East-German Jews: Emancipation from History

Panel Discussion with Andre Herzberg, Anetta Kahane, Marion Brasch, and Lara Dämmig (in German)

This panel brings together four prominent eyewitnesses to look back on their experiences of being Jewish in eastern Germany: musician and actor Andre Herzberg; Anetta Kahane, author and founder of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation; writer and journalist Marion Brasch; and Lara Dämmig, author and co-founder of Bet Deborah, a European network for Jewish women.

Their books describe the complexities of their family backgrounds under the weight of history, and their emancipation, from Judaism but also from the restrictions that prevented them from exercising their faith . George Kohler moderates as this younger generation reflects on the everyday realities of their parents’ generation, not least their ambivalent relationship to Israel.

Past event

Map with all buildings that belong to the Jewish Museum Berlin. The W. M. Blumenthal Academy is marked in green

Where

W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
(Opposite the Museum)

Where, when, what?

(4 items)
  • Curly woman with glasses and leather jacket looks at camera.

    Anetta Kahane; photo: Peter van Heesen

  • Portrait photo of man with black hat on black background.

    André Herzberg; photo: Lutz Müller Bohlen

  • A woman with a brown wool sweater and reddish hair looks into the camera.

    Larissa Dämmig, photo: Sharon Adler

  • Portrait of Marion Brasch, standing loosely with her hand in her pocket.

    Marion Brasch; photo: Holmsohn

The panel is organized in cooperation with the DFG Emancipation after Emancipation Networking Group. Jewish Literature, Philosophy and History from 1900 to the Present (Universities of Augsburg and Bar Ilan).

Emancipation after Emancipation

More on the project at uni-augsburg.de (in German)

Designed graphic with overlapping photos and red squares, the top photo shows a woman with a child holding her hand, next to her a teenager, in the background the so-called workers' palaces in Stalinallee.

Exhibition Another Country. Jewish in the GDR: Features & Programs

Exhibition Webpage
Another Country. Jewish in the GDR: 8 Sep 2023 to 14 Jan 2024
Publications
Another Country. Jewish in the GDR: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, English edition, 2023
Ein anderes Land. Jüdisch in der DDR: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, German edition, 2023
Digital Content
Voices from the GDR: Twelve short film interviews with Jewish perspectives on life and the political system, 2023, in German with English subtitles
Come Fly With Me Over the Brandenburg Gate: A documentary by Esther Zimmering, in German
Singled Out and Viewed Suspiciously: Jews in the GDR: Abridged version of Annette Leo’s contribution to the exhibition catalog, 2023
Jewish in the GDR. A Road Trip with Marion and Lena Brasch: A podcast by Deutsch­land­funk Kultur in co­operation with the Jewish Museum Berlin, six episodes, 2023, in German
Jewish Local History of the GDR: Information about the communities in Dresden, Erfurt, Halle, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Chemnitz and Schwerin on Jewish Places
City Walk Berlin-East: Tour with Jewish Places from the New Synagogue to the kosher butcher’s shop, school participation project 2022/23
Soundtrack of the Exhibition: Playlist on Spotify
See also
East Germany

Where, when, what?

  • WhenWed 12 Jul 2023, 7 pm
  • Where W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
    Klaus Mangold Auditorium
    Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
    (Opposite the Museum)
    See location on map
  • Entry fee

    Free of charge

  • Language German

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