Jewish Holocaust Memory and East German Antifascism

What role did Jewish survivors in the German Democratic Republic play in the cultural debate on the Holocaust and National Socialism? How could Jewish experiences of persecution and antifascist convictions be negotiated and articulated in the face of history, politics, and state- imposed acts of remembrance? Drawing on personal documents and works by authors like Arnold Zweig and neglected historian Helmut Eschwege, the talk explores these questions and shows Jewish and, in some cases, non-Jewish actors’ motivations and options for action. In doing so, the talk examines the tension between wilful action, negotiated compromises, and at times painful concessions to the state.

Alexander Walther received his PhD from the University of Jena in 2023. His book Die Shoah und die DDR. Akteure und Aushandlungen im Antifaschismus (‘The Shoah and the GDR: Actors and negotiations in anti-fascism’) was published by Wallstein in 2025 and is based on his doctoral dissertation.

https://www.lbilondon.ac.uk/walther-26

This year’s lecture series explores the diverse ways in which the German past shapes its present – in memory, identity, and political culture. From the everyday complicity of the German bourgeoisie under National Socialism to Jewish life and Holocaust commemoration in the GDR, these lectures illuminate the lingering legacies and unresolved tensions of the 20th century. They also turn outwards, tracing the paths of German- speaking Jewish refugees outside Europe and questioning the persistence and transformation of antisemitism today. Together, they offer critical insights into the afterlife of the German past and its significance for the moral and political questions of our time.

Lectures in this series will be held at the German Historical Institute London, 17 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2NJ, and will also be live streamed on Zoom. Admission is free, but places are strictly limited and must be reserved in advance via Eventbrite. Lectures will begin promptly; latecomers may not be admitted.

Zoom links will be shared with registered participants closer to the date of each event. Further details will be circulated via our mailing list, social media channels, and website.

Organised by the Leo Baeck Institute London in cooperation with the German Historical Institute London.

Overview of the 2026 Lecture Series

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Host or Publisher Leo Baeck Institute London