BMG | Berlin, 06/15/2018

Music Against Anti-Semitism and Hatred

He survived the Holocaust, and has since dedicated his life to the fight against anti-Semitism and hatred: 89-year-old Ben Lesser visited Berlin on Tuesday to talk to schoolchildren and representatives of the Jewish community about his time as a prisoner in several concentration camps. The event marked the start of a music industry campaign against anti-Semitism in schools announced by BMG not quite eight weeks ago.

On Tuesday at Berlin's historic “Zoo Palast” movie theater, 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Ben Lesser spoke to Berlin schoolchildren and representatives of the city’s Jewish community about his time as a prisoner at several concentration camps. The event marked the beginning of a new initiative against anti-Semitism in schools launched by BMG. The campaign will revolve around music-related projects. 

Ben Lesser has dedicated his life to combating anti-Semitism and hatred. He told the visibly moved audience about his experiences in the concentration camps, the nightmares that still plague him, and pointed out that he and his sister were the only Holocaust survivors out of a family of seven.

The event also included a screening of the moving TV documentary “The Liberators,” made by director Emanuel Rotstein for the History channel. At the end of the event, Lesser asked everyone present to hold hands and join him three times in clearly and loudly shouting “Never again.”

“The Hate Must Stop”

“Taunting and bullying must stop,” Ben Lesser said. “If you can, help others, don't just stand by. When you see someone being bullied or ostracized in your school, don't just keep walking. If someone treats someone unjustly, stand up for them. We must not hate. The hate must stop.”

Ama Walton, General Counsel BMG, says: “Music addresses young people in their own language. Which is why it plays an indispensable role in the fight against hateful attitudes and will accordingly be a key element of the new initiative.”

Lala Süsskind, Chairwoman of the Jewish Forum for Democracy and Against Anti-Semitism and former Chairwoman of the Jewish community in Berlin, adds: “This was a very important event. To see the impact Mr. Lesser's words had on the schoolchildren was truly incredible. I welcome all efforts to encourage young people to oppose anti-Semitism. I think the idea of running a campaign from within the music industry, one that appeals to young people in a language they understand, is absolutely commendable.”

And Florian Seltmann, a teacher at the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Gymnasium in Berlin, says: “Music reaches students in their environment quite differently than we teachers can. It’s important that big companies stand behind such projects and promote openness and tolerance.”

€100,000 to Get Things Started

The event marked the start of a music industry campaign against anti-Semitism in schools announced by BMG almost eight weeks ago in connection with the termination of its collaboration with the rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang. BMG is making €100,000 available for the initiative's launch and has hired a full-time project coordinator specifically for this purpose. Further details will be published shortly.

“The positive reactions at the start of the campaign encourage us,” says Ama Walton. “The initiative will be composed of various elements to send an important signal against anti-Semitism and hatred.”

Ben Lesser was born in 1928 in what was Krakau, Germany and is now Kraków, Poland. The son of Jewish parents, he was imprisoned in numerous concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald, before finally being liberated from Dachau concentration camp in 1945. He and his older sister Lola were the only members of the family of seven to survive the Holocaust. Ben Lesser is the founder of the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation and the author of “Living a Life That Matters: From Nazi Nightmare to American Dream.”