Martin Korčok

Born in 1979. An ethnologist by training, he has long focused professionally on the Holocaust and the protection of human rights. He is engaged in research, writing scripts for educational films, lecturing and preparing teaching materials for educators.

He currently heads the Sereď Holocaust Museum, which is part of the Slovak National Museum – Museum of Jewish Culture. For years he has been recording unique testimonies of survivors and making short documentary films about them (oral history), so that they are preserved for the next generation, when the survivors themselves can no longer tell their stories. He is a co-author of the book Holokaust na Slovensku – Seredské svedectvá (The Holocaust in Slovakia – Testimonies from Sereď).

Under his leadership, the Sereď Holocaust Museum pays special attention to education, particularly of the young generation. It organises a wide range of activities for both the general and the professional public; for example, it is actively involved in training primary and secondary school teachers from all over Slovakia.

Alongside documenting testimonies of the tragic period of the Holocaust in Slovakia and his publishing and educational work, Martin Korčok is also exceptionally active as a citizen. He frequently comments on current topics of public discourse related to manifestations of extremism, xenophobia and intolerance, and, drawing on his expertise as well as his civic engagement, analyses their causes and proposes solutions. He speaks of the need to prevent the spread of extremism above all through high-quality education, making facts accessible and raising public awareness.