Together with Jews, the Roma and Sinti (Gypsies) were targeted for extermination by the Nazis during their twelve-year reign of terror and were thus also victims of ideological racism. The stories of the Roma and Sinti are less well known and the first memorial to their suffering was only unveiled in Berlin in 2012: the history of this persecution, over a thousand years of oppression in Europe, must be told even more urgently while the few survivors are still with us.

Rita Prigmore’s mother was facing forced sterilization when she was found to be carrying twins, a subject of endless fascination to Nazi doctors in their pursuit of creating a super race. This saved the life of the as yet unborn Rita and her sibling but both infants were then subject to unspeakable medical “experimentation”. While she was only two years old when the war ended, Rita has managed to trace the story of her birth and suffering – an indelible part of her early memories – and she still lives with their long-term consequences today.

Please join the HKHTC for a truly fascinating and original talk with Rita Prigmore, in Germany, as she tells us of this little-known aspect of the Holocaust and where her community is still subject to extreme racism and deprivation in contemporary European society.

The webinar video can be watched here. 

April is Genocide Awareness Month. HKHTC hosted a special webinar with Germany’s inaugural Federal Government Commissioner for the Fight against Anti-Semitism, Dr Felix Klein, for a live discussion and Q&A on the fight against anti-Semitism in Germany and Europe today.

The webinar was moderated by HKHTC Chairman and HKU scholar Dr Roland Vogt.

This event was supported by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany and the University of Hong Kong’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures.

The webinar video can be accessed here. 

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Remembering Music’s Saving Powers at Auschwitz

Anita Lasker-Wallfisch OBE is one of the dwindling number of men and women still living who survived Auschwitz. She was taken to the camp but escaped the gas chambers because of her ability to play the cello, and went on to become a founding member of the English Chamber Orchestra.

On this year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Ms Lasker-Wallfisch shared with us her unique story of how playing the cello saved her life.

March 17 at 7:30PM HKT | “Technology and The Future of Holocaust Education in Asia” Webinar

What role can technology play in the future of Holocaust and tolerance education in Asia?

Join USC Shoah Foundation Finci-Viterbi Executive Director, Stephen Smith and HKHTC Executive Director and Columbia University’s Historical Dialogue Fellow, Simon K. Li as they discuss the ways in which we can fight hate and teach empathy, understanding and respect in this digital age.

To access the video, please click here (Facebook) or here (YouTube).