Linz (OTS) – The Hermann Langbein Symposium took place for the 13th time this year in the Linz Chamber of Labor. The opening event, which was attended by around 360 students and teachers this year, is already an integral part. Five schools (from Bad Goisern, Bad Ischl, Andorf, Linz and Vöcklabruck) actively participated with previously produced video contributions in which they critically addressed National Socialism. Mesmerized and visibly moved, they, like five other school classes present, listened to the 92-year-old contemporary witness Anna Hackl from Schwertberg, whose family had hid two Russian concentration camp escapees from the Nazis in their house in February 1945. The unanimous tenor: Democracy and civil courage are still important today in order to counteract dangerous currents.
Every year, the opening ceremony in the congress hall of the Linz Chamber of Labor marks the start of the week-long Austria-wide training for teachers. With the book project “My Commitment to Democracy,” the AK provided the five participating school classes with 180 copies of the book “The Boxer. The true story of the Hertzko detention” by Reinhard Kleist was available and invited them to engage with it. The Polish Jew was deported to a concentration camp at the age of 16 and trained there to become a boxer, to the amusement of the National Socialists. He fought for survival in the boxing ring. After escaping to the USA, he became famous there as “Harry Haft”. After engaging with the book, the students produced videos that they presented in the AK. The MS Neufelden choir provided the musical accompaniment.
Students in grade 4a MS World Heritage Bad Goisern read passages from the book in their video and interviewed each other about, among other things, what they learned. “That you should never give up,” is one message. Conclusion from student Leni Pilz in the talk at the event: “For some, the project has already changed a lot, for example the way they view racism. This topic has never been properly explained to us before.
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The students of the 4d BG/BRG Bad Ischl created a photo album from individual scenes from the book. They also drew new scenes. Student Tobias Langegger, speaker and director: “We continued writing the story because it didn’t feel finished to us. We’ll keep the album at school.
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In the video the 2BH HTL Andorf the students told us which scenes were particularly close to them – for example those involving the incinerators. They also looked into other dangerous regimes and their victims. Sara Gluth and Miriam Brandstätter in the AK Talk: “It is shocking that there are still many countries where there is no right to vote or freedom of expression. Unfortunately, we can’t do much about this directly, but it is all the more important that we take action against non-democratic structures in Austria. Our right to vote is important.
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Students of the 1 Hc HLW Linz Auhof In their contribution they dealt with the concepts of struggle, tolerance, freedom and love and made drawings about them. Student Sebastian Stiller: “Only in retrospect do you realize how relevant these terms are
“. Leonie Mayr: „The book touched us, we now treat each other in the class with more respect, the class community is important.
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Students in grade 8c and the theater theater elective subject of the ORG Franziskanerinnen Vöcklabruck reenacted individual scenes from the book. “No more fascism, never more dictatorship – so that humanity doesn’t fall to the ground!” – said the students. Student Severin Gaisbauer: “We did everything ourselves. Script, editing, camera, make-up, props. We looked at speeches by Nazis and incorporated them into the film.
“ Student Elena Schlesinger: “It was shocking when we first read it. It highlighted the difference between life and survival.
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The students were also visibly touched by the dialogue with contemporary witness Anna Hackl. The 92-year-old spoke of the tremendous fear in which she and her family lived for weeks starting in February 1945. During this time they hid two Russian prisoners who had escaped from the Mauthausen concentration camp. “I don’t have a nice story to tell, but it’s important to me to tell the story to as many young people as possible. Because sometimes it is said that none of this is true
“, says Hackl. She appealed to the students: “You are the future for Austria. Be careful that something like this doesn’t happen again. The war years were very bad and terrible
.“
AK Vice President Christine Heitzinger added: “It is the responsibility of all of us to be vigilant. Against every form of discrimination and exclusion. Let us be suspicious of manipulative and fake news, especially on social media, that encourages incitement against groups of people. And let us be vigilant against currents that only interpret the concept of freedom individually.
In any case, the young people confirmed their commitment to democracy. Those eligible to vote for the first time this year said they wanted to make use of their right to free elections.
The annual symposium is named after the resistance fighter and Auschwitz survivor Prof. Hermann Langbein (1912-1995). He founded it more than 40 years ago. This is the longest-running teacher training course in Austria. It has been taking place in the AK Linz since 2012.
Printable photos of the school classes or the students quoted above with AK Vice President Christine Heitzinger as well as the contemporary witness Anna Hackl and Daniel Langbein, grandson of Hermann Langbein, who reported on his story, are available for you to use free of charge provided you state the copyright HERE available.
Questions & Contact:
Chamber of Labor Upper Austria – Communication
Dr. Walter Sturm
+43 (0)664 5455984
walter.sturm@akooe.at
ooe.arbeiterkammer.at