Reeducation 2025

Curated together with Lena Gorelik, we invite you to an afternoon dedicated to the future of historical memory in Germany and a reading at night.

In the face of symbolic political ritualization, remembrance in Germany seems to be moving further and further away from its actual content. At a time when neo-Nazis are forging 'remigration plans', the AfD is becoming the strongest opposition party at state and federal level and racist chants and the display of the 'Hitler salute' are becoming a journalistic flash in the pan, we would like to talk about how serious we really are about the cultural imperative of remembrance.

If 'never again' is 'now' and the appeal should not degenerate into a meaningless empty phrase, where is the rebellion? What enlightening value do we still attach to the commemoration of the Holocaust when the consensus of the post-war period - the Basic Law, universal human rights - is increasingly being called into question? What is meant when "lessons from history" and "historical responsibility" are spoken about from the lectern? What images, voices and testimonies should we repeatedly confront ourselves with in order to shape a culture of remembrance that names terror and trauma and acts as a contemporary guideline for empathy, humanity and peace? What must we expect of ourselves in order not to allow the memories of Nazi crimes to fade before the violence of the present? What can we learn from other countries on the way to such a culture of remembrance?

The panels and discussions will be followed by an evening reading of József Debreczeni's novel Cold Crematorium, which will continue into the night. Report from a land called Auschwitz. Well-known and committed people from Munich and beyond will be reading.

Participation free of charge. No registration necessary. Further information at nsdoku.de/program.

Image rights:

Detail of the cover of József Debreczeni's eyewitness account Cold Crematorium. Report from the land called Auschwitz | © 1950, 2023 The Estate of József Debreczeni The title of the Hungarian-language edition is "Hideg Krematórium. Auschwitz regénye" For the German edition: © 2024 S. Fischer Verlag GmbH, Hedderichstr. 114, 60596 Frankfurt am Main, Translated by: Timea Tankó, cover illustration: Katja Lang.