Die Shoah & die DDR: Jüdische Stimmen im staatlichen Antifaschismus

Jewish Voices in State-Sponsored Anti-Fascism—A Lecture and Discussion with Dr. Alexander Walther

Jewish life in the GDR remains largely unknown to broad segments of society. Beyond well-known classics such as *Jakob the Liar*, the question arises: What role did Jewish experiences play in the state-sanctioned anti-fascism of the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ) and later in the GDR? While state memorials generally spoke of “fighters against fascism,” Jewish survivors were already struggling immediately after 1945 to secure a dignified burial for the dead and a visible remembrance of the Shoah, while trying to maintain their small communities.

In his lecture, historian Dr. Alexander Walther explores the role of Jewish figures such as Lin Jaldati, Helmut Eschwege, and Heinz Knobloch. Drawing on personal archives, he illustrates their complex balancing act between determined educational efforts and, at times, painful concessions to the SED. An evening exploring courageous commitment, unmarked graves, and the difficult legacy of Jewish experiences of persecution in the Soviet Occupation Zone and the GDR.

Alexander Walther studied history and English education at the University of Jena. He was a research assistant at the Universities of Jena and Erfurt and has been a research assistant at the State Museum of Archaeology in Chemnitz since 2023, working on the project “Tacheles – Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026.”

This event is part of the “Kontrovers vor Ort” series, a collaboration between the Saxon State Agency for Political Education, Saxony’s adult education centers and sociocultural centers, their respective state associations, and many other partners in Saxony.

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