Gedenkdienst

Gedenkdienst
Purpose	Holocaust remembrance
Foundation	1992
Website	https://gedenkdienst.at/ www.auslandsdienst.at/en/

Gedenkdienst is a concept in Austria aimed at young people to face and take responsibility for the darkest chapters of the country's history while being financially supported by Austrian government.

Founded in Austria in 1992 by Andreas Maislinger, the Gedenkdienst is an alternative to Austria's compulsory national military service as well as a volunteering platform for Austrians to work in Holocaust and Jewish culture-related institutions around the world with governmental financial support.

The Austrian Gedenkdienst seeks to serve the remembrance of the crimes of Nazism, commemorates its victims and supports Jewish cultural future. The program is rooted in the acknowledgment of responsibility by the Austrian government for the crimes committed by the Nazis. ^[1]

History

First young Austrian started in Auschwitz on September 1, 1992

Origin

The historian, political scientist and scientific director of the Braunau Contemporary History Days Andreas Maislinger promoted the idea of an alternative to the compulsory military service dedicated to the research, understanding and remembrance of the Holocaust as well as the commemoration of its victims since the late 1970s. ^{[2] [3]}

In 1991 Austrian chancellor Franz Vranitzky was the first chancellor of Austria to admit to and acknowledge the Austrian people's share of responsibility for the crimes committed by National Socialism during WWII. ^[4] The new approach rejected the then established myth of Austria merely being the first victim of Nazism. This signaled a new approach within the Austrian political establishment regarding its stance and treatment of Austria's and Austrians' roles during the time of National Socialism.

Following these events, the Austrian government vouched to finance a Gedenkdienst with the first Austrian Holocaust Memorial Servant starting in 1992. ^[2]

After amendments to Austrian law in 2014, women or men who are not required to perform civilian service have also been able to perform memorial service and receive the same state funding since 2014. ^[5] Moreover, a new amendment, which came into force in September 2023, increased the financial resources for those performing memorial service and opened up the possibility of continuing memorial service in Austria in the event of disasters such as the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, there is now a centralised record of completed memorial service. ^[6]

Acknowledgmen

I follow the works of the Gedenkdienst with great interest and the organization has my full support.

—  Simon Wiesenthal

I often claimed there is no Austrian association which sends young people to Israel, like the German organization “Aktion Sühnezeichen”. It touched me to read there is now, thanks to the possibility to perform the Austrian civilian service within the framework of the Gedenkdienst.

—  Teddy Kollek

As a former Polish political prisoner of a fascist Concentration Camp and historian of World War II, I want to take the honoring opportunity to speak in front of the high house. I want to thank all the young Austrians, which work so hard for the remembrance of the past. Here I specially think of the people of the documentation archive of the Austrian resistance under the leadership of Prof. Wolfgang Neugebauer, the Austrian Camp Community Mauthausen, the Gedenkdienst, and also the local initiatives of the communities Gusen, Langenstein und St. Georgen in Oberösterreich, the working circle for homeland, memorial and history care.

—  Wladyslaw Bartoszewski

I thank you for the information about the positive result from your accomplished Gedenkdienst.

—  Rudolf Kirchschläger

The Gedenkdienst is a very impressive initiative.

—  Thomas Klestil

I feel very close to this organization and I have great respect for the servants, because what they achieve is the right way for Austria – to look the past directly into the eyes and to do something against it. Not to say, we were the first victims.

—  Walter Kohn

I like to support and recommend the Gedenkdienst initiative. It is a real service which can be and should be provided by young people.

—  Christoph Kardinal Schönborn

Many people have no idea what those young Austrians achieve for themselves, that they straighten up their backbones, so they can walk straight again, also myself, who belongs to this generation.

—  Dietmar Schönherr

I consider the project Gedenkdienst as an important and valuable initiative in the service of peace and the peoples' communication.

—  Wolfgang Schüssel

Gedenkdienst is remembrance work, which is also a bridge between “Yesterday's World” and the modern and democratic Austria. It also is a reminder that today's values like a sense of responsibility and moral courage did not lose their importance.

—  Michael Spindelegger

Each Generation has to be aware of the horror of the past, to be able to build a new world of peace and respect for human rights. The project Gedenkdienst serves this important challenge of sensitizing for the meaning of the words “Never forget.

—  Franz Vranitzky

Supporting associations

Association Never Forget from 1994 to 2017

The association provided positions in 19 memorial sites in Germany and Poland. The association "Never Forget" took an active part in youth work against forgetting. The association stopped operations and became defunct in 2017. ^[7]

Austrian Service Abroad since 1998 (Österreichischer Auslandsdienst)

Andreas Hörtnagl and Andreas Maislinger founded the organization "Austrian Service Abroad" in 1998.

