Introduction

Kazerne Dossin is a delicate place. A place where Belgium’s experience of the Holocaust is ever present. At this crossroads of history, memory and commemoration, it is our mission to make visitors aware of the significance of the Shoah today and to present the concept of human rights as a meaningful response. We take the story of victims as our starting point, identify the part played by the perpetrators and address bystanders.
Relatives, families, school groups, young people and professionals find their way to the Kazerne Dossin site. Visitor numbers are once again on the increase and the fact that schools are returning to the museum fills us with hope. Over the last year, existing educational initiatives were reviewed and brought more closely into line with visitor needs.

We are also growing as a specialized research institute and as an archive. We take an active role in national and European cooperation projects relating to the Holocaust. We inform the media, advise stakeholders and welcome researchers to our reading room. We receive more and more gifts and loans for the archive.
We also make the significance of Kazerne Dossin relevant through cooperation projects with partners. By developing learning pathways with the judiciary to combat racism, by organizing training courses for prison guards and re-launching the Us -Them (Wij-Zij) expertise network on polarization, we are involving new partners and target groups in our mission.

Kazerne Dossin’s achievements are the achievements of a team. Thanks to the combined expertise of researchers and educational staff, the #FakeImages exhibition, for example, proved so intriguing that it attracted almost 14,000 visitors, while our new website has lowered the threshold for potential visitors.

You are very welcome.

Tomas Baum, Director

2021 in figures

0 Visitors to the site
0 Permanent exhibition 0 Temporary exhibitions
  • #FakeImages
  • Reflections. Roma in Belgium
  • Paul Celan. The meridian of the heart
  • 14.739  Kids and youngsters (in group or individually)
  • 4.036  Adults on training courses
  • 21.356 Adults in their free time
0 Events
0 Research center
0 Lectures and training
0 Followers
  • 108.500 Unique visitors to the website
  • 10.607  Followers on social media

2021 in a nutshell

27 January 2021

Opening of the temporary exhibition #FakeImages

27.01.2021

As corona regulations were in force, Kazerne Dossin organized an online opening of the new temporary exhibition #FakeImages. It took the form of a walk round the exhibition with Veerle Vanden Daelen, Deputy General Director and Director Collections of Kazerne Dossin, Arthur Langerman, Belgian Holocaust survivor and holder of a collection of antisemitic images, and Karl Meersman, illustrator and visual artist. General director Tomas Baum provided the closing words.

 

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2021
27 January 2021

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

27.01.2021

Kazerne Dossin and Vredescentrum Antwerp created a #WeRemember video to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Furthermore, a story was posted on Instagram with a message from  Kazerne Dossin staff. 

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3 April 2021

Letters to Eva Fastag

03.04.2021

On 3 April 2021, Eva Fastag, formerly a typist at the Dossin barracks and a Holocaust survivor, celebrated her 104th year. In anticipation of this birthday, author Pieter Serrien, in collaboration with Kazerne Dossin, called for people to send a birthday card to Eva c/o Kazerne Dossin. No fewer than 449 cards and letters arrived here by post or were handed in. All the letters were forwarded to Israel where Eva received them on her birthday, a very emotional moment.  Eva Fastag then gifted the letters to the Kazerne Dossin archive. More than 277 people wished Eva a happy birthday online.   

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8 April 2021

Yom Hashoah. Visit by the Israeli Ambassador

08.04.2021

8 April was Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Ambassador of Israel to Belgium, H.E. Mister Emmanuel Nahshon, Director Tomas Baum and Deputy Director Veerle Vanden Daelen marked the occasion by laying a wreath of flowers at the commemorative plaque near the façade of the Memorial.

25 April 2021

Heritage Open Day on the theme of ‘The Night’

24-25.04.2021

Over the Heritage Open Day weekend (Erfgoedweekend), the permanent exhibition and the Memorial were blacked out. Visitors could follow a candle-lit trail, taking in five memorable testimonies. For children aged 10 and over, there was a treasure hunt.

 

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4 May 2021

Launch of Fée’s Vlog

04.05.2021

On 4 May, Ketnet and Kazerne Dossin launched ‘Fée’s Vlog’. Inspired by a true story, this historical series was filmed entirely on a smartphone in a narrative form designed for children. Kazerne Dossin provided substantial support in the form of comprehensive learning modules for primary school children in third grade as part of the final attainment levels

To tie in with the launch, a virtual panel discussion took place on remembrance education with Telidja Klaï (developmental psychologist with Ketnet), Anne-Sophie Van Vyve (Director of Public Engagement & Education, Kazerne Dossin) and historian Bruno De Wever (UGent).

Collaboration: Ketnet and Kazerne Dossin

Panel discussion

Vlog

Programme

Collaboration: Ketnet and Kazerne Dossin

20 May 2021

13th Contact Day Jewish Studies on the Low Countries

20.05.2021

Owing to Covid-19, the 13th Contact Day Jewish Studies on the Low Countries was postponed until 20 May 2021 and it took the form of an online Contact Day. The participants based in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Austria included historians but also an art-historian, a communication scientist and an archivist and researcher.

The high point of this important day of discussion was the evening talk entitled ‘Cosel Way Station. Jewish men from Western Europe to forced labour camps in Silesia, 1942-1945’. Co-authors of their book (‘Vervolgd in Limburg’) Herman van Rens and Annelies Wilms talked to a descendant of one of the men who was able to leave the train at Cosel station and thus survive the war.

Recordings of the various panel discussions are available on the YouTube channel of the University of Antwerp’s Institute for Jewish Studies.

31 May 2021

Transport XXI, online concert in aid of Amnesty International

31.05.2021

In 2021 the Flanders Festival – Mechelen (Festival van Vlaanderen – Mechelen) in association with Kazerne Dossin rounded off the annual festival with an online concert programme in aid of Amnesty International. Noah Senden organized this music and theatre show on the theme of human rights to mark the completion of his studies for a Master’s degree in Composition. 

15 June 2021

Press conference at the start of the guest exhibition ‘Reflections. Roma in Belgium’

15.06.2021

In the exhibition ‘Reflections. Roma in Belgium’ (Reflecties. Roma in België), students of set design, photography and communication management quashed clichés about Roma. Portraits and interviews provided insight into the dreams and challenges, the uncertainties and talents of nine extraordinary people who are proud to call themselves Roma. Three Roma, who had taken part in the project, were present at the press conference. They shared their story with a number of media channels (Radio 2, RTV, etc.). 

Collaboration: European Commission, Federal Public Planning Service –  Social integration (POD MI), and AP Hogeschool Antwerp. 

18 June 2021

Entartete Musik concert series

18.06-12.12.2021

As part of the special exhibition #FakeImages, the Cultural Centre Mechelen and Kazerne Dossin organized ‘Entartete Musik’ (‘Degenerate Music’). Curated by Piet Van Bockstal, this series of concerts was devoted to music deemed ‘decadent and harmful’ by the Nazi regime. Many composers and musicians were deported, met with death or fled their native country because of this music. 

