Museum
30.11.2022

Skopje. Empathetic Communication and the Conflicting Narratives of World War II and Holocaust History

Uczestnicy seminarium "Komunikacja empatyczna w edukacji osób dorosłych..." stoją przed siedzibą Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia.
fot. M. Janevska Ilieva

Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, was the location for the third meeting of the partners of the "Nonviolent Communication Approach in Adult Education in Historical Museums and Memorial Sites" project. The seminar provided an opportunity to further practise the "Nonviolent Communication" model in dealing with visitors, as well as to acquire in-depth knowledge about the complicated, historic and contemporary position of North Macedonia in the Balkan region and in Europe.

As part of the "Nonviolent Communication Approach" project, employees of four institutions – the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, the Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia in Skopje, the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris and the Žanis Lipke Memorial in Riga – train in the principles of "Nonviolent Communication". It is a communication model that serves to support dialogue and build societies based on empathy and understanding the needs of every person. The aim of the project is to use this model while working with the public and, through it, to activate groups of adult visitors in the field of expanding their knowledge about the Holocaust in Europe.

More about the project and seminar in Paris.

The Holocaust Memorial Center for the Jews of Macedonia – the host of the training programme held in Skopje on 5th-7th September 2022, focussed on outlining the historical context for the wartime fate of Macedonian Jews, 98% of whom perished during the Holocaust. The second key issue was the manner in which Macedonian history influences contemporary international relations and conflicts of memory, including those about the Holocaust. 

More about the seminar in Skopje in Virtual Shtetl.

The next training meeting is scheduled for spring 2023. The partners will meet at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.

"Logo of Zanis Lipke Memorial: grey pentagon on white background"  Logo Holocaust Memorial Center – Skopje: yellow Star of David and lines in the shape of Menorah.Logo of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish JewsLogo of Memorial de la Shoah.

"Logo of Erasmus Plus Program: yellow stars in a circle on navy background, with inscriptionErasmus+"

The Project is co-funded by the European Commission as part of the Erasmus+ Programme. This publication was prepared with the financial support of the European Commission. It reflects only the views of its authors. The European Commission and the National Agency of the Erasmus+ Programme are not responsible for its substantive content.