Exactly four months ago, on 24 February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine. Since then, tens of thousands of people have died, hundreds of thousands have lost their family, health and possessions, and millions have had to leave their places of residence. Every day we are witnesses of another human tragedy in the media, we see another graves, another ruined buildings.
We, ordinary citizens, watch all this with a sense of helplessness. At the same time, sensitivity to the misfortune of the victims of aggression, the heroism of the defenders, and the bestiality of the attackers is dulled. The world is becoming accustomed to the barbarity of war. Images that caused shock four months ago now bring less emotion.
This is a normal human reaction, yet we must not succumb to it. Millions of people affected by the war are still in a dramatic situation and need our help and solidarity. Let us not refuse them!
The Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe assures that we will continue to support Ukraine, both by offering shelter to those who have fled the war and by providing humanitarian aid to those who remain in their homeland, as well as by implementing educational projects which give participants from Ukraine the opportunity to acquire important competencies and establish relationships with partners from other European countries. We sincerely thank all our friends whose financial support makes these activities possible.
Read more: Statement of the Board of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe in connection...
The Memorial Site at Krzyżowa maintains the memory not only of the resistance of the Kreisau Circle against National Socialism, but also of the activities of the anti-communist opposition in Central and Eastern Europe. It was clear from the beginning that conveying this connection would not be easy, after all, Krzyżowa as a place is historically authentic only in the first case. In contrast, the anti-communist opposition is connected to Krzyżowa through many of the founding fathers and founding mothers of the Foundation who came from opposition circles. By conveying the history of both oppositions in a comparative way, the Memorial Site at Krzyżowa goes beyond understanding the resistance movement from the historical perspective of one nation's experience.
Based on our long-term work at Krzyżowa we know very well that a comprehensive understanding of opposition attitudes and activities on the basis of historical events and personalities is not an easy task. Such a systematic reflection seems to me to be necessary especially in the current situation where people recklessly use terms like dictatorship or resistance - especially opponents of restrictions to stop the corona-pandemic.
Read more: Resistance - a look at and from Krzyżowa || Dr. Oliver Engelhardt
Under the title "Reconciliation in Crisis?" The Saxon Protestant Academy and the Silesian Museum in Görlitz are organizing a discussion event that will look at the signs of crisis in contemporary European relations and with Russia. Ways of overcoming divisions, images of the enemy and war will be discussed. The discussion will be inspired by the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the analysis of this legacy by the Polish sociologist Anna Morawska. Her work "The Christian in Resistance" has been an important contribution to reconciliation between Poles and Germans since the 1970s.
Two representatives of the Krzyżowa Foundation will take part in the panel debate with the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer: Dr. Robert Żurek, Managing Director of the Krzyżowa Foundation and Dr. Annemarie Franke, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Krzyżowa Foundation and a representative of the Federal Institute for German Culture and History in Eastern Europe.
Dr. Marek Prawda, diplomat and former ambassador of Poland to Germany, will give an introductory lecture.
The event will take place on 25 June 2022 from 14:00 to 16:00 as part of the Lausitz Church Day under the title "Von Wegen" in the Silesian Museum in Görlitz.
Read more: Reconciliation in crisis? 25.06.2022 from 14:00 to 16:00, Görlitz
On June 1 in Berlin, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the first meeting of the "Kreisau Circle", a conference was held, whose main theme was the ability to conduct dialogue in times of threat to democracy - also in relation to the war in Ukraine.
The keynote speeches were given by Helmuth Caspar von Moltke and Minister of State Claudia Roth, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Digital). The introductory lecture was presented by Dr. Peter Frey, editor-in-chief of the ZDF.
This was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Fr Klaus Mertes SJ, which included:
▪️ Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Member of the European Parliament,
▪️ Esther Dischereit, poet, essayist, author of plays and radio,
▪️ Dr. Peter Frey, editor-in-chief of ZDF,
▪️ Dr. Robert Żurek, Managing Director of the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe.
Read more: "Können wir Kreisau?". Discussion on the capacity for dialogue in times of threat to democracy -...
