ONLINE PANEL DISCUSSION 80 years ago – Remembering the war dead on Crete

The German attack on Greece, and in particular on the island of Crete, led to heavy losses in fights during the Second World War, which not only hit the soldiers hard, but above all also the civilian population. The occupation period, which lasted several years, was marked by forced labour, hunger and economic exploitation. The Jewish communities were persecuted and almost all their members deported. The occupiers suppressed resistance ruthlessly, they destroyed entire villages and murdered their inhabitants. This experience of violence still has an impact even today.

At the same time, the island is meanwhile intertwined with Germany in many ways through numerous tourists, but also through migration for work. And the occupation period is often only present at a second glance. On the other hand, international cooperation has been taking place for decades in the context of joint care for the thousands of war graves on Crete. Important gestures of reconciliation were made early on, such as the resting place for the war dead in the monastery of Gonia. The Orthodox Academy founded here has developed into an international meeting place. Relatives and younger generations from both countries learn more about their common history in exchange projects.

How can the history of violence during the occupation of Crete, which is still painful to the present, be appropriately remembered today and in the future, both locally and among the broader public? Where do the perspectives differ to this day? What historical clarification and what forms of commemoration are required, and who could be actors in such a dialogue of remembrance?

• Vicky Arvelaki, Crete
  Documentary filmmaker and gallery owner
• Prof. Dr. Loretana de Libero, Hamburg
  Historian, German Armed Forces Command and Staff College Hamburg / University of Potsdam and Federal Executive Board of the Volksbund
• Dr. Anna Maria Droumpouki, Berlin
  Historian, Selma Stern Centre Berlin-Brandenburg
• Michael Havas, Prague
  Documentary filmmaker and lecturer
• Dr. Corinna Kuhr-Korolev, Berlin/Potsdam (Moderation)
  Historian and curator of the new permanent exhibition at the Maleme War Graves Site / Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History

• German-Greek encounters on Crete
  Dr. Alexandros K. Papaderos, Chania
  Founding Director (ret.) of the Orthodox Academy
• War, occupationand remembrance. A historical introduction
  Dr. Anna Maria Droumpouki
• German-Greek education and encounter. An outlook
  Gerasimos Bekas, Leipzig
  Secretary General of the German Greek Youth Office

• Katerina Karkala-Zorba, Chania
  Director of Studies, Orthodox Academy of Crete
• H.E. Dr. Ernst Reichel, Athens
  German Ambassador to Greece
• Dirk Backen, Kassel
  Secretary General, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge

The event will be interpreted simultaneously into Greek, English and German. The event will be streamed live on facebook (no facebook account neccessary) at 6 PM Central European Time / 5 PM Local Time.

An event of Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge in cooperation with the Orthodox Academy of Crete, the German Embassy Athens and the German-Greek Youth Office.

With the support of the German Federal Foreign Office.