GENERAL NEWS
06/08/2022

TSG fans' ''Never forget'' remembrance tour

A group of TSG Hoffenheim fans, led by TSG fan representatives, went on a "remembrance tour" to the south of France, where they followed the historical traces of Jewish people from North Baden.

From 22 to 29 May, a group of 26 people visited Gurs at the foot of the French Pyrenees as part of the project "Niemals vergessen - N'oublie jamais - Fußballfans auf Spurensuche''. In October 1940, numerous Jewish people from the Kraichgau region were deported to the internment camp in Gurs. The group of fans, who travelled on the team bus used by the TSG Hoffenheim Bundesliga squad, prepared for the trip through numerous workshops. The time spent in Gurs proved to be an extraordinary experience for all participants.

This is not the first time that TSG Hoffenheim and its fans have explored the tragic history of Jewish people in North Baden and the Kraichgau before, during and after the National Socialist era. Among other things, Dietmar Hopp was involved in the making of the film "Menachem & Fred", which used the story of the sons of Hoffenheim's Mayer family to highlight the importance of historical remembrance. TSG Hoffenheim's Israel international Ilay Elmkies, who is currently on loan at Admira Wacker, helped make the 2018 film "Zahor'', which told the story of Fred Raymes (Heinz Mayer), Menachem (Manfred) Mayer and their parents who were murdered in Auschwitz.

Two video calls between Dr Menachem Mayer, who now lives in Israel, and the TSG fans in Gurs were among the most memorable moments of the tour's busy programme. "TSG's fan outreach extends far beyond the terraces of the stadium. Through this flagship trip to Gurs, we have managed to incorporate educational work into our fan support," says TSG fan representative Carsten Lindwurm. After repeated postponements of the trip due to the Covid pandemic, the Gurs tour was finally arranged with a workshop in March in connection with the international friendly between Germany and Israel in Sinsheim. The project is to be continued with a follow-up meeting prior to 22 October, the central day of remembrance of the deportation in 1940.

The Gurs trip, which was initially launched by the Hoffenheim fan project but then organised by the club's fan representatives, received important support from a number of partners. These were Centropa, the Old Synagogue in Steinsfurt, the PFIFF of the DFL and the Hoffenheim fan project, in addition to the Albert Schweitzer School in Sinsheim (Sara Faix) and the Wilhelmi High School in Sinsheim (Jutta Stier). 

TSG Hoffenheim will report on the Remembrance Tour in more detail in the club magazine SPIELFELD as well as via social media and the club's TV channel.

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