Klaus Jagoditsch and Wolfgang Mueller have become unlikely participants in the recording of Holocaust history.
Working at the Montreal Holocaus Memorial Centre, the two non-Jewish Austrians are part of Gedenkdienst, or Service of Memory, a program which encourages educated Austrians in their 20s to travel abroad and work for oganizations stuying and preserving Holocaust history in lieu of military service back home.
Wherever they may work, the goal remains the same - bring back facts, true accounts and documents and pass them on to the Austrian people.
The fice-year-old program helps young people gain a better understanding of the Holocaust. While they are here, the are verifying historical facts, preparing witness summaries and assisting with oral histories. They will be taking a wide range of experiences with them back to Austria.
Wolfgang, 27, who has an M.A. degree in history from the University of Vienna, agrees.
"We must contribute towards bringing more information about the Holocaust into Austria", he says. "When I return home, I want to speak at schools and reach out to or young people. This is very important work for me."
Klaus, 26, is writing his sociology thesis on racism and antisemitism and he says he is fascinated by the large number of survivors who reside in Montreal. Speaking face-to-face with these survivors provides new insights into their expierences, he says.
"I want to pass on what I am learning to other", he says. "I am very concerned with the oral history project and writing accurate summaries. In Austria, I want to work with high school students and speak to the newspapers to teach them about what I have learned. It's been a good experience."