During the Great Patriotic War from 1 million Jews of Belarus survived no more than 200 thousand. The largest ghetto in occupied Belarus was in Minsk. 100 thousand people were on its territory from 1941 to 1943. Few survived. Mass destruction of the Jewish population took place in the death camp Trascianec, which remains one of the most tragic and little-known places in Europe from the time of World War II. 206,5 thousand Jews from Belarus, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and other countries were killed there. Also, this is a place of death of partisans, underground resistance fighters, prisoners of war, hostages from civil population of Minsk and its suburbs. Rare testimonies remind of it now.
In one of the few preserved buildings of the former Jewish ghetto in Minsk is now the History Workshop, established by joint efforts of IBB Dortmund, IBB Minsk and The Union of Belarusian Jewish Public Associations and Communities.
The History Workshop is a place reminding of the ghetto, the deportation of Jewish citizens from the territory of the Reich to Minsk, of their elimination in the ghetto and the concentration camp Trascianec. The building, which was a shelter for Jewish families during the German occupation, has been turned into the place for investigations on historical issues with involvement of witnesses and interested people, historians of Belarus, Germany and other countries.
Thus, the History Workshop implements within its activities one of the central ideas of IBB Minsk: understanding and reconciliation between people and generations. The basis of peace and international friendship is the historical memory, which helps to build a dialogue of mutual understanding and reconciliation. At the events, arranged by IBB and the History Workshop, the memory of the past comes alive. To learn from the history - such an approach makes possible the reconciliation between people and generations.
The History Workshop was opened in March 2003. Throughout its existence, it became a remarkable institution in the cultural and scientific life of Belarus and its capital Minsk. Due to the wide range of its activities, the History Workshop has contributed to the development of cultural memory and learning processes: regular meetings between the younger generation and witnesses of the war, historians, students, and free discussion of most sophisticated problems are represented with a variety of workshops, roundtables, creative meetings of representatives of various associations. New publications and exhibitions with a focus on war events will give us new opportunities for filling in of blank spots in the history of Belarus.
Existing clubs of young and historians on war questions, historians specializing in German studies, Ethnographic schools, with involvement of the most qualified specialists are able to provide professional development of teachers and tutors, experts of museum and archival affairs, and social workers.
The results obtained on the basis of intercultural dialogue of generations in the educational and scientific fields are presented in books and exhibitions. There was contributed much by joint work of the German partner organizations, in Dortmund, Berlin, Bonn, Bremen, Jena, etc.
The museum-laboratory «History Workshop» constantly organizes excursions in Russian, Belarusian and German languages. It is also possible to organize tours in English or other languages on request.
Our educational and research center, which pays so much attention to the recollections of witnesses of historical events, works through both immaterial and financial support of citizens. The History Workshop can work successfully only if being supported by lots of people. Therefore we appeal to you to:
• send us information about your hometown, your relatives, who were deported during the war,
• come to us in the History Workshop and participate in our events,
• contribute to the work of the History Workshop.
For more information on the History Workshop see the booklet.
To order a tour and ask for more detailed information you can turn to us:
Dr. Kusma Kosak, head
Oksana Yankovich, referent
History Workshop
Str. Suchaja, 25
220004 Minsk
Tel.: + 375 17 200 76 26
E-mail: kozak@ibb.by
yankovich@ibb.by