"We are here to stay. 135 years of the chequered history of the Jewish community in Chemnitz."
Travelling exhibition on display in the town hall from 24 January
From Monday, 24 January, the exhibition "Wir bleiben da. 135 years of the chequered history of the Jewish community in Chemnitz".
"With this exhibition, we are showing who we are and what is hidden under the name 'Jewish Community of Chemnitz'," says Dr Ruth Röcher, Chairwoman of the Jewish Community of Chemnitz. The travelling exhibition can be visited in the exhibition room on the ground floor of the town hall, Markt 1, until 16 February.
The "Jewish Religious Community of Chemnitz" was founded on 19 November 1885. As a public corporation, the only Jewish community in the city today provides religious and social services for around 550 members. The community celebrated its 135th anniversary in November 2020 with an exhibition at the smac - Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology. The title of the exhibition, "We're here to stay", also reflects the community's self-image.
Historian Dr Jürgen Nitsche was involved in the research for the exhibition: "The exhibition uses a few display boards to show that the Jews of Chemnitz integrated themselves into the city within a very short space of time, played a significant role in its industrial boom and found a home in the city centre and on Kaßberg in particular. It also shows the places of their ritual life. Short biographies of important Chemnitz Jews enable the viewer to form a picture of the world of that time. They not only show the dimension of the destruction of Jewish life in the city, but also the new beginning in autumn 1945."
"It is important for us to let the people of Chemnitz know that Jews live here and that many of us are registered members of the community," adds Dr Ruth Röcher. "The exhibition not only shows the history of the community, but also our present. At the time of the fall of communism around 1989, there were only twelve Jews living in Chemnitz. With the immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union 30 years ago, the Chemnitz community grew to 600 members. The majority of our members have built their lives here: Chemnitz has become their new home. We are self-confident and feel part of the city's society."
For 2022, Dr Ruth Röcher hopes that they will be able to make up for some of the things that fell by the wayside last year: "The restrictions imposed by the pandemic have also hit our religious and cultural life very hard. We were unable to celebrate many Jewish festivals together as usual. We hope to be able to return to normality as soon as possible. We would like to name the hall in the community in honour of the deceased, long-standing chairman of the community, Siegmund Rotstein. The celebration was planned for 2021 and had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Due to the cancellation of activities over the past two years, we will be stepping up our work with children and young people this year. The plan is to combine and intensify lessons and leisure activities."
A story of rise and success, destruction and devastation, painstaking reconstruction and reorganisation began 136 years ago. A history characterised by a firm determination to preserve the community.
The exhibition can be visited with an FFP2 mask and in compliance with the 2G rule.