Funding for research into staff and students lost during the Second World War

The Board of the University is allocating funds for research into members of staff and students of the University of Groningen who fell victim to the Nazi regime during the Second World War. The aim is for this research to inform the placement of Stolpersteine — commemorative ‘stumbling stones’ — in their memory. The intended researcher is historian Jeroen Benders, who has extensive experience in Jewish history and the history of the Second World War.

This research continues the Stolpersteine project initiated by the University of Groningen’s Representatiefonds. In recent years, Stolpersteine have been laid on 4 May in memory of staff and students of the University who became victims of Nazi persecution during the war. These ceremonies have been held in conjunction with the Board’s traditional wreath-laying.

The purpose of this new research is to ensure that the placement of Stolpersteine can continue in the future. It will also help to ensure that careful decisions are made and mistakes avoided when selecting individuals to be commemorated. Rector Magnificus Jacquelien Scherpen said: ‘We do not forget this dark period in our history. That is why we, together with others, are committed to researching those who disappeared, so that we may commemorate them — with Stolpersteine, plaques, and enduring remembrance.’

The research is being co-funded by the Faculty of Arts, and is further supported through a contribution from the Nicolaas Mulerius Fund Foundation.