Each year, the event invites the speaker to deliver a narrative which shines a different light on the Europe we live in, and would like to live in.

A joint event by Wiener Festwochen, ERSTE Foundation and @iwm.at. In cooperation with the Jewish Museum Vienna.

Initiated by ERSTE Foundation for Europe day, the series began in 2019 with a lecture by the acclaimed historian
@timothysnyder.bsky.social.

The timing & setting are not a coincidence. Judenplatz, steeped in layers of European history, serves as a powerful stage for ideas that shape the continent.

Her speech explores what it means to be a migrant in a divided world — at once open and alienated, seen and erased. Standing in front of Vienna’s Holocaust Memorial, @leaypi.bsky.social reminds us that the cost of exclusion is not abstract, it is written in stone.

In Vienna’s Judenplatz, »A Speech to Europe« offers an annual moment of reflection on Europe’s past, present, and future. This year, renowned philosopher and political scientist @leaypi.bsky.social took the stage to reflect on migration and identity.

This year’s edition continues the tradition of public dialogue, raising urgent questions about democracy and Europe’s future.

📅 15.05.25
🕕 18:00
📍 Judenplatz, Vienna
🗣 EN | Free | Outdoors | Livestream available

Organised by Wiener Festwochen, @iwm.at, ERSTE Foundation & Jewish Museum Vienna.

This year, @leaypi.bsky.social, an Albanian-British political scientist and philosopher, will deliver the Speech to Europe.

Launched in 2019, it brings critical voices to Vienna’s Judenplatz — a historic site that invites reflection on Europe’s past & present.

www.erstestiftung.org/en/events/a-...

Despite the challenges, teachers, parents & civil society are working tirelessly to keep education going.

Education is a right, not a privilege. Ukrainian children cannot put their lives on hold. They need to learn, grow & dream—no matter the circumstances.

We must ensure they have that chance.

As @timothysnyder.bsky.social wrote about children from Zaporizhzhia he met at the opening of an underground school:

"My favorite Europeans take matters into their own hands. This is what Europeans in general will have to do.”

More: snyder.substack.com/p/my-favorit...

Schools are more than buildings—they are lifelines. They provide stability, connection & support, especially in times of trauma.

Yet, many Ukrainian children now have little or no access to learning due to war. Regular shelling, air alerts & blackouts are daily realities.