Mein lieber Paulimann – Eine jüdische Geschichte aus Mannheim

Letters into exile

"My dear Paulimann" - this is how many of the letters that Paul Joseph's grandparents send him and his parents from Mannheim to Amsterdam begin. This is where the Jewish family had fled from the Nazis - the grandparents stayed behind and tried to survive under increasingly difficult circumstances. It is never about politics. But the increasing pressure manifests itself in tensions, quarrels and physical ailments.

Paul Joseph pays tribute to his grandparents with these letters. They are not heroes, but ordinary people, citizens of the city of Mannheim who try to remain pragmatic and optimistic - and find themselves in a trap that leaves them no chance. The grandparents will never meet their grandchild. The last letter before deportation arrived in July 1942. "Don't be sad my Pauli man, I'm not either. I've traveled so often."

The staged reading of the letters is aimed at young and older people and offers access to the everyday consequences of anti-Semitic persecution and dehumanization during National Socialism. We offer a follow-up discussion after each event.

With Moritz Hahn | Directed and written by Jana Nerz | Stage and costume design by Isabel Garcia Espino | Video and sound by Philippe Mainz

Venue: MARCHIVUM, Friedrich-Walter-Saal (6th floor)

A production by Theaterhaus G7 in cooperation with the MARCHIVUM and with the support of the German Diary Archive

Supported by the City of Mannheim and BASF/Gemeinsam Neues Schaffen

More info