“Nevermore?” was the keynote of the 29th art competition and the inaugural year of the film contest, both held as part of this year’s Hana Greenfield Memorial. The event was organized by the Terezín Memorial in cooperation with the National Pedagogical Museum and Library of J. A. Comenius, and the Open Eye Association.
Participants were invited to reflect on whether humanity has truly learned from the lessons of the Second World War. The course of history after 1945, together with current global events, unfortunately suggests otherwise. Regrettably, the liberation of the prisoners from the Nazi Ghetto for Jews and the Gestapo Prison in Terezín eighty years ago did not ensure that such crimes would never be repeated.
However, just as in the past, there are still people today who, despite everything, strive to live up to the powerful call of “never again” and to make the world a better place. One such person was Přemysl Pitter, who devoted his life to helping Jewish children persecuted by the Nazis. After the war, he also extended his care to German children who, though innocent of the crimes of Nazi Germany, became targets of retribution.
This raised important questions for reflection: What can we do to ensure that humanity triumphs over hatred, as embodied by Přemysl Pitter? Do we have a chance to win this struggle? And what drives some people to fight this battle regardless of the outcome?
A total of 591 works from 83 schools and three other institutions — the PETRA Mačkov Home, the Kašperské Hory Children’s Home, and the Šipka Kroměříž Children’s Leisure Center — were sent to the art section of the competition. In the film category, 18 short films from 14 schools and from the Holeje Private Children’s Home were submitted. Pupils from two other schools also collaborated in a joint film project entered under the name of the last-mentioned institution.
The results of both competitions were announced, and awards were presented to the winners in the cinema hall of the Ghetto Museum on June 5, 2025. The participants were welcomed by Mgr. Jan Špringl, Head of the Terezín Memorial’s Department of Education, who also moderated the event. Introductory speeches were delivered by PhDr. Jan Roubínek, Director of the Terezín Memorial; RNDr. Michaela Vidláková, a former prisoner of the Terezín Ghetto and member of the Terezín Initiative; PhDr. Klára Ehrlich, Ph.D., Director of the National Pedagogical Museum and the J. A. Comenius Library; and Mgr. Martin Šmok, a juror of the film competition representing the Open Eye Association.
The ceremony was also attended by PhDr. Michal Stránský, the Chairman of the Terezín Initiative, and Dr. Martina Jankovská from the Everlasting Hope Endowment Fund, who presented the Erik Polák Award. Among those present in the packed hall were the jurors of the art competition, Mgr. Jana Šebová and MgA. Tereza Šimková Müller; the juror of the film competition, Mgr. Jakub Seiner from the National Pedagogical Museum and the J. A. Comenius Library; RNDr. Alena Lehovcová, a second-generation witness whose mother, Anna Hyndráková, was a survivor of the Terezín Ghetto and had also participated in this event in the past; as well as other distinguished guests.
The musical program featured the pupils of the Lovosice Elementary Art School performing compositions by G. Gershwin, S. Joplin, H. Arlen, K. Weill, V. Youmans, F. Chopin, and J. Ježek.
The ceremony also marked the opening of a short-term exhibition of award-winning artworks, accompanied by a screening of selected short films. The exhibition is currently on display in the foyer of the Ghetto Museum’s cinema hall.
The lists of results for both competitions, along with photographs of the award-winning artworks, can be viewed on the Terezín Memorial website in the Education section – [link].
Sylvie Holubová
