Brandenburg's students win with creative projects on Jewish culture!

Brandenburg's students win with creative projects on Jewish culture!

A remarkable success for the students from Brandenburg: At this year's School Prize of the Leo Trepp Foundation, which was awarded on June 17, 2025 in the Jewish Museum in Rendsburg, young talents from the region took the first two places. The competition, which was devoted to the topic of "Jewish pop culture" this year, attracted a total of 32 entries from all over Germany, four of which come from Brandenburg. Creative and educational approaches were in the foreground that are supposed to promote understanding of Jewish life.

The first place went to a team from Leonardo da Vinci Campus Nauen, consisting of Sophie Krause, Charis Opitz, Natalie Firoozan and Maya Elliger, who developed an interactive game entitled "Jewish Culture Travel". The goal of her game is to convey knowledge about Judaism in an entertaining way and to take up topics such as Jewish symbols and the music of Leonard Cohen. "You can tell that the young people are with a lot of passion," said Minister of Education Steffen Freiberg, praising the creative approaches of the participants.

a second place with a special topic

Second place secured a trio consisting of Kai Ried, Felix Michel and Loreena Leimbach with a media case about the composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The pupils brought Korgold's little -known life closer, which despite his significant contributions to film music due to his Jewish origin in the Third Reich was severely disadvantaged and his music was ultimately banned. This project not only addresses the cultural merits of Korgold, but also the shadow of his time.

The role of the Leo Trepp Foundation

The Leo Trepf Foundation, which was only founded in 2019, has set itself the goal of deepening knowledge about Jewish life in Germany and sensitizing the next generation to anti -Semitism and human hatred. Leo Trepp, who lived from 1913 to 2010 and worked as a state rabbi in Oldenburg, was himself a survivor of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. His experiences and commitment form the basis of the foundation work, which has been supported by this student competition since 2021. The patron of the competition is Dr. H.C. Charlotte Knobloch, while Dr. Felix Klein accompanied him.

In order to make participation easier for the students, the Foundation offers ambassadors and contacts to Israel to spark the creativity of the students. The project formats are colorful - from podcasts to videos to comic books. This enables a broad examination of the topic and shows how Jewish artists in pop culture address significant topics such as vulnerability and discrimination. The palette extends wide and promotes active learning through Judaism.

cultural perceptions and challenges

Reporting on Jewish life in Germany is a complex topic that is often shaped by clichés and stereotypes. Questions about identity play a significant role. In recent years, increasing criticism has been criticized how media report Jews and which terms are used for description. The image of the "Jewish fellow citizen" is often perceived as exclusive, while the discussion about anti -Semitism and legitimate criticism of Israel is often questioned. Here a rethink is necessary to create a differentiated representation that does justice to today's society. Media reporting not only reflects the reality of the Jewish community, but also the perspective of German society on this topic.

Through competitions such as the student prize of the Leo Trepp Foundation and the commitment of schools, not only knowledge is conveyed, but also promoted understanding and appreciation for Jewish culture and history. In this way, the memory of the crimes of National Socialism remains alive and opens up new perspectives for young generations.

After all these exciting approaches and insights, it is clear that the examination of Jewish pop culture not only represents an academic exercise, but can also contribute significantly to strengthen social cohesion. We look forward to further creative projects and the next edition of the competition!

For more information about the competition and the foundation, please visit the websites Cityreport , Education Saxony and BPB .