The six concerts were held in various locations in the centre of Mechelen between 18 June and 12 December 2021. Two performances took place at Kazerne Dossin, on 18 July and 5 December. 

Accompanying this concert series was a book containing various contributions to the theme, an explanation of each programme and a CD.  

31 July 2021

‘Forgotten Grief’ (Vergeten Verdriet) documentary

31.07-02.08.2021

On 31 July and 1 and 2 August, Kazerne Dossin showed the documentary ‘Vergeten verdriet’ (Forgotten Grief) by Gillian Morreel and Judith Laemont about the Roma who were deported from Kazerne Dossin and Westerbork. It was organized to tie in with the commemoration on 2 August of the many Roma who were murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War.  

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10 October 2021

Tribute to Jeanne Roosen

10.10.2021

On 10 October 2021, the relatives of Jeanne Roosen from Drieslinter, a village in Flemish Brabant, and the Jewish Iarchy family from Antwerp met for the first time at Drieslinter town hall. They had come together to pay tribute to Jeanne, who on 15 September 1942 at the age of seventeen, found a postcard and put it in the post box. It was a simple enough deed, but the message it bears is priceless for the Iarchy family. It provided them with a last sign of life of Moïse Iarchy. He had thrown the card out of a deportation train.  Moïse’s farewell words are of inestimable value to the family.

 

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13 October 2021

MLK/FBI documentary (Martin Luther King vs. the FBI)

13.10.2021

Mechelen’s city cinema Lumière screened a documentary about the  FBI’s witch hunt of Martin Luther King, one of the most prominent members of the Afro-American civil rights movement. Before the start of the documentary, Veerle Vanden Daelen, Deputy Director and Coordinator of the Collections & Research department, gave an introduction to human rights.   

21 October 2021

Study Day and Paul Celan guest exhibition

21.10.2021

One year after the postponed Celan celebration, the spotlight could finally be turned onto this remarkable Jewish poet. A study day was organized to tie in with the opening of artist Jan Mulder’s exhibition  ‘The meridian of the heart’. Contributors to the study day were Prof Vivian Liska, Prof Ton Naaijkens, Robert Schindel, Erik Lindner, Bosse Provoost and Charlotte Van den Broeck. In the evening Celan translator Ton Naaijkens gave a talk, which was followed by a screening of the short film ‘Paul Celan liest’ (Paul Celan reads).

Organized by: Kazerne Dossin, Poëziecentrum vzw and the Österreichisches Kulturforum Brüssel.

Recording of the evening talk

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4 November 2021

Virtual talk ‘Antisemitic myths’

04.11.2021

This talk by Prof Dr Manuela Consonni of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem looked at myths that perpetuate anti-Jewish prejudices. The focus of her research is the dynamic with which these myths are reproduced over time. Her talk was followed by a virtual guided tour of the #FakeImages exhibition at Kazerne Dossin by Director Tomas Baum. 

Organized by: Kazerne Dossin,  University of Antwerp’s Institute of Jewish Studies    

24 November 2021

‘Vers l’aube’ book presentation

24.10.2021

The philosopher Leopold Flam was arrested several times during the Second World War, both as a persecuted Jew and as a resistance fighter.During the Second World War, philosopher Leopold Flam was arrested, both as a persecuted Jew and  as a resistance fighter. He spent a long period of time confined to the Dossin barracks, where he wrote a book. That book was recently translated into French. On Sunday 24 October Kazerne Dossin presented ‘Vers l’Aube’ as a tribute to Flam. Senior researcher Laurence Schram led the presentation. Granddaughter Raphaëlla Flam gave a personal testimony. 

25 November 2021

Portrait ceremony

25.11.2021

On 25 November, Kazerne Dossin held its annual portrait ceremony. Traditionally, relatives from all over the world assemble in the museum, where recently discovered photographs of deportees are shown and their names read out. The Covid pandemic meant that in 2021 the number of attendees had to be curtailed.  Koen de Cauter, Sam Opstaele and Nils Vermeulen provided musical accompaniment. Four students from the Atheneum Busleyden read out the names of the 51 new portraits added to the commemorative wall. An online version of the ceremony was produced and made available on the website and via newsletters. The camera work was done by Jess De Gruyter. 

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4 December 2021

Final weekend #FakeImages exhibition

04 & 05.12.2021

A festive weekend was organized to mark the closure of the #FakeImages exhibition. On Saturday 4 December, the museum remained open until the later time of 21.00 hrs. On Sunday 5 December, there was a children’s workshop on the Jewish Hanukkah festival, or Festival of Lights. Visitors could also come and watch the documentary ‘Mengelberg’s List’ (De lijst van Mengelberg) about the world-famous conductor of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Willem Mengelberg. Dr Veerle Vanden Daelen linked the Dutch documentary to the theme of #FakeImages. Finally, the Oxalys chamber music ensemble gave a concert from the Entartete Musik series.

21 December 2021

Virtual talk ‘Aktion Reinhardt’

21.12.2021

‘Aktion Reinhardt’ was the German codename for the systematic murder of at least 1.8 million Jews in German-occupied Poland. ‘Aktion Reinhardt’ is surprisingly under-researched. However, there have been important developments in recent years. In his talk, Stephan Lehnstaedt outlined the current state of knowledge, new developments and limitations. Stephan Lehnstaedt is Professor of Holocaust Studies and Jewish Studies at the Touro College Berlin. 

Organized by: the Institute of Jewish Studie of the University of Antwerp in association with Kazerne Dossin and the Auschwitz Foundation

Public engagement & Education

0 number of talks, lectures and training sessions
0 members of the police force on the HPM course

Talks and training sessions for groups

In 2021 the decision was made to limit the number of workshops arranged by the Public & Education department outside the museum and to concentrate on making adjustments to the offering in the museum. However, the following workshops were held outside the KD premises:

  • Talk on Rwanda for the LAB Gedreven Onderwijs, 6th year secondary school, Puurs-St-Amands.
  • Talk #FakeImages for the LAB Gedreven Onderwijs, 5th year secondary school, Puurs-St-Amands.
  • Kazerne Dossin’s contribution to the online event European Café #5: ‘Saying No to Anti-Semitism & Hate’ (approx. 30 participants).
  • Participation in the Reinwardt Academy panel, Amsterdam: ‘Erfgoed Arena: (Hoe kan voetbal bijdragen aan een inclusievere toekomst?’ (How can football contribute to a more inclusive future?) (approx. 70 participants).
  • Participation in Canon Culture Days (for trainee teachers): Kazerne Dossin shared expertise and experience of cooperating with Ketnet on ‘Fée’s Vlog’ with some 25 trainee teachers.  
  • Introduction to the film ‘Where is Anne Frank’ and post-film discussion at its preview at the Lumière cinema, Mechelen, with the focus on remembrance education (50 people).

