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Stumbling Stones for Thessaloniki was created by Senior Fellows Regina Frentzou and Evanthia Panagiotou as a social art project for the recovery of collective memory and individual commemoration of the victims of National Socialism in Thessaloniki.
They felt as though there was a lack of commemoration for the victims of the Holocaust in Greek cities, particularly in the city of Thessaloniki.
This project seeks to bring the German idea of the Stumbling Stones (“Stolpersteine”), which commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, to Greece.
Senior Fellows Regina and Evanthia were inspired during their experiences through the Humanity in Action Berlin Fellowship program, in which they walked through the streets of Kreuzberg, engaging in discussions with residents and visitors regarding diversity. This is when they discovered the origin and meaning behind the Stolpersteine which sparked their ambitions.
The primary goal of this project is to educate the public through constant interaction with the stumbling stones and to honor the victims of the Holocaust.
The primary goal of this project is to educate the public through constant interaction with the stumbling stones and to honor the victims of the Holocaust. The Heinrich Böll Foundation in Thessaloniki is locally supporting the project initiators in fulfilling their goals. The final implementation of the stumbling stones in Thessaloniki took place on October 19, 2016. Their hopes for the impacts of this project is that it will prompt discussions about the Holocaust of Greek Jews and educate the public on the city’s multicultural past.