Ethical Approaches to Holocaust Remembrance in the Digital Age
About this Event
Join us for the opening conference of These Streets Remember – Budapest, Kraków, Novi Sad, Riga, a European project supported by the European Union's CERV programme.
This one-day conference brings together Holocaust heritage and education professionals, academics and researchers, policymakers and funders, and creative and technology practitioners to explore new, ethical approaches to Holocaust remembrance in the digital age. Hear from leading voices in Holocaust education and augmented reality, join discussions on the future of immersive remembrance, and connect with a growing European network working at the intersection of memory, technology, art, and community.
Programme Highlights
1. On Holocaust Remembrance
Led by Prof. Victoria Grace Richardson-Walden (Ethical Lead, If These Streets Could Talk), with:
- Prof. Dr. Anja Ballis (LMU Munich, Germany)
- Dr. Anikó Félix (Haver Foundation, Hungary)
- Miljenko Hajdarović (Public Open University Čakovec, Croatia)
- Dr. Stefania Manca (Italian National Research Council, Italy)
- Prof. Andy Pearce (Centre for Holocaust Education, University College London, UK)
- Paweł Sawicki (Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, Poland)
2. On the Medium of AR
Led by Barna Szász (Director, If These Streets Could Talk; AR lecturer, Stanford University), with:
- Dr. Robert Eagle (Centre for Cultural Value, University of Leeds)
- Michael Epstein (Founder and Director, Walking Cinema)
- Prof. William Uricchio (Founder, MIT Open Documentary Lab)
3. If These Streets Could Talk — The Method
Led by Barna Szász & Prof. Victoria Grace Richardson-Walden
Opening with an overview of the If These Streets Could Talk AR project, this session addresses the key challenges of memory culture within Budapest's former ghetto and the current landscape of Holocaust education in Hungary. It details how adopting an "AR-native" design enables spatial, embodied learning on-site. Wrapping up, the discussion highlights the project's co-creation methodology, key takeaways, and how the CERV initiative expands upon this foundation.
4. Four Cities, Four Neighbourhoods
Each partner will introduce themselves and a particular neighbourhood space of relevance to their archive collections, presenting how the location has changed since the Holocaust, which Holocaust narratives relate to these streets, what materials they hold that help tell these stories, and what gaps or unknowns they are aware of in the historical record. This will be followed by an open discussion about the possibilities and challenges of using augmented reality in each space.
- Dr. Sylwia Papier, Dr. Katarzyna Suszkiewicz (Galicia Jewish Museum, Poland)
- Miško Stanišić, Nevena Bajalica (Terraforming, Serbia)
- Maija Meiere-Oša, Raivis Sīmansons, Līga Vēliņa (Žanis Lipke Memorial, Latvia)
AR Prototype Testing
A limited number of places to test the AR prototype of If These Streets Could Talk are still available before the conference (October 12, 2026), as well as on the day following it (October 14, 2026). If you would like to take part, please indicate this on the registration form.
RSVP required to attend. Please confirm your attendance using the registration button on this page.
We warmly hope you will join us in Budapest — see you soon!
The TSR-BKNR Consortium
Parallel Stories Cultural Organization (Hungary)
Holocaust Memorial Center Budapest (Hungary)
Terraforming (Serbia)
Žanis Lipke Memorial (Latvia)
Galicia Jewish Museum (Poland)
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Info: Welcome remarks & Hungarian dignitaries.
🕑: 09:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Panel On the Future of Holocaust Remembrance
Info: Chaired by Prof. Victoria Grace Richardson-Walden (University of Sussex)
What should be the priorities for Holocaust remembrance organizations beyond the ‘era of the witness’? How has the context of Holocaust remembrance changed, and do our methods need to adapt? What can we learn from the past for a better future? What role can - or should - digital media play in this (or not)? Prof. Dr. Anja Ballis (LMU Munich, Germany)
Dr. Anikó Félix (Haver Foundation, Hungary)
Miljenko Hajdarović (Public Open University Čakovec, Croatia)
Dr. Stefania Manca (Italian National Research Council, Italy)
Prof. Andy Pearce (Centre for Holocaust Education, University College London, UK)
Paweł Sawicki (Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, Poland)
🕑: 11:30 AM - 01:00 PM
Panel On the Medium of AR
Host: Prof. William Uricchio
Info: Augmented reality is often framed as a new technology, and just as often used as a gimmick. But the impulse to mark, layer and read meaning into the world around us is an old one – and AR, when designed meaningfully, offers distinctive tools for memory, place and storytelling, and reaches new audiences. Bringing together leading scholars and practitioners, this panel introduces the medium, its history and its possibilities to an audience working in remembrance, education and heritage.
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Scene-Setting
Host: Barna Szász
Info: Opening with an overview of the If These Streets Could Talk AR project, this session addresses the key challenges of memory culture within Budapest's former ghetto and the current landscape of Holocaust education in Hungary. It details how adopting an "AR-native" design enables spatial, embodied learning on-site. Wrapping up, the discussion highlights the project's co-creation methodology, key takeaways, and how the CERV initiative expands upon this foundation.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Partner Introductions & Problem Definition
Info: Presentations from representatives of Galicia Jewish Museum (Poland), Žanis Lipke Memorial (Latvia) and Terraforming (Serbia) - Moderated by Prof. Victoria Richardson-Walden
Each partner will introduce themselves and a particular neighbourhood space of relevance to their archive collections, presenting how the location has changed since the Holocaust, which Holocaust narratives relate to these streets, what materials they hold that help tell these stories, and what gaps or unknowns they are aware of in the historical record.
This will be followed by an open discussion about the possibilities and challenges of using augmented reality in each space.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
HUF 0.00
