The Smithsonian hails Vedem Underground as one of the 10 “Don’t Miss…” new exhibits

Atlanta’s Breman Museum celebrates its second-largest-ever member opening with Vedem Underground

“The exhibition…manages to tell this crucial, eye-opening and timely story incredibly well.” — ArtsATL

““…this incredible story of the power of the pen.” — Portland Tribune

“The extraordinary story of Vedem should be heard loudly and often.” –

David Fransen, Former Consul General of Canada, Los Angeles

In 1942, a group of teenage boys set out to defy the Third Reich’s ban on free speech and undermine the propaganda machine behind the regime’s biggest hoax by launching what would become the longest-running underground magazine inside a Nazi camp. Vedem, which means “In The Lead” in Czech, unflinchingly documented life within the walls of the Terezin Ghetto, a Czechoslovakia “show camp” that the Nazis designed specifically to create the false narrative that they were creating a good life for their captives and obscure their plans of mass extermination for the Jews.

Since 2016, the Vedem Foundation has produced, operated and promoted its traveling museum collection about Vedem, whose 83 weekly issues totaling 800 pages were a symbol of protest and rebellion by some of the era’s youngest creative activists. The Foundation’s traveling exhibits, multimedia educational materials and programs teach the historic, cultural and artistic lessons of Vedem, whose creators risked their lives to subvert the Nazi regime’s most insidious propaganda effort.

Inspired by Vedem’s invaluable lessons about the necessity of free speech and the dangers of propaganda and censorship, the Foundation continues to expand its reach through its traveling Vedem collection, graphic novel, documentary film and educational workshops. Through its innovative multimedia programming, the Foundation strives to fulfill its mission to provide both the catalyst and tools for young adults to become creative activists within their communities and beyond.