Training course: Holocaust, Police and Human Rights   

The museum was closed during the first semester and so all the face-to-face sessions were cancelled. In that period the Holocaust, Police and Human Rights (HPM) training sessions were delivered digitally with an integrated museum visit. The virtual training sessions recommenced in June and eight sessions were organized in the first semester. During the second semester, online training sessions alternated with face-to-face sessions. During the second semester, a further ten extra online training sessions were offered, as well as 39 face-to-face sessions. The sessions were offered in French or Dutch.

There were a total of 697 participants. These were new recruits undergoing initial training and also members of the Federal and Local Police. The share of online sessions was approximately one third for both the number of sessions and the number of participants. The online training will also be offered in 2022, partly to ensure a safe environment, and partly to eliminate the long waiting-lists for the training.

The milestone of 12,000 participants on the HPM training course (since its introduction) was reached at the end of the year.    

 

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Polarization training: a threat or an opportunity for the police

In 2021 the training course Polarization: a threat or an opportunity for the police? was again offered (both in Dutch and in French) on a monthly basis via the National Police Academy. This year the police academies in Flemish-Brabant, Antwerp and Limburg included the Polarization training in their programme. Of the 24 sessions offered, 14 were online and 10 face to face.

In the first semester of 2021, the training was only offered online. As soon as regulations allowed, KD reverted to face to face with minor adjustments so that the group exercises could be performed safely.  In 2021, 314 members of the police force took part in the training sessions, of which 137 were in French and 177 in Dutch. 

This training was incorporated into both the knowledge evaluation test and the introductory week of the Certificate in Police Management (Directiebrevet) course.  

Polarization project

In March 2021 the We-They Network (Wij-Zij Netwerk) was granted a project subsidy and in the summer a new coordinator started work. The We-They Network was tasked with breaking the silence caused by the corona pandemic and with resuming activity. It was re-activated and met in October and at the end of December to determine its future direction. The aim was twofold: to initiate the diffusion of educational information on the theme of polarization and support the partners in developing their polarization programme. 

The first of these two objectives was realized by organizing an in-depth, three-day training course with polarization strategist Bart Brandsma. It was attended by thirteen people from various organizations. With a view to multiplication, case studies, research findings, tools and tips were published and work started on the production of informative videos. These were diffused via the partners of the We-They Network. The second objective was achieved by co-organizing an interactive panel discussion on the Flemish Peace Institute’s new report (29 participants) and a webinar on controversy and polarization in the classroom (126 participants).

Furthermore, the broad strategic outlines were drawn up for 2022. For example, the website will be revamped and webinars and various study days organized. In addition, a podcast and a supervised training game relating to polarization will be developed. Both animated and non-animated videos will be produced.

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The final RETHINK conference was to have been held in the Flemish Parliament in Brussels in November 2020, but because of Covid, it was postponed until the beginning of March 2021 and it took the form of an online event. Kazerne Dossin was responsible for organizing and presenting the content. 

The sessions were streamed live on the RETHINK website, on the RETHINK Facebook page and on YouTube. The public could share questions and comments on Facebook, YouTube and on a Google form created especially for the event. A direct link to each session is available on the RETHINK website. 

In each of the three sessions, RETHINK outputs were presented and the invited experts then provided an explanation. The experts had been specially chosen for the different perspectives they were able to contribute.

The opening address by Nena Mocnik provided insight into the historical persistence of collective violence and critical thinking in remembrance education. Drawing on her research, she established a link between the difficult past, via a difficult present to a difficult future. 

In the second session, Wouter Sinaeve, educational assistant at the In Flanders Fields Museum, demonstrated how museums can help present remembrance education in the classroom.   

The panel, made up of three guests who appeared during the third session, once again illustrated this diversity. They were: Dariusz Stola, former head of the Polin Museum in Warsaw, Maarten Van Alstein, senior researcher with the Flemish Peace Institute, and lastly Jean-Philippe Restoueix, administrator with the Council of Europe. 

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Bijzonder Comité voor Herinneringseducatie (BCH, Special Committee for Remembrance Education) & Conseil de la Transmission de la Mémoire 

In 2021 the BCH reviewed the transparency of its offering and provided advice and support. For example, the BCH advised FARO on starting up a project website relating to heritage education on KlasCement (a free OER platform where teachers help each other by sharing resources for students). Earlier the BCH also helped Kruit start a project site relating to global citizenship education and remembrance education, including on the KlasCement website. Here teachers will soon be able to find inspiration for classroom work on all kinds of themes linked to remembrance education.   

The BCH also supported several external projects, including  RETHINK, No-Cap, ‘Fée’s Vlog’, the Anne Frank Expo in Lier, a documentary in association with filmmaker Thom M. Vander Beken and the Koninklijk Atheneum in Antwerp, and the organization of a study day on decolonization in education (planned for 29 April 2022). The BCH also took part in a Council of Europe training session on the Holocaust and commemoration. Furthermore, on the Flemish side, the BCH made a major contribution to editing the Dutch-language version of the IHRA manual ‘Lesgeven en leren over de Holocaust’ (Teaching and learning about the Holocaust).

On the French-language side, Kazerne Dossin took a seat in the Conseil de la Transmission de la Mémoire de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

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Learning pathways 

In 2021 Kazerne Dossin launched two pilot projects which allow perpetrators of hate crimes to follow a voluntary learning pathway. After a preliminary interview, each individual is given a tour of Kazerne Dossin by a guide specially trained in this area. Visitor and guide then have an in-depth, follow-up discussion and both produce a report of the visit. 

Kazerne Dossin is working on this new programme with two partners:  

  • With the support of the Flemish Government (Cabinet of Minister Bart Somers), a pilot project was set up by the Justice Department with the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office, whereby violators of the law on discrimination, racism and negationism based on the Pretorian probation are given the opportunity to follow Kazerne Dossin’s learning pathway programme.
  • At the request of the Pro League, a similar offer was developed for football supporters who had been sanctioned because of discriminatory and offensive speeches. For this purpose, a new tour was developed tailored to the football context, paying attention to the mass dynamics in a stadium and the life stories of deported footballers.

 

In August a project worker was recruited to coordinate both projects. Specially for these projects, a digital management platform was developed allowing the learning paths to be requested, monitored and evaluated. 

The cooperation with the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office was launched on the front page of De Standaard newspaper on 7 October. It was a double interview with director Tomas Baum and public prosecutor Franky Dekeyzer. Various other media picked up on the interview, including the VRT News, and the opinions of (among others) Lieven Sioen (De Standaard journalist), Ignaas Device>Devisch? (philosopher)  and Joris Van Cauter(criminal lawyer) were published. 