The organization is the largest in Austria and sends Auslandsdiener to six continents of the world to accomplish Holocaust commemoration work, social services and peace services. The Austrian Service Abroad is characterized by offering three types of service: the Gedenkdienst, the Austrian Social Service and the Austrian Peace Service. In May 2023, Maislinger stepped down as chairman after public criticism for alleged abuse of power. ^[8]

The Gedenkdienst since 1992

The Gedenkdienst association was founded in 1992 by Walter Guggenberger (SPÖ), Andreas Hörtnagl (ÖVP) and Andreas Maislinger (non-party) to raise awareness about the Holocaust, its causes and consequences. ^[9] In 2008, female volunteers were supported for the first time by the newly created Geschwister Mezei Fund. This was set up with the aim of offering women the opportunity to perform memorial service under the same conditions as those doing alternative civilian service. ^[10] This was made possible for all sponsoring organisations with the amendment to the Volunteer Act in 2014. ^[5] This organisation received the Leon Zelman Prize in 2013. ^[11]

In addition to its volunteer activities, the Gedenkdienst also offers events and projects in the field of historical and political education. ^{[12] [13]}

Partner organizations

Casa Stefan Zweig

Jasenovac concentration camp

Centre de la mémoire d'Oradour

Amicale de Mauthausen

Jewish Museum Berlin

Yad Vashem in Israel

Synagogue next to Auschwitz Jewish Center

Centre For Jewish Culture in Kraków

Simon Wiesenthal Center

Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond

Holocaust Memorial Center in Detroi

Country	City	Site
Argentina	Buenos Aires	Asociación Filantrópica Israelita (AFI) – Hogar Adolfo Hirsch (San Miguel) [14]
Australia	Melbourne	Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre [15]
Belgium	Brüssel	CegeSoma - Centre d'Ètude Guerre et Sociéte [15]
		European Union of Jewish Students [2]
Brazil	São Paulo	Jüdisches Museum von São Paulo [2]
	Petrópolis	Casa Stefan Zweig [15]
China	Shanghai	Center of Jewish Studies [2]
Germany	Augsburg	Jüdisches Museum Augsburg Schwaben [2]
	Berchtesgaden	Dokumentation Obersalzberg [15]
	Berlin	Anne Frank Zentrum [16]
		Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand [17]
		Jüdisches Museum Berlin [15]
		Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin [2]
	Fürstenberg/Havel	Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Ravensbrück [15]
	München	Jüdisches Museum München [15]
	Oranienburg	Gedenkstätte Sachsenhausen [18]
	Wolfenbüttel	Stiftung niedersächsische Gedenkstätten - Gedenkstätte in der JVA Wolfenbüttel [2]
Estonia	Tallinn	Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom [2]
France	Oradour-sur-Glane	Centre de la Mémoire d’Oradour [15]
	Paris	Amicale de Mauthausen [15]
		Bibliothèque et archives d'alliance Israélite Universelle [15]
		Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Déportation [15]
Greece	Athen	Jewish Museum of Greece [2]
	Chania	Etz Hayyim Synagogue [19]
Israel	Akkon	Ghetto Fighter’s House Museum [20]
	Jerusalem	Leo Baeck Institut [21]
		Yad Vashem [15] [22]
	Tel Aviv	Anitta Müller-Cohen Elternheim [23]
		The Liebling Haus - White City Center [2]
		Wiener Library for the Study of the Nazi Era and the Holocaust - Elias Sourasky Central Library [15]
		Zikaron BaSalon [2]
Italy	Mailand	Centro Di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea [15]
	Marzabotto	Scuola Di Pace Di Monte Sole [24]
	Prato	Museo della Deportazione [15]
	Predappio	Comune di Predappio [15]
	Rom	Fondazione Museo della Shoah [15]
		Jüdisches Museum Rom [2]
	Triest	Jüdische Gemeinde Triest [2]
Japan	Tokio	Tokyo Holocaust Education and Resource Center [2]
Canada	Montreal	Holocaust Education and Genocide Prevention Foundation [2]
		Montreal Holocaust Museum [25]
	Toronto	The Azrieli Foundation [2]
		Toronto Holocaust Museum [15]
	Vancouver	The Vancouver Holocaust Centre [2]
Croatia	Jasenovac	Jasenovac Memorial Site [2]
Latvia	Riga	Museum „Juden in Lettland“ [15]
		Museum of the Occupation of Latvia [2]
		Žanis Lipke Memorial [2]
Lithuania	Vilnius	Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History [26]
Mauritius	Senneville Riviere des Anguilles	Island Hebrew Congregation Senneville Riviere des Anguilles [2]
New Zealand	Wellington	Holocaust Centre of New Zealand [2]
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Anne Frank Stichting [27]
		Niederländisches Widerstandsmuseum [25]
		Stiftung Jüdisch Historisches Museum - Jewish Cultural Quarter [2]
Poland	Krakau	Galicia Jewish Museum [15]
	Lublin	KZ-Gedenkstätte Majdanek [28]
	Oświęcim	Auschwitz Jewish Center [15]
		Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau [29]
	Warschau	Museum der Geschichte der polnischen Juden [15]
Portugal	Porto	Holocaust Museum of Oporto [2]
Romania	Nusfalau	Holocaust Museum in Nordtransilvanien [2]
Russia	Moskau	Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center [2]
		Russisches Forschungs- und Bildungszentrum „Holocaust“ [15]
Serbia	Belgrad	Verband der jüdischen Gemeinden Serbiens – Jüdisches historisches Museum [15]
Sweden	Stockholm	Schwedisches Holocaustmuseum [2]
	Uppsala	The Uppsala Programme for Holocaust and Genocide Studies [15]
Switzerland	Zürich	Hugo Mendel Stiftung [2]
Singapore	Singapur	The Jews of Singapore Museum [2]
Slovenia	Laibach	Nationalmuseum der Zeitgeschichte [15]
South Africa	Durban	Durban Holocaust & Genocide Education Centre [2]
	Kapstadt	Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre [2]
	Johannesburg	Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Education Centre [2]
Taiwan	Taipeh	Jeffrey D. Schwartz & Na Tang Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association [2]
Czech Republic	Prag	Institut Theresienstädter Initiative [15]
		Jüdische Gemeinde Prag [15]
	Theresienstadt	Jugendbegegnungsstätte Theresienstadt [15]
Hungary	Budapest	Jewish Community Center Budapest [2]
		Tom Lantos Institut [15]
United States	Dallas	Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies [2]
	Los Angeles	Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust [15]
		Simon Wiesenthal Center [15]
		USC Shoah Foundation for Visual History and Education [15]
	New York	American Jewish Committee [15]
		Aristides de Sousa Mendes Foundation [2]
		Leo Baeck Institute [30]
		Museum of Jewish Heritage [15]
	Richmond	Virginia Holocaust Museum [15]
	Washington, D.C.	Capital Jewish Museum [2]
		United States Holocaust Memorial Museum [31]
United Kingdom	London	Nightingale Hammerson - Hammerson House [2]
		Nightingale Hammerson - Nightingale House [2]
		Jewish Care - Holocaust Survivors' Center [15]
		JW3 Jewish Community Centre Holocaust Memorial Day Trust [32]
		The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust & Genocide [15]

