The Terezín Memorial´s 29th literary competition and the 27th art contest – Hana Greenfield Memorial was held under the joint motto “Does the World Want to Be Deceived?” The source of inspiration for this particular topic was the famous Latin saying “Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur” (The World Wants to Be Deceived, So Let It Be Deceived) associated with the fact that the Nazis had tried to cover up the traces of their crimes, and Terezín was intended to be abused for that purpose. The Terezín Main Fortress had been fraudulently presented as a town where the Jews could live in peace. Unfortunately, there are even today people who are still under that impression and who believe the Holocaust deniers´ claims that there was no extermination of Jews and that such statements are just fabrications of the winners over Germany in WW II. Pupils and students taking part in the competitions were asked to contemplate the question why some people are even nowadays prepared to believe similar assertions, why – in spite of verifiable evidence – people are ready to believe not only Holocaust deniers but also many other proponents of conspiracy theories.
A total of 78 entries arrived in the literary category and 433 entries were sent to the art section of this year´s competitions, coming from as many as 91 Czech schools.
June 8, 2023 was set as the date for the ceremony of announcing the results of the competitions and presenting awards to the winners. Held in the cinema of the Ghetto Museum in Terezín, the ceremony was attended by the winning pupils and students, their relatives and teachers and many distinguished guests – Mrs. Michaela Vidláková, former Terezín Ghetto inmate, Mr. Michal Stránský, Chairman of the Terezín Initiative, Mrs. Martina Jankovská of the Eternal Hope Foundation, Mr. Ondřej Chrásta, Czech Deputy Minister of Culture, Mr. Tomáš Rieger and Mrs. Jindra Zalábková, councilors of the Ústí Regional Office, Mrs. Lenka Lejsková, head of the history and education department of the National Pedagogical Museum, and many other guests. The musical program was provided by the music ensemble called The String Clartet.
The list of winners and their winning entries is to be found on the Terezín Memorial´s website in its section Education – link here.
Jan Kaňa
