The Remembering Hilda Dajč Foundation was established on the initiative of Terraforming, Education for 21 Century, and a group of citizens, to contribute to fostering, improving, and strengthening the Holocaust remembrance culture that deals with the violent past in a way that fosters democracy, civil and human rights, pluralism, and critical thinking, while countering nationalism, hate speech, intolerance, and discrimination. Also, the Foundation strives to promote youth activism, personal and civic responsibility, social awareness, commitment, and solidarity among the youth.
Тhe Foundation's Steering Board has put a special effort on promoting and preserving the memory of Hilda Dajč, a young person who had made brave choices and remained an example of moral superiority and resistance during the times of the Holocaust.
As a special part of its activities, the Foundation has established the Remembering Hilda Dajč Award.
The 80th anniversary
In May 2022, we mark 80 years since the last group of Jewish inmates of the concentration camp Staro Sajmište was killed in a gas van, a mobile gas chamber. The Remembering Hilda Dajč Award will be presented on the May 8th as a contribution to the commemoration of this anniversary.
The Remembering Hilda Dajč Award is an annual award. Each year the award will be presented in two categories:
1. YOUTH AWARD
The Youth Award is intended for young people, an individual, group, or organization from the Republic of Serbia that showed notable personal and civic responsibility, social awareness, commitment, and solidarity, identifying a problem and taking action, particularly in their local communities.
The Youth Award will particularly seek to promote:
addressing challenges and dangers posed by xenophobia, racism, discrimination, and intolerance;
fostering active citizenship, pluralism, and constructive critical discussion that leads to finding solutions for overcoming challenges and problems in local communities;
leading by own example, initiating and engaging others in activities aimed to support vulnerable groups in local communities;
2. THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE REMEMBRANCE CULTURE AWARD
The Outstanding Contribution to the Remembrance Culture Award is intended for individuals, groups, organizations, or institutions, from the Republic of Serbia or from other countries, that made a significant contribution to fostering, improving, and strengthening the Holocaust remembrance in the Republic of Serbia.
The award in this category will particularly seek:
to encourage the improvement of Holocaust education in the formal and informal educational system in Serbia in accordance with the international standards set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance IHRA, UNESCO, and The Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights;
to promote programs and activities in Holocaust education and remembrance aimed to address antisemitism and antigypsyism;
to support countering Holocaust denial, distortion, manipulation, trivialization and politicization of this history;
to promote identifying and safeguarding Holocaust records, and their utilization for research and education in Serbia and internationally;
to advance higher education about the Holocaust and the Holocaust research;
to promote a meaningful culture of remembrance, that deals with the violent past in a way that fosters democracy, civil and human rights, pluralism, and critical thinking, while countering nationalism, hate speech, intolerance and discrimination;
CANDIDATES FOR YOUTH AWARD (SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ACTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY) ARE:
1. Center for Youth Integration Belgrade
(for Drop-in Shelter project)
2. Youth Center from Novi Sad
(for the Mobile Youth Club (MOK))
CANDIDATES FOR THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE REMEMBRANCE CULTURE AWARD ARE:
1. Historical Archives of Belgrade
(for the Jewish Digital Collection)
2. Museum of Sabac Jews
(for a great local grass-root initiative)
3. Sombor National Theater
(for the play “Semper idem”)
Winners of the Remembering Hilda Dajč Award in 2022.
Award for outstanding contribution to the remembrance culture
The winner of the award for outstanding contribution to the remembrance culture is the Historical Archives of Belgrade for its work on the Jewish Digital Collection .
The award was presented by Lidija Županić Šuica, on behalf of a NGO “Education for the 21st Century” from Belgrade and a member of the board of the Remembering Hilda Dajč Award
Youth Award for social responsibility and active contribution to the community
The winner of the Youth Award for social responsibility and active contribution to the community is the Center for Youth Integration from Belgrade for the program ” Drop in Shelter ” and the engagement of young volunteers within this program.
The award was presented by Dr Nenad Lajbenšperger, a historian from the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia in Belgrade and a member of the board of directors of the Remembering Hilda Dajč Award.