🇺🇦 UA ⭢ Транскордонний обмін знаннями (case study in Ukrainian)
Context
The shifting of borders in East Central Europe after 1945 and the impact of Communist rule in the region influenced the way Holocaust sites were commemorated in the decades following the end of WWII. The team of the MultiMemo project looked at similar sites in Poland and Ukraine, belonging to the same history, and the way they have been approached and researched over the years. The expert seminar on the Janowska camp in Lviv brought together scholars researching the camp, specialists associated with institutions at former camp sites in Poland, and experts in Holocaust archeology & non-invasive research. The seminar aimed to assess the current state of research on the Janowska camp in Ukraine and to explore the potential of using non-invasive techniques to study the site and its surroundings — an approach already employed at other former camp locations in present-day Poland.
The event was organized in Lublin, Poland, in collaboration with and at The Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre in Lublin, involving other partners such as the Department of Jewish Culture and History, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, and the Lviv Center for Urban History (Lviv, Ukraine).
Highlights
- Exploring non-invasive methods for Holocaust research: Experts presented advancements in remote sensing technologies, such as LiDAR, drone imaging, and ground-penetrating radar, demonstrating how these methods allow for ethical research without disturbing burial sites.
- Cross-border collaboration between Polish and Ukrainian institutions: The seminar fostered meaningful discussions between researchers from Poland and Ukraine, emphasizing shared histories, different approaches to site commemoration, and the challenges posed by the ongoing war.
- Addressing the impact of war on commemoration and research: Participants reflected on the ethical and logistical challenges of researching and preserving Holocaust sites in active conflict zones, leading to proposals for phased research plans and digital documentation efforts.
Challenges
- The ongoing conflict had to be taken into account as a crucial context for any research or commemorative work at the site of the Janowska camp in Lviv — not only in terms of logistics and practical feasibility, but also with regard to the ethical considerations and shifting priorities inherent to a conflict zone.
- Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022, the seminar had to be organized in a hybrid format to allow Ukrainian colleagues from the partner organization to take an active part in the seminar.
Solutions
For the sake of the quality of knowledge exchange and inclusion during the seminar itself high-quality streaming was ensured with translation and discussion features to ensure active engagement.
For further research and knowledge exchange, potential solutions were identified, including:
- Remote Sensing & Non-Invasive Methods: Utilize LiDAR, drone imaging, and archival research to study the site without physically being there.
- Collaboration with Local Institutions: Work closely with Ukrainian scholars, NGOs, and local authorities who can access and monitor the site.
- Ethical Framework: Develop guidelines that balance historical research with sensitivity to the current humanitarian crisis.
- Long-Term Planning: Establish phased approaches—begin with archival and remote research, then plan on-site studies when conditions improve.
Description
The Holocaust left behind a troubling legacy, including the infrastructure of genocide: sites of former concentration and death camps. Some of these sites were memorialised in decades following the end of WWII, but not all of them. While most people around the world are familiar with sites such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, other former camp sites remain less known and some have been commemorated only recently (eg, Sobibór, Plaszow), while others still await commemoration (such as the Janowska camp in Lviv).
Such commemorative processes require extensive study of the topography, necessary both to provide a better understanding of the site as well as to make sure that the construction works do not interfere with sites of deposition of human remains of the victims. The Jewish religious law (Halakha) prohibits interference with burial sites because it violates the peace of the dead.
However, new technical possibilities and new research methods have opened up the field for studying and locating the burial grounds of Holocaust victims without disrupting them in the way traditional archeology does.
The aim of the seminar organized in Lublin by Polish and Ukrainian partners was to share knowledge about contemporary research methods that are permissible under Jewish religious law, to look at the potential of using these methods and tools in relation to the Janowska camp in Lviv, and to jointly consider further directions of research, educational and commemorative activities at the camp and in its vicinity.
It was also an opportunity to discuss similarities in differences in how comparable sites in Poland and Ukraine were dealt with after WWII and their contemporary state & social resonance. The important context of the seminar was the ongoing war in Ukraine, raising important questions about how to approach sites of difficult heritage in the conflict zones.
Lessons learned
- Collaboration across borders strengthens research efforts: Partnerships between Polish and Ukrainian institutions, NGOs, and local scholars are crucial for knowledge exchange, access to sites, and the continuation of research despite logistical challenges.
- Interdisciplinary approaches enrich understanding: Combining expertise from Holocaust archaeology, history, religious studies, and digital humanities leads to more comprehensive research outcomes and innovative methodologies.
- Comparative analysis provides deeper insights: Examining how Holocaust sites in Poland and Ukraine have been commemorated and researched over time reveals broader historical, political, and societal influences on memory and preservation.
- Commemoration efforts must be sensitive to current realities: The war in Ukraine affects not only logistics but also the ethical and symbolic dimensions of commemorating difficult heritage sites, requiring a careful and respectful approach.
- Conflict zones require adaptability and ethical considerations: Ongoing war conditions necessitate flexible, phased research plans and ethical guidelines that balance historical inquiry with contemporary humanitarian concerns.
More information
Conference full program:
https://multimemo.difficultheritage.eu/en/blog/event/making-the-invisible-visible/
Financing
EU-funded MultiMemo project (CERV)
Photos – Zapomniane Foundation