On 13 October the cooperation with the Pro League kicked off during a seminar at Kazerne Dossin in the presence of the Flemish Minister Bart Somers. The seminar was attended by 70 people: representatives of professional football clubs, the Royal Belgian Football Association, the Federal Public Service Interior, the Cabinet of Minister Annelies Verlinden, etc. International guest speakers shared good practices from the Netherlands. This partnership was also given media coverage, including in the VRT News (Sporza) and in various newspapers such as De Standaard and De Morgen

To develop its special programme for the football world, Kazerne Dossin attended the international seminar ‘Changing the Chants’ in Auschwitz, as well as three matches and visited eight professional football clubs. Five more guides were recruited and trained to monitor learning pathways.

KD is looking to increase the number of learning pathways offered in the coming months by promoting them in new districts and with new partners.

 

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Cooperation with the Directorate-General of Penitentiary Institutions 

In the autumn of 2021, Kazerne Dossin launched a cooperation project with the Directorate-General of Penitentiary Institutions (DG EPI). It is part of the Federal Public Service Justice and charged with implementing punishments. It started with two ‘train the trainer’ sessions for prison workers. A total of twelve prospective Dutch-speaking trainers took part in a three-day training programme and seven French-speaking trainers in a two-day training programme. These training programmes are being added to in 2022. 

VIP holiday event for teachers and families 

As per annual tradition, in 2021 Kazerne Dossin took part in various holiday formats: 

In 2021 the Public & Education department teamed up with ‘Krokuskriebels’- the spring half-term heebie-jeebies. The family trail in the Memorial was linked to the anniversary cards for Eva Fastag on her 104th birthday, thereby involving even the youngest visitors in this story. As usual in the summer holidays, the museum had a hand in the Fly’s Treasures programme (Schatten van Vlieg) on the theme of ‘see’. The team came up with a special contribution, coupled with the Ketnet series ‘Fée’s Vlog’. 118 adults and children followed the trail in the Memorial. 

During the Easter and summer holidays, Kazerne Dossin again organized its VIP days for teachers, giving teachers and a guest of their choice free admission to the museum and a guided tour. A total of 466 teachers and 357 guests took up the invitation. During the summer holidays, the VIP days were limited to Thursdays, which attracted 204 teachers and 151 guests. 

Fake Seminar 

On 6 October Kazerne Dossin organized a seminar on the  #FakeImages exhibition. Eighty teachers, police officers and magistrates registered and the seminar was fully booked. The objective of the day was to facilitate a fruitful exchange of ideas between people from different professional backgrounds and to draw attention to the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

The seminar consisted of a guided tour of the exhibition, a workshop on hate speech by the non-profit Tumult and a workshop on the interactive Terra Nova game by the Peace Centre (Vredescentrum). Loes Meeussen, researcher at the Centre for Social and Cultural Psychology, KU Leuven and a lecturer at the Thomas More university in Antwerp, rounded off the day with a keynote speech about the sense and senselessness of stereotypes, the ways in which stereotypes condition our thinking, feelings and behaviour and how this can lead to structural inequalities. She also discussed preventative strategies and structural changes from the perspective of teachers, magistrates and police.

Feedback on the seminar from the participants was very positive. 

Launch of What’s New? app, propaganda, conspiracy and fake news 

The What’s New app was launched at the beginning of 2021. With this interactive application, young people, working either individually or in pairs, follow a trail relating to propaganda in the permanent exhibition. What’s New? runs on FARO’s Heritage app and was created in collaboration with Mediawijs and with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation. The app was downloaded a total of 584 times in 2021. 

With thanks to the King Baudouin Foundation.

Entry-level session (Instapsessie) discontinued

In 2021 the Public & Education team in consultation with colleagues from other departments decided to discontinue the entry-level session so as to guarantee the serenity of  group visits and safeguard educational quality. 

‘Simon Recounts’ (Simon vertelt) family trail revamped

In 2021 Simon’s successful family trail was made even more user-friendly and given a fresh look. 

Guiding

2021 was a troubled year for the guides of Kazerne Dossin. The availability of guided tours of the museum’s special exhibition #FakeImages and permanent presentation was dictated by the Covid regulations at any given time. Consequently, only a limited number of group visits took place.   

In the autumn of 2021, the opportunity was seized to set up a training programme on ‘human rights’ for guides. Four evenings spread over four months provided the basis for preparations for ‘Universal Human Rights’, the next special exhibition in 2022. Tomas Baum, Anne-Sophie van Vyve, but also Wies De Graeve (Amnesty International Belgium) and Marc Bossuyt (professor emeritus of international law) took the guides into the world of International Human Rights. The sessions were recorded and made available on the guiding platform.   

Progress was also made on streamlining the guiding operations. Finally, an appeal was launched for new guides to lead tours for children and young people (Simon’s Story, Universal Human Rights, Very Ordinary Heroes). These new guides will be able to move on to the ‘regular’ team of guides at a later stage. A training programme for the new guides started at the beginning of 2022.  

In 2021 the number of guides was the same as in 2020: 56. 

The number of hosts dropped from 6 to 4. 

Reaction from one of the guides:

I am always amazed by the way Kazerne Dossin manages to contextualize the subject and by how well the material has been put together. That is not the case everywhere!

 

Inside and Out, reading together in prison

Kazerne Dossin is a partner of the non-profit Bond zonder naam in the Inside & Out (Binnen & Buiten) project rolled out in 2021. A representative of the Public & Education team participated in two sessions of ‘Reading Together’ on the subject of detention. Taking part were a group of representatives from various organizations involved in detention (Aalmoezeniers, demens.nu, De Rode Antraciet, Moderator, etc.), along with experience experts and a range of other experts, psychologists and writers.

Stories, excerpts and poems that explore themes of detention were used to introduce the method, participants were trained to become reading assistants and a support base was built to implement ‘Reading Together’ sustainably in work environments and in the broad field of detention. In future a ‘hybrid’ setup of both online and offline meetings is planned for 15 to 20 participants. 

Museum shop

Turnover in 2021 was down on pre-corona years. This fall is of course a direct consequence of the partial closure of the museum in the months February to June. 

The best-selling titles were still the Kazerne Dossin catalogue, ‘The Secret Annex’ (both diary and graphic novel), ‘Simon, the boy who managed to escape’ (Simon Gronowski), ‘Auschwitz bezoeken’ (Carlo Saletti, Frediano Sessi), ‘Dossin: De wachtkamer van Auschwitz’ (Laurence Schram), ‘1942: Het jaar van de stilte’ (Herman Van Goethem) and ‘Maus’ (Art Spiegelman). 

Tying in with the special exhibitions and activities, the publications ‘Dessins Assassins’ (Mémorial de Caen), ‘De laatste getuige, Eva Fastdag’ (Pieter Serrien) and the book relating to the eponymous concert series ‘Entartete Musik’ also did well.

