Martin Steiner, a researcher at the University of Lucerne’s Institute for Jewish-Christian Research, recently conducted a unique project under the RESILIENCE TNA programme. His work took him to the University of Sarajevo and to Srebrenica in August 2025, where he sought to reconstruct the life of Rudolf Hren (1960–1995), one of thousands murdered during the Srebrenica genocide.
Discover why Martin Steiner chose to rely on RESILIENCE and what impact it has had on his work. Explore how his project evolved, the challenges he overcame, and the encounters that shaped his research journey.
In his own words, Martin Steiner shares the story behind his investigation with us:
It is extremely important to have a local point of contact and representatives who can provide valuable information and facilitate connections. Without this support, getting access to the right resources is almost impossible. That is why I applied for a RESILIENCE TNA fellowship to gain this access.
In my case, it was a challenge to find the relevant documents regarding Rudolf Hren in Sarajevo. However, thanks to my RESILIENCE colleagues at the University of Sarajevo, especially Šahsena Đulović, I was able to establish a connection with the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Centre, which allowed me to continue my research there. At the Memorial Centre, I received important information from the curator of the Memorial Center, Azir Osmanović, and the staff, which was extremely helpful for the context of my research objective. Without the personal contacts and discussions on site, it would have been impossible to reconstruct the life of Rudolf Hren. My deepest gratitude goes to the translator, Enis Mustafić, he helped me the most and was also my driver to the mass graves in Kamenica, where Rudolf Hren was found.
As a theologian, Judaist and religious educator, I am deeply committed to fostering interreligious and cultural dialogue in teaching and research. In 2024, I organised a seminar at the University of Lucerne titled “Sarajevo: Europe’s Jerusalem”, focusing on interreligiosity. Due to strong student interest, the course was repeated in 2025 under the theme “Bosnia and Herzegovina: 30 Years After Srebrenica”. Both excursions included visits to the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Centre.
Next to the memorial lies the cemetery for genocide victims. Amid thousands of Muslim graves, one Christian headstone stood out: Rudolf Hren. Who was he? What was his story? These questions remained unanswered until mid-2025, when the RESILIENCE TNA programme reopened to Swiss universities. I applied, was accepted, and returned to Bosnia to seek answers.
My initial research at the Gazi Husrev-Beg Library in Sarajevo yielded little information. With local support, I arranged accommodation and an interpreter in Potočari. There, chance encounters proved decisive. At the Srebrenica documentation centre, I found sparse but crucial details about Hren’s final days and burial sites. A visit to a local flower shop led to an unexpected breakthrough: the employees’ husband, Mirsad Mustafić, had been Rudolf’s closest friend. An interview with him, combined with further contacts, including the local Catholic priest, enabled me to piece together Hren’s life and the context of the Christian minority in Srebrenica.
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Martin Steiner’s findings will appear in a forthcoming volume published by Brill in summer 2026: “Encounter as Conflict Potential?”. The article will be titled: “Rudi – One of 8,327 Victims”.
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Visual: Supporters in front of the flower shop in Potočari with Martin Steiner (right).