TikTok is used by over a billion people worldwide and is particularly popular among Generation Z. However, the platform is not limited to short comedy clips or dance videos—it also provides a space for engaging with important social issues.
In collaboration with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the American Jewish Committee Berlin, TikTok, and Partners & Partners, W21K developed a seminar series focused on how to appropriately commemorate the Holocaust on TikTok.
Since 2021, the TikTok Shoah Education and Commemoration Initiative has supported more than 14 institutions in Germany and Austria dedicated to Holocaust remembrance. By helping them reach hundreds of thousands of people with educational content on the platform, W21K has worked with participants such as the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial and the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial.
In October 2022, the initiative was honored with the Shimon Peres Prize. Established by the German Federal Foreign Office, the award recognizes young German and Israeli professionals who have made outstanding contributions to German-Israeli relations in memory of Shimon Peres.
Alongside the implementation of the project on TikTok, researchers from the European Forum and the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem analyzed its early results. They examined the content and impact of materials produced and shared by Holocaust memorial sites and museums during the initiative’s introductory seminar in 2021/2022. Their report also explores existing forms of Holocaust remembrance on TikTok and includes surveys and interviews with various stakeholders—including institutions, creators, and users—to better understand the platform’s potential in connecting digital storytelling with Holocaust narratives.
As part of my contribution to the TikTok Shoah Education and Commemoration Initiative, I designed the visual presentation of the scientific report for the American Jewish Committee Berlin, further highlighting the significance of this important work.