International associates welcomed

In 2021 the Public & Education team welcomed representatives from a number of international  delegations. Kazerne Dossin’s educational work was presented to: 

  • Anne Frank Foundation (Netherlands), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Feyenoord (Netherlands) as part of the project in association with the Pro League. 
  • Westerbork (Netherlands): discussion about educational work.
  • NS dokumentation Vogelsang (Germany): presentation of the ‘Very Ordinary Heroes’ (Heel gewone helden) workshop and educational work. 
  • Pilecki Institute (Poland): presentation of educational work.

External events

2021 was the second year in a row to be heavily impacted by the Covid pandemic. Many events were postponed or cancelled. The ever-changing regulations, which affected the number of people allowed to meet, sitting or standing, with or without catering, resulted in a substantial drop in the number of enquiries and requests. 

Collections & research

0 Bequests
0 Publications
0 New photographs
for the portrait wall
0 Digital requests for
the research centre
0 New collections in the digital image bank

Bequests

Family Szmulewicz-Kramarz bequest

Rina Mondlin, daughter of Hersz Szmulewicz and Anna Kramarz, was born Irene Szmulewicz in Brussels in 1936. Rina and her parents managed to go into hiding in 1942, remarkably without ever being separated. The three of them survived the war. Unfortunately, many members of the Szmulewicz and Kramarz families were arrested and deported. In 2021, Rina Mondlin and her grandchild Gaël Krajzman-Johns donated digital reproductions of their family photos to Kazerne Dossin. This made it possible to create an archive collection, and photographs were also added to the portrait wall. Their collection also includes three family documentaries made by Gaël.
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Norbert Vos bequest

Norbert Obstfeld was the son of Albert Obstfeld and Lea Zwaaf. As an infant, Norbert survived the war in hiding in Kortrijk with the family of Raymond and Julia Verhage, and their daughter Mona. Having become a widow, Norbert's mother Lea remarried after the liberation to camp survivor Emiel Vos. From 1996 onwards, Norbert donated documents, photos and objects from his family to Kazerne Dossin on various occasions. In 2021, he added several items to his existing archive collection: family photos, the dinner jacket and suit worn by Albert Obstfeld on his wedding day, and the handbag of grandmother Sara Vos.
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VRT bequest - Mademoiselle Andrée

In 2021, the Flemish public broadcaster VRT - Canvas created the documentary 'Mademoiselle Andrée', which tells the story of resistance fighter Andrée Geulen.Seeing the Jewish pupils in her class disappear one by one in 1942, Andrée Geulen decided to join the resistance (JVC). With the Jewish Defence Committee (JVC), she managed to save more than 2,000 Jewish children and thousands of Jewish adults with a safe haven during the occupation. As a courier for the JVC, Andrée collected Jewish children from their homes and took them to their hiding places. Kazerne Dossin offered substantive support for the making of the documentary and received a copy of the rushes from the VRT, including interviews with the children in hiding Robert Fuks and Suzanne Claeys-Didkewicz, André's daughters Cathérine and Anne Herscovici, and good friend Bernard Balteau.

Viviane Wolfs bequest

This bequest consists of 46 crystal glasses and a suitcase given to Mrs. Wolfs by a lady who wishes to remain anonymous. In 1942, a Jewish family entrusted a complete set of crystal glasses to their non-Jewish neighbours in Korte Kievitstraat, Antwerp. Presumably, the family was summoned to report to the Dossin Barracks or they wanted to go into hiding. In any case, they cherished the hope of one day retrieving their possessions. Unfortunately, this did not happen. In 2021, the glasses and a small suitcase, also belonging to an unknown Jewish owner, found their way to Kazerne Dossin via guide Viviane Wolfs. The names of the original Jewish owners are unknown, the person who kept the objects for them for decades wishes to remain anonymous.

Liwszyc-Jagolkowska family bequest by Odile Remy

Jacob and Vera Liwszyc-Jagolkowska lived in Brussels during the war together with their daughter Lina. The family refused to wear the yellow Star of David and went into hiding after a raid on the capital. Lina first found a safe haven with her ballet teacher Jeanne Periphanos, and was later hidden in other locations in Brussels and Antwerp. She stayed in touch with her parents by letter. All three survived the war and in 2007 Jeanne Periphanos was recognised as Righteous Among the Nations. In 2021, Odile Remy, daughter of Lina, donated original letters from her parents, documents about the recognition of Jeanne, and never worn yellow Stars of David to Kazerne Dossin. Odile herself devoted decades to the commemoration of the Holocaust as a staff member of Kazerne Dossin and its predecessor, the Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance.
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Ans Kreiken-Polak bequest

Ans Kreiken-Polak was the only one in her family of eight to survive the war. With her parents, brothers, and sisters, she lived in Maastricht, where the family ran a hotel. The family was arrested in Belgium in 1943 and deported from the Dossin Barracks. In 2021 Juus Kreiken, Ans's son, donated thirteen photos of the Sanders-Polak and Piller families to Kazerne Dossin. On the photos the following members of the family could be identified: Ans Kreiken-Polak, Carolina Anna Piller-Polak, David Piller, Herry/Henri Samuel Piller, Bernard Henri Piller, David Samuel Polak, Betty Cohen and Grietje Joel-Sanders.

Family Dreyfuss-Isenberg bequest by Hanni Perck

Before and during the war the Perck family were good friends with their neighbours in the Driekoningenstraat in Berchem. That Jewish family - father Heinrich Dreyfuss, mother Dina Isenberg and daughters Leonie and Lotte - was lured to the Dossin Barracks in 1942. Heinrich, Dina and Leonie were definitely deported and murdered. Lotte's fate remains a mystery. Her trail disappears in Mechelen. What is certain is that she did not survive the war either. In 2021, granddaughter Hanni Perck added several archive documents to the existing collection about the Dreyfuss-Isenberg family: eight photos and a New Year's card. Thanks to Hanni, Kazerne Dossin can now also give Lotte Dreyfuss a face.
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Research archive Rosine De Dijn bequest

Journalist Rosine De Dijn has worked for radio and television as well as for the written press in Belgium and Germany in recent decades. In a number of her books she zooms in on true but almost forgotten stories about the Second World War, such as the ship the Serpa Pinto that transported Germans from Latin America to Europe in 1942 to fight alongside the Nazis, and on its return voyage took Jewish refugees to freedom. Rosine De Dijn thoroughly documents each of her books and in 2021 donated this research archive to Kazerne Dossin.

