Young Germans honor Holocaust victims with a 178-page comic and memorial
A group of young people from Halle has created a 178-page comic to honour the Sachs family, victims of a Nazi deportation to Sobibor in 1942. The project began after a student’s question revealed gaps in historical knowledge among early school leavers. For 15 years, the 'Diary of Emotions' initiative has helped participants explore Nazi-era history and remember its victims. The project started when a student asked when Adolf Hitler had built the Berlin Wall. This moment highlighted how little some young people knew about the period. Since then, the annual 'Diary of Emotions' programme, run by SBH Nordost, has tackled different themes each year. This year’s focus is the deportation of Halle’s Jewish community to Sobibor on June 1, 1942.
The 52 participants, aged between 15 and 25, have worked on multiple tributes. They produced a comic about the Sachs family, one of many families sent to Sobibor. They also designed a memorial plaque featuring two hands—one representing the youngest victim, the other the adults. Hamburg-based artist Nils Ostkamp brought their design to life. To fund the plaque, the group collected and sold scrap metal, raising €1,400. They are also constructing a model of the 'Thunderbox' passenger car, used to deceive those being deported. On June 2-3, 25 participants will travel to Sobibor to present the plaque and read aloud the names of all 155 victims.
The memorial plaque and comic will stand as lasting tributes to those deported in 1942. The project’s efforts ensure the victims’ stories are remembered by future generations. The participants’ work also bridges gaps in historical understanding through direct engagement with the past.
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