Vortrag & Diskussion "Die Shoah & die DDR: Jüdische Stimmen im staatlichen Antifaschismus"

In the GDR, history was a strictly regulated field. It was also assumed that state-driven anti-fascism left little room for divergent narratives. How, then, could experiences of Jewish persecution and anti-fascist convictions be addressed and articulated within the framework of state socialism? What role did Jewish survivors in the GDR play in the cultural engagement with the Shoah and National Socialism?

In his lecture, historian Dr. Alexander Walther explores these questions, focusing in particular on the physical remnants of Jewish cultural heritage in the GDR, including synagogues and cemeteries.

Alexander Walther studied history and English education at the University of Jena. He served as 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 as part of the “Tacheles – Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026” project.

In cooperation with the State Agency for Political Education, as part of the exhibition “Finding a Place: On the Visibility of Jewish Life in Saxony.”