne. A review of the history of these companies illustrates the ethical dilemmas that German businesses faced at that time and that today confront many international companies. In situations of armed conflict or the emergence of criminal totalitarian regimes, every company faces a choice, the outcome of which can have far-reaching consequences.

Dr. Jerzy Wojcik / David Kennedy

This is a session that I consider to be the most important for young people. The question arises during every session on Auschwitz: Why did Hitler hate Jews? This session thoroughly explains and narrates the formation of Nazi philosophy. Starting from the sixteenth-century anti-Semitism, through the nineteenth-century secularized anti-Semitism, through the aftermath of World War I to Hitler's new ideology. However, we do not shy away from citing the most important origins of Nazism: the ideas of Volkism, philosophers like Rosenberg, or writers like Eckhard. In other words, we break down the entirety of Nazi philosophy, including the incredibly important individual component: the various Nazis influencing the entire system. Jews held a fundamental place in Nazi philosophy, and without understanding this phenomenon, we cannot comprehend the Nazi system, concentration camps, and the entire machinery of crime.

public session