Jewish in the GDR
A Historic Urban Walk Around the New Synagogue Berlin
The suburb of Spandau and its surroundings were once a center of Jewish life in Berlin. Today, many Jewish institutions and organizations have once again returned to the area. But what did it look like after the war and during GDR times – between catastrophe and new start, anti-fascist ideology and Judaism as it was lived day-to-day? Come and uncover clues to the past!
Past event
Where
Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin – Centrum Judaicum
Oranienburger Str. 28-30, 10117 Berlin
Ralf Münch, exterior view of the New Synagogue in Oranienburger Straße in East Berlin, Berlin, 1958 to 1990: Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin in cooperation with the foundation New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum Judaicum invite you to join this special urban walk around the New Synagogue Berlin. The event is part of the exhibition Another Country. Jewish in the GDR. Where was Jewish life to be found here at all between 1945 and 1990, where did the small East Berlin Jewish community meet? What “Jewish” places disappeared from public consciousness and where did special places for political and private thought develop? What role did Jews play in the political and cultural life of the GDR? And to what extent was it possible for them to live out their Jewish identities within a secular, socialist society?
The two-hour urban walk starts at the Centrum Judaicum with an exploration of the building complex. Partially reconstructed from 1998 onwards, it once again serves as a place of encounter, learning and life for an active Jewish community.
Part of the program accompanying the exhibition Another Country. Jewish in the GDR in cooperation with the Foundation New Synagogue Berlin – Centrum Judaicum
Exhibition Another Country. Jewish in the GDR: Features & Programs
- Exhibition Webpage
- Another Country. Jewish in the GDR: 8 Sep 2023 to 14 Jan 2024
- Publications
- Another Country. Jewish in the GDR: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, English edition, 2023
- Ein anderes Land. Jüdisch in der DDR: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, German edition, 2023
- Digital Content
- Voices from the GDR: Twelve short film interviews with Jewish perspectives on life and the political system, 2023, in German with English subtitles
- Come Fly With Me Over the Brandenburg Gate: A documentary by Esther Zimmering, in German
- Singled Out and Viewed Suspiciously: Jews in the GDR: Abridged version of Annette Leo’s contribution to the exhibition catalog, 2023
- Jewish in the GDR. A Road Trip with Marion and Lena Brasch: A podcast by Deutschlandfunk Kultur in cooperation with the Jewish Museum Berlin, six episodes, 2023, in German
- Jewish Local History of the GDR: Information about the communities in Dresden, Erfurt, Halle, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Chemnitz and Schwerin on Jewish Places
- City Walk Berlin-East: Tour with Jewish Places from the New Synagogue to the kosher butcher’s shop, school participation project 2022/23
- Soundtrack of the Exhibition: Playlist on Spotify
- See also
- East Germany
