Prof. Krystyna Radziszewska from the University of Lodz and Prof. Sascha Feuchert from the University of Giessen became laureates of the Polish-German Scientific Award COPERNICUS 2022 for joint research on the Holocaust.

In the jury’s opinion, their research on literary testimonies from the Jewish ghetto in Łódź (Ghetto Litzmannstadt) – the second-largest ghetto in Poland under German occupation – significantly contributed to the reconstruction of images of everyday life and Jewish culture in the ghetto. The jury especially appreciated the five-volume publication “Kronika Getta”, compiled with the participation of other scholars, and the Encyclopedia of the Ghetto.

According to the jury, the research is of fundamental importance for the study of Jewish life in the ghetto and constitutes an important basis for seeking answers to questions that go far beyond the study of literature. The members of the jury were particularly impressed with the translation of the joint publications into four languages (German, Polish, English and Yiddish), as well as with the popularization that has a far-reaching impact on society.

Sascha Feuchert and Krystyna Radziszewska have been working together since the 1990s. Over time, their bilateral cooperation developed into an extensive international network of collaborating researchers from various disciplines. Their universities have established internationally recognized research centers that deal with the study of the Holocaust. They presented their discoveries about the life of Jews in the ghetto to a wide audience in a German-language radio broadcast. The results of their work became the basis for the preparation of teaching materials for schools.

The Copernicus Award has been awarded by the Foundation for Polish Science and the German research foundation DFG since 2006 for two-year periods. It can be awarded to a pair of scientists from Poland and Germany cooperating with each other.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński