June 23, 2025

(Non)memory and the Psychological Traps of Judgment

A series of two antidiscrimination trainings in neglected memory sites

Wrocław
1/6

events Programme

A series of two day-long antidiscrimination trainings held in Wrocław, Poland incorporated learning at the local neglected memory sites and was carried out in close cooperation with professional trainers from the EkoRozwój Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to environmental education, sustainable development, community engagement and antidiscrimination training.

Educational workshops entitled “(Non)memory and the Psychological Traps of Judgement” took place at several memory sites in Wrocław featuring Jewish and German heritage of the city. The workshops aimed to explore how memory works – both personal and collective – and how psychological mechanisms like stereotypes, bias, and prejudice influence our perceptions, relationships and behaviours. We discussed different forms of discrimination, including antisemitism. Participants engaged in a deep, reflective conversation around the question: “What does forgetting protect us from?” — an open space for thoughtful exchange without judgement or ready-made answers.

Together, the two workshops demonstrated that combining psychological education with hands-on engagement at sites of memory creates a powerful framework for understanding discrimination, empathy, and responsibility. Participants across sectors—educators, students, activists, and police officers—reported increased awareness of stereotypes, deeper historical sensitivity, and a stronger commitment to inclusive community work. The impact of the trainings extends beyond the sessions themselves, strengthening local capacity for dialogue, fostering collaboration across institutions, and supporting long-term efforts to build a more just and socially conscious Wrocław.

Photos: UMF

  • Workshop I

    June 23, 2025
    • 09.00

      Part 1: Introduction to group identity, cognitive distortions and discrimination

      Hotel Ibis Styles Wrocław Centrum
    • 13.00

      Lunch

    • 14.00

      Part 2: Guided visit to neglected memory sites: Jewish cemetery on Gwarna Street & former German cemetery on Krzycka Street

      Gwarna Street & Krzycka Street
    • 16.00

      Part 3: Facilitated dialogue (Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue method)

      Krzyki District Council premises
    • 17.45

      Conclusions & evaluation

      Krzyki District Council premises

  • Workshop II

    October 13, 2025
    • 08.00

      Part 1: Introduction to group identity, cognitive distortions, discrimination and commemorative practices.

      Platinum Palace Boutique Hotel
    • 12.45

      Lunch

    • 13.30

      Part 2: Guided visit to neglected memory sites: South Park & former German cemetery on Krzycka Street

      South Park & Krzycka Street
    • 15.45

      Conclusions & evaluation

      Krzycka Street
Event Description WP 32

Organization

Partners

Sponsors

Part 1: Introduction to group identity, cognitive distortions and discrimination
June 23, 2025 09.00
Hotel Ibis Styles Wrocław Centrum

A session focused on group identity, cognitive distortions, and the roots and consequences of discrimination.

Lunch
June 23, 2025 13.00
Part 2: Guided visit to neglected memory sites: Jewish cemetery on Gwarna Street & former German cemetery on Krzycka Street
June 23, 2025 14.00
Gwarna Street & Krzycka Street

Guided visits at two local sites of (non)memory, the Jewish cemetery on Gwarna Street and a former German cemetery on Krzycka Street where memory activists from UMF and a civic initiative “Spod Ziemi Patrzy Breslau” shared their work on community remembrance, offering insights into grassroots initiatives, artistic interventions, and environmental approaches to commemoration of neglected, forgotten or destroyed memory places such as pre-war cemeteries in Wrocław.

Part 3: Facilitated dialogue (Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue method)
June 23, 2025 16.00
Krzyki District Council premises

The final part of the day was a facilitated dialogue using the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue method. Participants engaged in a deep, reflective conversation around the question: “What does forgetting protect us from?” — an open space for thoughtful exchange without judgement or ready-made answers.

Conclusions & evaluation
June 23, 2025 17.45
Krzyki District Council premises
Part 1: Introduction to group identity, cognitive distortions, discrimination and commemorative practices.
October 13, 2025 08.00
Platinum Palace Boutique Hotel

A session focused on group identity, cognitive distortions, and the roots and consequences of discrimination. What is antisemitism?
An overview of diverse forms of commemorative practices and working with neglected memory/heritage sites.

Lunch
October 13, 2025 12.45

Guided visit of the South Park (founded by a Jewish-German philanthropist) and learning at a neglected former German cemetery on Krzycka Street, the sites that embody Wrocław’s difficult and multilayered heritage. This field component was led by the civic initiative “Spod Ziemi Patrzy Breslau”, whose members work on documenting, interpreting, and restoring overlooked places of memory in the city. By walking through and investigating spaces where traces of pre-war German and Jewish communities intersect with post-war life in Polish Wrocław, participants were confronted with the complexities of (non)memory, forgetting, contested histories, and the consequences of erasure in the urban landscape.

Part 2: Guided visit to neglected memory sites: South Park & former German cemetery on Krzycka Street
October 13, 2025 13.30
South Park & Krzycka Street
Conclusions & evaluation
October 13, 2025 15.45
Krzycka Street