You have to work through the complexity of feelings.
But we always have to link Muslim anti-Semitism to anti-Semitism in society as a whole. You started doing projects against anti-Semitism in 2012. At some point I noticed that many young people no longer felt addressed by the history class. It was complained, for example, that the history of guest workers in school books and the Middle East conflict are hardly discussed.
These are the issues that are very emotionally charged in the migration society. Often there were statements like: History lessons are only tailored to the majority of society. That got us thinking. History lessons have to be designed in such a way that everyone feels involved. Was there something like a key experience in getting involved? Yes. In our Duisburg youth center, some Muslim youths attracted attention through anti-Semitic statements.
On the other hand, there was a young person who said: Why should I actually deal with German history when teachers give me the feeling every day that I'm not really German - even though I have a German passport? Such an experience of discrimination builds up distance. They offer regular trips to Auschwitz to the concentration camp. What else do you do? We offer the young people a biography study because that doesn't happen in history lessons. In the second part we deal with the history of the Nazi era in Duisburg.
Then we take up current anti-Semitism on the Internet and in popular culture. After this preparation we go on the memorial tours. (more…)