Photograph of Renée Flaksbaum bequest by Joeri Janssens

On 8 August 1942, Lucy Lauwerijs accompanied her Jewish friend Renée Flaksbaum to the central station in Antwerp. Renée had received a work order and had to report to the Dossin Barracks where an unknown fate awaited her. When saying goodbye on the platform, Renée gave Lucy a photograph of herself with a message on the back: "A memory of Renée Flaksbaum". Renée did not survive the deportation, but Lucy would keep the photograph of her friend for the rest of her life. In 2021, Lucy's grandson, Joeri Janssens, donated a digital reproduction of this picture to Kazerne Dossin.
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Image database (Beeldbank)

In 2021, 32 collections were added to the image bank. These are primarily recent donations which, upon donation, were immediately digitised and described according to the international archive standard, after which the collection was added to the website. In addition, some older donations were re-examined, scanned and made available via the image bank to researchers, students and relatives of deportees.

The 32 collections added in 2021 contain a total of 2,045 scans of 104 items, including diplomatic passports, family photos, objects such as a dinner jacket and a handbag, letters, postcards, diplomas and testimonials.

The number of images available in the image bank thus reached 1.024.807 by the end of 2021. 11.295 unique users used the website last year. More than half of them came from the United States or Great Britain.

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Digitization

Digitisation assistant Gunter Vandeplas scanned all 497 files (63.504 scans) of the Buysse Committee, kept in the National Archives of Belgium. This Senate committee investigated the Jewish property confiscated by the occupying forces in the 2000s. To this end, researchers from the committee made use of, among other things, a selection of mainly Jewish files from the larger War Damage Collection.

At the end of December, Gunter already started digitising the archive of Verwaltung Müller, a German police force that claimed the earnings from Jewish property. The archive contains files on almost a thousand individuals and companies who each owned at least one property. Gunter will scan the entire archive in the coming years. 

Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities (DARIAH)

Kazerne Dossin has been a member of the DARIAH network (Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities) since 2016 and cofounded the working party Sustainable Publishing of Metadata. In that capacity Kazerne Dossin took part in the annual meeting which in 2021 was held digitally. Archivist Dorien Styven and digital humanist Herminio García González presented the current functioning and future plans of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI).

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Cooperation projects 

The FelixArchief is working on a memorial for named war victims from Antwerp. Kazerne Dossin provided lists of Jewish deportees and helped the FelixArchief with its research. Kazerne Dossin and the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) continued their cooperation in 2021 and together organized collection acquisition days to document records and objects in private ownership relating to the Second World War.

Archivist Dorien Styven acted as an advisory expert for the Canvas documentary ‘Mademoiselle Andrée’. She shed more light on the history of Andrée Geulen, the resistance and the hiding in three short films on VRTnu, and gave an interview in the programme ‘Interne Keuken’ on Radio 1.

European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI)

Kazerne Dossin is an active consortium partner in the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI). The EHRI is currently involved in two projects. The EHRI Preparatory Phase project started at the end of 2019 and prepares the EHRI to become a stable, permanent organization by 2025. The EHRI-3 project, which started in September 2020, deepens and develops all the activities EHRI has been carrying out since 2010. Kazerne Dossin is represented in several working groups within both projects and coordinates among others the content of the EHRI Portal (portal.ehri-project.eu).

On 1 September, digital humanist Herminio Garcia-Gonzalez joined the team and work got under way to implement the EHRI (mobile) data integration labs. Dorien Styven and Veerle Vanden Daelen also published a EHRI blog post on Kazerne Dossin’s Left Behind project, which was launched on 27 January 2022. On 24 September 2021 Kazerne Dossin, in cooperation with the State Archives/Cegesoma, welcomed collaborators from Belgian archives and Jewish organisations in view of the creation of a Belgian EHRI branch.

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International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)

Because of the pandemic, all the IHRA meetings in 2021 were held digitally. Veerle Vanden Daelen took an active part in the Academic Working Group and the Committee on Holocaust, Genocide and Crimes against Humanity at both plenary sessions in June and November under the Greek IHRA presidency. As deputy coordinator of the IHRA Monitoring Access to Archives Project, she also took part in all the working group talks relating to this project. The ‘IHRA Guidelines for Identifying Relevant Documentation for Holocaust Research, Education and Remembrance’ were approved during the November Thessaloniki Plenary Meeting, and will be officially launched by the IHRA in 2022.

The presentation of Kazerne Dossin’s #FakeImages project, honoured with IHRA funding in 2020, was particularly well received by the Committee on Antisemitism and Holocaust Denial at the November plenary.

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Left behind

Between June and September 1942, the occupier deported at least 2,252 Jewish men from Belgium to Organisation Todt (OT) labour camps in Northern France. In the ‘Left Behind’ project, Kazerne Dossin investigated the impact of that forced labour on the chances of survival of the Antwerp families those workers left behind. Thanks to the generous support of Howard and Gaby Morris, in 2021 Kazerne Dossin was able to continue the micro- and macro-historical research. Besides expanding the data set and collecting personal stories, contact was made with experts from other research fields to present the collected data by means of maps and short films. 

The research results were written up in scientific articles as well as on a visualizing website for the general public, launched on 27 January 2022 in association with the City of Antwerp.  

A selection of talks and colloquia

Vanden Daelen, Veerle (Kazerne Dossin & EHRI) and Bryant, Mike (King’s College London & EHRI), ‘EHRI in dialogue with archives and projects on sustainable publishing of metadata on Holocaust sources’, International (online) Workshop ‘Archives and Historical Research. International Best Practices in Digitisation Projects’ (organized by Margarida Lages and Helena Pinto Janeiro (IDI-MNE & IHC/NOVA-FCSH), 29 April 2021.

Vanden Daelen, Veerle, ‘Kazerne Dossin: Shoah et Droits Humains’, presentation in roundtable ‘Exposer la Shoah’ at the international colloquium ‘Exposer le racisme et l’antisémitisme’, Zoom conference organized by the Musée national de l’histoire de l’imigration et le Plateforme international sur le Racisme et l’Antisémitisme PIRA (FMSH, EPHE), 6 June 2021. 

Vanden Daelen, Veerle, ‘#FakeImages at Kazerne Dossin: Memorial, Museum and Research Centre on Holocaust and Human Rights’, presentation at virtual forum at ‘The Transatlantic World History Project to Combat Racism and Antisemitism’ organized by Columbia University and l’Université Panthéon-Sorbonne-Paris 1, 9 June 2021.

Vanden Daelen, Veerle & Laurike in ‘t Veld, ‘Kazerne Dossin & Comics’, presentation at online workshop ‘Comics in Gedenkstätten der Europäischen Gewaltgeschichte’ organized by Universität Köln and Universität Hamburg, 8 September 2021.

Vanden Daelen, Veerle, ‘The Soul and The Missing Link: On the Crucial Role and Challenges of Personal and Family Archives in Kazerne Dossin’s Collections and Research’, Presentation in the Panel ‘Personal Holocaust Collections – A Contribution to the Wider Historical Context’ at the EVZ and Yad Vashem Workshop ‘Personal and Family Archival Collections: Connecting the Pieces in the Complex Puzzle of the Holocaust Story’, 14 December 2021, via Zoom.

