Tanzen mit dem Feind

In the organizer's words:

DANCING WITH THE ENEMY - THE STORY

The life of Dutch Auschwitz survivor Roosje Glaser is the focus of the exhibition "Dancing with the Enemy". During a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1987, Paul Glaser, who was born in Maastricht in 1947 and grew up in a Catholic family, came across a suitcase with his family name on it. By chance, he discovered not only his Jewish roots but also the life story of his aunt Roosje, which had been kept secret within the family for years.

Roosje was born in Nijmegen in 1914. She was considered an emancipated and spirited woman and successfully ran several dance schools when the National Socialists occupied the Netherlands in 1940. The Nazi rulers forced her into illegality. When her husband Leo betrayed her, Roosje's ordeal through seven concentration camps began. She was betrayed again and again by other "friends" and ended up in Auschwitz in 1943. After Roosje herself survived the death marches in 1945, on which she and countless other prisoners were herded from concentration camp to concentration camp, she went to Stockholm after being rescued by the Swedish Red Cross and began a new life there.

Roosje Glaser was not an avowed Jew or a resistance fighter who stood up for her ideals. Instead, the exhibition traces the story of an indomitable woman who fought for her life with the courage of despair. Music and dance played a key role in her survival. For Roosje, dancing meant survival. Letters, diaries, documents, original photo albums and film fragments reveal the tragedy and inner turmoil, but also the passion of the historical figure Roosje Glaser. A multimedia exhibition display with innovative building elements as well as many original exhibits and atmospheric objects and furniture bring the period to life. In addition to the biography of the fearless Roosje Glaser, the exhibition also makes it clear that "Auschwitz" extends into the life stories of subsequent generations.

The exhibition is based on the biography "The Dancer of Auschwitz", published in German by Aufbau-Verlag in 2015, which her nephew Paul Glaser compiled from Roosje's diaries, letters and other documents. The exhibition has been put together by the museum "Herinneringscentrum Kamp Vught" (Herzogenbusch Camp Remembrance Center). The exhibition and an extensive supporting program allow us to reflect on how we can position ourselves as "second witnesses" and take countermeasures when racism, anti-Semitism and nationalism take on frightening proportions in our society today.
(Stefan-Maria Mittendorf, curator)

Price information:

Note: Price at MünchenTicket plus VVK + system fee