On September 6 and 7, 2025, a seminar took place at the Lidice Memorial and the Terezín Memorial, focusing on the so-called second generation of witnesses—namely, the descendants of individuals who were persecuted by the Nazi regime. This trauma, stemming from persecution, imprisonment, and the loss of loved ones, has been passed down to future generations. This phenomenon is known as the transgenerational transmission of trauma. Eighteen teachers from across the Czech Republic participated in the event.
Although the program officially began on Saturday, participants arriving from farther away were accommodated in Lidice on the evening of Friday, September 5. An optional guided tour of the Lidice Memorial was offered to them.
Saturday’s introductory lecture, delivered by Pavel Mücke, familiarized participants with the methodological and practical aspects of oral-history research. In his workshop, teacher and lecturer Josef März demonstrated how this topic can be incorporated into classroom teaching. The Lidice segment of the seminar culminated in a compelling discussion with third-generation witness Kateřina Hládková, the granddaughter of survivor Emilie Frejová. Participants had the opportunity to practice conducting a discussion with a witness themselves. The day concluded with a transfer to Terezín, where the seminar continued on Sunday.
The Terezín segment of the seminar began with a workshop led by Jan Špringl (Department of Education, Terezín Memorial), focusing on working with pre-recorded testimonies of second-generation witnesses. This was followed by a panel discussion with two women born after the war to Holocaust survivors, Zuzana Peterová and Alena Lehovcová. The witnesses shared their experiences of engaging with students and explained the motivations that led them to speak publicly about how their lives were shaped by their parents’ traumas. During the discussion, Alena Lehovcová spoke in detail about her own experiences and life story. Seminar participants had the opportunity to ask questions and, at the end, practice a brief reflection exercise—designed as a suitable tool for use after similar discussions with students.
The attendees had only words of praise for the seminar as a whole, commending its innovative ways to utilize the memories of second and third-generation witnesses. They particularly valued the openness and impact of these testimonies. This second year of the seminar focusing on the second generation, convinced us and our partners—the Lidice Memorial, the Jewish Museum in Prague, the Holocaust Victims Endowment Fund, and the Czech Auschwitz Committee—that it definitely makes sense to continue this major project. Therefore, we will also collaborate on next year’s seminar, scheduled to take place in October 2026.
Helena Palová