A selection of talks and colloquia, continued

Schram, Laurence, ‘A place in the mist – the mysterious Dossin barracks in Mechelen’, Fondazione ex campo Fossoli, International online conference, February 2021.

Schram, Laurence, ‘Separated from Society. The Jewish Ghettos in Europe and Hungary, A ghetto without walls’, Holocaust Documentation Centre and Memorial Collection Public Foundation – Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Budapest, October 2021.

Schram, Laurence, Gedenken an die Pogromnacht 1938. Aus der Geschichte lernen!, Jüdische Flüchtlinge aus dem Deutschen Reich – Wege ins Exil, VVN-BdA, Aachen, November 2021.

Schram, Laurence, Programme ‘Train de trainer Mensenrechten, extremisme en polarisering’ – Detentiepersoneel, De Dossinkazerne, een plaats van hechtenis – Focus op detentieomstandigheden, Kazerne Dossin, Mechelen, November 2021.

Schram, Laurence, ‘Du racisme au génocide: un processus de déshumanisation qui aboutit à l’hécatombe, Analyse comparative des génocides des Juifs et des Tutsis’, Réseau International Recherche et Génocide (RESIRG asbl), Brussels, (in person and via Zoom), November 2021.

Baum, Tomas, ‘Kazerne Dossin: a public project with challenges. Difficult Dilemmas: The Role of Museums and Public Space in Remembering the Past.’ Fourth Leonidas Donskis Memorial Conference, Kaunas, Lithuania, 21 September 2021.

Styven, Dorien,  ‘Left Behind in Antwerp: Jewish Families affected by the Forced Labour, 1942-1944’, 13de Contactdag Joodse Studies van de Lage Landen, 20 May 2021. 

Styven, Dorien, ‘Baanbreeksters: Hélène Moszkiewiez’, medewerking als experte aan podcast van Lotte Philipsen, Knack Weekend, 17 August 2021.

Styven, Dorien ‘De onderduik in België: bronnen en het gebrek hieraan’, guest lecture for Bachelor students History UGent (working lecture Dr Koen Aerts), 12 October 2021.

Styven, Dorien,  ‘Andrée Geulen en het Joods Verdedigingscomité’, Interne Keuken, Radio 1, 16 October 2021.

Publications

Bennett, Giles, Charlotte Hauwaert, Dorien Styven & Veerle Vanden Daelen, ‘Archival Curation of Holocaust Sources and Holocaust Research – Findings of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure’, in: Adina Babes-Fruchter and Ana Barbulescu (eds.), The Holocaust in South-Eastern Europe. Historiography, Archives Resources and Remembrance. Wilmington: Vernon Press (2021): 57-78.

Vanden Daelen, Veerle & Dorien Styven, ‘Left Behind – A project opening up little known Holocaust histories as well as new tools’, published on 29 September 2021.

Vanden Daelen, Veerle, ‘Focus: Kazerne Dossin: Shoah et Droits humains’, Hommes & migrations, n° 1334 (July – September 2021): 26-32 (‘Exposer le racisme et l’antisémitisme’).

Vanden Daelen, Veerle, ‘#FakeImages – Kunst en kunstenaars onder het nazisme’ & ‘Muziek in de hel’, in Brendan Burny, Steven Defoor, Piet Van Bockstal & Veerle Vanden Daelen (eds.), Entartete Musik Mechelen 2021 – Verboden muzikale parels postuum erkend, Beersel: Graphius, 2021: 57-65 & 109-121 (isbn 978 94 64360 93 6).

Vanden Daelen, Veerle & Dorien Styven, ‘LEFT BEHIND – PROJEKT PRZYBLIŻAJĄCY MAŁO ZNANE HISTORIE HOLOKAUSTU NA PODSTAWIE NOWYCH NARZĘDZI’, Memoria: PAMIĘĆ • HISTORIA • EDUKACJA, 50 (11/2021), 6-15.

Vanden Daelen, Veerle & Dorien Styven, ‘Left Behind – A project opening up little known Holocaust histories as well as new tools’, Memoria: Memory • History • Education, 50 (11/2021), 6-15.

Laurence Schram, ‘From Insubordination to Resistance in the SS-Sammellager für Juden in Belgium’, in Jews saving Jews, Jerusalem, The Arnold and Leona Finkler Institute of Holocaust Research, Ramat-Gan, Peter Lang, March 2021.

Laurence Schram, ‘Exposition #FakeImages à la Kazerne Dossin’, in: Témoigner, n° 132, Brussels, April 2021, pp. 11-15.

Laurence Schram, ‘Dossin, de wachtkamer van Auschwitz’, Lannoo, Tielt, 2021, 2nd edition.

Styven, Dorien, ‘De Jodenvervolging in België: deportatie en onderduik’, in: Gemeentemuseum van Temse. Jaarboek 2020, Temse, 2021, pp. 18-39.

Styven, Dorien, ‘Jewish double Agents in Belgium: CDJ (Jewish Defense Committee) Employees within the Jewish Council’, in: Judith T. Baumel-Schwartz & Alan M. Schneider (ed.), All Our Brothers and Sisters. Jews Saving Jews During the Holocaust, Bern, 2021, pp. 57-70.

Styven, Dorien,  ‘Etalage: Kazerne Dossin’, in: META. Tijdschrift voor bibliotheek en archief, n° 2021/3, March 2021

Communication & External relations

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Website, mailings and social media

With 108.500 unique visitors, the  kazernedossin.eu website saw a very slight rise of 1.08% compared to 2020 (107.341 visitors). In 2021 the team worked with  the  agency Karakters to preparing, to create and to implement a new website with the emphasis on user-friendliness and a contemporary lay-out. The website was successfully launched in December. 

The Memorial website had 1.418 unique visitors and 7.549 people visited the website of the special exhibition #FakeImages, on which new articles were regularly posted. 

The websites were monitored on a monthly basis. This allowed the Communication & External relations team to make on-going improvements.   

On social media, Kazerne Dossin managed to reach 301.184 people with 152 permanent posts on Facebook, 19 permanent posts on Instagram and 194 stories on both Facebook and Instagram. KD’s social media also attracted 973 new followers. LinkedIn, Twitter and Tiktok are also used, depending on the subject matter. Kazerne Dossin is rapidly growing on social media. 

Press

Kazerne Dossin was mentioned 1.036 times in the press, in announcements, articles, reports, interviews, etc.. That is an increase of 19% on 2020 (868). Media interest was as follows:  30% in newspapers and magazines (311 mentions), 60% online (625 mentions), 1.9 % on television (20 mentions) and 7.7% on the radio (80 mentions).  

