Institute Of Tolerance, Poland

The Institute of Tolerance is an NPO founded in 2001 and based in the city of Lodz, Poland, promoting the values of tolerance and respect for others, as well as the education of both children and adults towards tolerant attitudes. To this end, the Institute initiates educational projects, debates, contests and gatherings that familiarize participants with various countries, ethnic groups and religious denominations which have played an important part in the development of Lodz and its environs. The Institute of Tolerance is a member of the Polish Network of the international Anna Lindh Foundation, which promotes intercultural dialogue in the face of growing mistrust and polarization amongst societies.

The Institute has conducted many projects on the lives and traditions of the Jews and Romani people (often called inaccurately 'Gypsies') in Europe, in Poland, and especially in Lodz. A main emphasis is placed on the stories of the Lodz Ghetto and its Romani Camp during WWII. Projects over the past two decades have included: Traditions in Jewish Education in Europe, Colors of Deportation, Berliner Juden – Memorial Book, Children of the Ghetto (concert, play and film), Post41 – a reconstruction of the lives of Austrian Jews based on postcards confiscated from the Lodz Ghetto, and a study on the fate of Austrian Roma deported to the Romani Camp inside the Lodz Ghetto. Some projects were based on recorded interviews with Holocaust survivors.

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