See also

• Andreas Maislinger
• Stefan Stoev
• Austrian Peace Service
• Austrian Service Abroad
• Austrian Social Service
• House of Responsibility
• Paper Clips Project

References

1. "Verein – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
2. "How Austria's Youth Are Building Bridges to the Global Jewish Community". Times of Israel.
3. "Gedenkdienst: Maislinger Ehrenritter". salzburg.orf.at (in German). 3 October 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
4. "Austrian Acknowledgement of Guilt for Holocaust Welcomed by Survivors". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 10 July 1991.
5. "Gedenkdienst leisten – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
6. "Neues Freiwilligengesetz". freiwillig-engagiert (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
7. "Unsichere Zukunft für Gedenkdienste". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
8. Ennemoser, Magdalena (12 May 2023). "Vorsitzender Andreas Maislinger verlässt Auslandsdienst". Tiroler Tageszeitung Online (in German). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
9. "Wir über uns – Selbstverständnis – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
10. "Gedenkdienst - nun auch für Frauen: erste Auswahl 21.-23. 12. 2007". ERINNERN: NATIONALSOZIALISMUS UND HOLOCAUST (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
11. Presse-Service (13 June 2013). "Archivmeldung: Erster Leon Zelman-Preis geht an "Verein GEDENKDIENST"". Presseservice der Stadt Wien (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
12. "Projekte – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
13. "Veranstaltungen – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
14. "Buenos Aires, Argentinien – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
15. "Dienststellen". Österreichischer Auslandsdienst (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
16. "Berlin – AFZ, Deutschland – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
17. "Berlin – GDW, Deutschland – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
18. "Oranienburg, Deutschland – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
19. "Chania, Griechenland – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
20. "Akko, Israel – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
21. "Jerusalem – LBI, Israel – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
22. "Jerusalem – YV, Israel – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
23. "Tel Aviv, Israel – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
24. "Monte Sole, Italien – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
25. "Gedenkdienst - Nationalfonds der Republik Österreich für Opfer des Nationalsozialismus" (in German). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
26. "Vilnius, Litauen – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
27. "Amsterdam, Niederlande – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
28. "Lublin, Polen – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
29. "Oświęcim, Polen – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
30. "New York, USA – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
31. "Washington, D.C., USA – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
32. "London, Großbritannien – GEDENKDIENST" (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2019.

External links

• Austrian Service Abroad
• "Harald Edinger". Voices on Antisemitism. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 1 January 2009.