Most of the press attention was directed at our cooperation with the Pro League and with the Justice Department and at the special exhibition #FakeImages. Certain Kazerne Dossin projects also featured in the media a number of times, such as ‘Fée’s Vlog’, the tribute to Jeanne Roosen, the guest exhibition ‘Reflections. Roma in Belgium’, the letters to Eva Fastdag and the subsidy granted to the We-They network. Kazerne Dossin also regularly featured in stories relating to the Second World War and in tourist articles. 

Feedback from our visitors

Karel H. Filip D. Nancy van Hootegem
Joke Vercruysse Jonathan Veys

Organisation

Figures

  • Full-time employees19
  • Men9
  • Women10
  • Part-time employees8
  • People joined9
  • People left6
  • Seconded employees (integrated police)3
  • Guides53
  • Volunteers (hosts and stewards)40
  • HPM coaches80
  • Working students7

Kazerne Dossin saw a high turnover of staff in 2021. Nine new employees joined the organisation, including a new manager for the Communication & External relations department and a new manager for the Reception & Operational department. New employees started to work in every department.
The corona pandemic forced Kazerne Dossin to adapt its opening times in 2021. For four months the museum was only open from Thursdays through Sundays. As a result, many of the staff were placed on technical unemployment. Hardly any school and group visits were allowed in 2021, so there was little work for the guides.

For many members of staff telework was the order of the day in 2021. By the end of the year employees could work in the office for a maximum of one day a week, with a limit on the number of employees there at any one time. The changing work circumstances brought by the corona pandemic required great flexibility and adaptability on the part of every member of staff. Working at a distance restricted interaction, though Kazerne Dossin did endeavour to offer support by organizing online team sessions, team days and shorter activities to boost team spirit.




Training

Despite the pandemic and telework, in 2021 Kazerne Dossin continued to provide its employees with collective and individual training. Most of this training was done digitally. Kazerne Dossin organized collective training sessions on ‘Safety and Awareness’, on Google Workspace and a collective training session on telephony. For new employees the ‘Art of communicating in a group’ training session was organized again. Individual employees trained in WordPress, CMS systems, current socio-legal affairs, social media and themes such as the Holocaust and commemoration, quality guiding, the visitor experience, polarization, etc. A large number of employees followed talks and colloquia online in the following areas: the Holocaust, human rights, remembrance education and museology. 

Subsidies and partners

In the working year 2021, Kazerne Dossin received structural funding from the Flemish Government. The National Lottery continued its support for the maintenance of the Belgian pavilion in the Auschwitz museum. The special exhibition #FakeImages, which did not open until the beginning of 2021 because of Covid, received the support of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the National Lottery, La Fondation du Judaïsme de Belgique/Stichting van het Jodendom van België, Claims Conference and AWDC. Partly thanks to financial support from Claims Conference, #FakeImages will also be available as a travelling exhibition. There was project financing via Europa for two EHRI projects. 

Friends and gifts

150 people became a Friend of Kazerne Dossin or donated money in 2021. Adjustments were made to the Friends system throughout the year. Interested parties can now show their support for Kazerne Dossin in three different ways: by becoming a Friend (50 euros a year, in exchange for a number of advantages), by making a donation to the King Baudouin Foundation, or by taking an active part as a guide, host or volunteer. These forms of support were announced on a webpage on the new website. A number of ambassadors were asked to work together with the Communication & Relationship management team to brainstorm about the ‘Friends’ and give it a new lease of life in 2022. 

 

 

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JINT quality label

In 2021 Kazerne Dossin was awarded the European Solidarity Corps’ Quality Label as a host organization for voluntary work.  

The assessor’s feedback was as follows: 

Strengths:

  • The organization’s values are strongly aligned with the values of the ESC’s programme.
  • The activities are varied, there is good monitoring and a growth path is set out for volunteers.
  • The organization is clear about its objectives and encourages a fruitful exchange of ideas, etc. between international volunteers and the work they do.  

With thanks to

Everything achieved was the result of the continued commitment of all members of staff, guides, volunteers and interns at Kazerne Dossin. 

All the members of the Board of Directors and General Meeting played a vital role in fulfilling Kazerne Dossin’s remit too.

Kazerne Dossin also wishes to thank its partners, sponsors and Friends. Special thanks must go to the family members and friends of victims for their gifts and donations.     

 

The operation of Kazerne Dossin

Flemish Government: operating subsidy

City of Mechelen: operating subsidy

Specific Projects

Belgian Auschwitz Pavilion: The National Lottery

Digital access to archives: Brussels Capital Region – Actiris

Special Committee for Remembrance Education: Flemisch Ministry of Education

What’s New App: King Baudouin Foundation

#FakeImages: The National Lottery, La Fondation du Judaïsme de Belgique/ Stichting van het Jodendom van België, Antwerp World Diamond Center, International Holocausst Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Mémorial de Caen

EHRI: Horizon2020 programme of the European Commission

Rethink: Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission

 

Kazerne Dossin is especially grateful for the following donations to the research centre: donation Marc Descheemaecker, donation Rina Szmulewicz and grandchild Gaël Krajzman-Johns, donation Luc and Nicky Swolfs, donation Joeri Janssens, donation Hanni Perck, donation Ghislaine Salomon-Schönberg, donation Mr. and Mrs. Lorge-Begon, donation P. Busschots, donation Maria-Isabel Binard Alvarez, donation Shomre Hadas (Israelite Community of Antwerp), donation Patrick Verwerft, donation Viviane Wolfs, donation Odile Remy, donation Rijksarchief Luik (Laurence Druez) and Police judiciaire de Liège (Pierre Simon), Donation Noël Tourlouse and Annie De Reuse, Donation Françoise Resler and Jo Peeters (House of the Belgian-French Resistance), Donation Rosine De Dijn, Donation Myriam Zahler-Nebenzahl, Donation Betti Blaugrund, Donation Suzy Weisz, Herman De Prins donation, Regina Sluszny donation, Jana Vanneste-Pollakova donation, Norbert Vos-Obstfeld donation, Marcel De Ryck – Kerksken archive heirs donation, Monique Frajman-Bande donation, Jackie Schwartz donation, Ward Adriaens donation, Donation Omar Van Meervelde, Donation Thomas De Groote, Donation family Van Beylen-Beirnaert, Donation Raphaëlla Flam, Donation Jean and Nadine Iarchy-Zucker, Donation Ans Kreiken-Polak, Donation Adriana Verwayen and Donation VRT – “Mademoiselle Andrée”.

Kazerne Dossin would like to thank all the researchers, relatives and friends of deportees who donated photographs for the portrait wall.

Kazerne Dossin thanks the following people for their donation to the library: Marie-Françoise Haber, Nestor Hobe, Jef Zomerplaag, Julius Van Asch, Betti Blaugrund, Oscar Van Kesbeeck, Dominique Schoonjans, Theofiel Knaeps with thanks to Robi Rousseaux, Klaartje De Boeck.