Conversations with the Winners
A series of virtual events from Widen the Circle and the Leo Baeck Institute
This year's Obermayer Awards ceremony was amazing, and we'd like to introduce you to some of the inspiring award winners. Please join us for our online spring series, Conversations with the Winners, as we chat with winners of the 2024 Obermayer Awards. Learn more about the work, perspectives, and personal motivations of these inspiring people.
Christoph Mauny
April 18, at 1 pm EDT
Christoph has brought a living culture of remembrance to his community, which is located in an area where the extreme right is especially active. His creative and inspiring projects have included a unique 360-degree video installation at the site of a former synagogue, now a shopping mall, and an ambitious digital “unfinished memorial” to 20,000 forced laborers at the Ohrdruf concentration camp. It features biographies, sketches, and more. Camp Ohrdruf, largely forgotten by locals, was the first camp liberated by the U.S. Army and was visited by General Eisenhower.
Previous Events
Anneke de Rudder
April 4, at 1pm EDT
A provenance researcher and historian, Anneke researches objects looted by the Nazis, finding and contacting the rightful owners or their heirs. Many descendants have come to Germany, and she has introduced them to their ancestors’ hometowns. While the objects themselves often have little value, they bring the priceless gift of reuniting families and uncovering family history.
Katharina Oguntoye
March 20, at 1 pm EDT
As an Afro-German historian, author, and community leader, Katharina has turned her own experience of being othered into powerful lessons about identity, pride, and mutual respect. She broke down barriers of awareness and shined a light on Afro-German history, empowering Afro-Germans to share their own stories. Among her many accomplishments, she coedited the groundbreaking book “Showing Our Colors,” and founded the intercultural association Joliba, which serves families from many cultural backgrounds.