Lotte Weiss Award in Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Information
Lotte Weiss was a remarkable woman, who believed in miracles. Without them she would not have survived. Lotte was born in Czechoslovakia into a large and loving family. This came to an abrupt end when, in 1942, Lotte was forcibly deported, together with two of her sisters, to Auschwitz. Three months later, the rest of her family were also taken, and Lotte, alone, miraculously survived three years slave labour in the death camp, from where only a handful returned.
The miracle of surviving, the miracle of meeting her husband and the greatest miracle of allñthat of having children and continuing her familyñmade Lotte strong. Lotte died in 2020, aged 97.
This award honours Lottie and is made possible by her sons, John and Gary, both alumni of Te Herenga WakañVictoria University of Wellington. It recognises a particular piece of work for its academic rigour by an undergraduate or postgraduate student.
The award is offered to a student displaying academic rigour, with consideration given to those whose work or personal experience speaks to one or more of the following values:
- Deep empathy
- Immense optimism
- Creating light out of darkness
- Building a new life against all odds
- Ensuring her experience will help others be aware of the signs of racism
- Creativity
- Demonstrated resilience
- Leadership
- Engagement with stakeholder community
The prize is awarded on the recommendation of the Head of FHSS.
Recipients are required to write a letter of thanks to the family of Lotte Weiss on receipt of the award.