With the decision of the German Bundestag on June 22, 2023 to erect a memorial to the Jehovah’s Witnesses who were persecuted and murdered under National Socialism, the question of how the history of this often forgotten group of victims can be conveyed to a wider audience also came to the fore. The Standing Conference of Nazi Memorials in the Berlin area took the decision of the Bundestag as an opportunity to create a short film documentary about the religious community.
The short film “Bible Students – Incredible Courage” was completed in January 2026 and is now available here. It sheds light on the systematic persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses by the Nazi regime, the courageous resistance of many members of the faith and the ongoing repression in the GDR after 1945.
The release of the film comes at a time when the commemoration of the persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses is taking on a new dimension: In March 2026, construction work will begin on the memorial in Berlin’s Tiergarten near the Goldfish Pond. The ceremonial inauguration is planned for June 24, 2026. Further information on the memorial and the accompanying events can be found at www.stiftung-denkmal.de.
