Logo of the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Logo of the exhibition "Home and Exile. Jewish Emigration from Germany since 1933" in the Jewish Museum Berlin

Events accompanying the Special Exhibition

Exhibition "Home and Exile"Felix Franks's last uniform jacket, which he did not wear during his everyday service, but only for special celebrations, parades and ceremonies until his retirement from the British Army in 1948"Passage" - installation in the exhibitionA British police officer with two children after the arrival of a children's transport, Harwich, Essex, United Kingdom, 12 December 1938Jewish refugee children from Hamburg arrive in Southampton on the steam ship "Washington, 1938Poster "Ritchie Boys"Jewish refugées return to Berlin 1947Arrival in New York, November 1938Irene DischeHorst (left) and Erwin Eisfelder in Shanghai

The following films were shown over the course of the exhibition in the Jewish Museum Berlin:

"Continental Britons:
Refugee Voices" (in English)

Interviews with emigrants from Germany and Austria
Documentary film by Bea Lewkowicz, GB 2001, duration: 50 mins

The peculiarities of Great Britain as an emigrant country are the main focus of the film. Twelve immigrants tell of their experiences of being outsiders, of the blitz in London, of internment and service in the British Army. And last but not least of the beginning anew in class-conscious English society, in which they ultimately feel at home even though they will never be seen as completely belonging.

"The Dunera Boys" (in English)

Feature film, Australia 1985, directed by Ben Lewin, duration: 150 mins

With the outbreak of the Second World War, all Germans in Great Britain were interned as "enemy foreigners" as were the many Jewish refugees. The film tells the story of the legendary group of German Jews who were sent to a camp in Australia on the "Dunera" steamship in 1940.

"Die Irrfahrt der Atlantic"
(English title: Atlantic Drift)

Documentary, Austria/France/Israel 2002, Directed by Michel Daëron, Running time: 90 mins

In 1939, the "Atlantic" sailed from Bratislava to Palestine down the Danube with around 2000 emigrants on board. The ninety-day journey on overfilled ships was monitored by the Foreign Office in London - the authorities forbade disembarkation in Haifa and ordered the deportation of the emigrants to Mauritius.

"Into the Arms of Strangers"

The award-winning documentary "Into the Arms of Strangers" (original English title) is about a dramatic rescue operation. After the &quto;Night of Broken Glass" in 1938, 10,000 Jewish children without their parents were taken on by families in Great Britain over a period of nine months. Most of them never saw their parents again. Some of these children, now adults, tell their story in this film.

"Die Ritchie Boys"

Germany 2004, Directed by Christian Bauer

Camp Ritchie in Maryland (USA) was the only US Army training camp to put young immigrants from Germany, Austria, and other central European countries through a strict training program preparing them for a secret operation against Germany.

"Der Ruf" (English title: The Last Illusion)

Feature film, Federal Republic of Germany 1948/49, Directed by Josef von Baky
Script: Fritz Kortner; Cast: Fritz Kortner, Rosemary Murphy, Johanna Hofer, Lina Carstens, Running time: 100 mins

The film tells the story of a professor by the name of Mauthner who returns to Germany in 1948 after many years of exile in the USA. "Der Ruf" is based on Fritz Kortner's personal experience and is one of the most significant and psychologically articulate films on the remigration of Jews to Germany.

",Stalin hat uns das Herz gebrochen" (Stalin broke our heart)

Documentary, Germany 2000
Directed and produced by: Minka Pradelski and Eduard Erne, Running time: 52 mins

Communist emigrants who returned to Germany from the West felt outlawed as spies and cosmopolitans in the GDR. Their Jewish comrades were the target of the political clean-up undertaken by the young GDR following the Slansky process in Prague and the show trials in Moscow.

"Watermarks"

Documentary, France/Israel/USA 2004
Directed by Yaron Zilberman, Running time: 80 mins

Five female swimming champions from the legendary Jewish sports club "Hakoach" in Vienna tell the story of their worldwide success. Shortly before war broke out, they managed to flee the country with the help of "Hakoach." Today they live in Palestine, England, and the USA and met once more in Vienna for the film.

"Zacharias"

Germany 1986, written and directed by Irene Dische

Irene Dische tells the story of her father, the natural scientist, philosopher and later Nobel prize winner, Zacharias Dische, from the perspective of his mother, and lets him tell of his experiences and encounters of the past. Zacharias Dische was born in Lemberg, grew up in Vienna, fled to France, and emigrated to New York where he has meanwhile celebrated his ninetieth birthday.

"Zuflucht in Shanghai"
(English title: The Port of Last Resort)

Documentary, Austria/USA 1998
directed and produced by Joan Grossman and Paul Rosdy, running time: 79 mins

Between 1938 and 1941, around 18,000 European Jews fled the Nazi regime to Shangai, the "port of last resort" for Jewish emigrants from Germany and Austria. In interviews, four former refugees describe their experience of arriving and surviving in Shanghai, Japanese occupation and the end of the war. Next to no emigrants remained in Shanghai.

You can find the Museum's current event schedule here.