29 October 2018

German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier opens Commemorative Special Event on the 80th Anniversary of 9 November 1938

Remembrance and commemoration continue to be necessary – both as an obligation to the victims and as an impetus to shape our present and future. Eighty years to the day after the November pogroms, a number of special events will be taking place at the Akademie der Künste on 9–10 November. The programme 1938 Pogrom calls on us to counteract antisemitic and xenophobic tendencies in our society. In view of current developments and debates in Germany, this seems more important than ever.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Elke Büdenbender take part in the main commemorative special event on 9 November. Following an opening address by the Federal President, historian Wolfgang Benz will give a lecture focusing on the staging of violence during the Reichskristallnacht and its consequences. The President of the Akademie der Künste, Jeanine Meerapfel, talks with Akademie member Michael Ruetz and Astrid Köppe about their join-t work on the book Pogrom 1938. Das Gesicht in der Menge (2018). They set out on a search for traces in countless archives, collecting and piecing together image documents and eyewitness reports from 9 November 1938. The photographs show crowds of people as well as individuals, including perpetrators, followers and observers. "With unparalleled thoroughness, the book presents how such a breakdown of civilization was possible in 1938 in a country considered to be schooled in Kant and Herder, Goethe, Bach, as well as Brecht ‒ it's when all dams of morality and civility were abrogated." (Michael Ruetz)

A screening of the documentary Im Land meiner Eltern (1981, directed by J. Meerapfel) on the morning of 9 November is targeted directly to school groups. This is followed on 10 November with a screening of Rüdiger Suchsland's film Hitlers Hollywood (2017), which deals with National Socialist propaganda. The discussion with the director that follows, moderated by journalist and film critic Andreas Kilb, is also intended to reflect on current mechanisms of political influence. Some of the photographs from the publication Pogrom 1938. Das Gesicht in der Menge (i.e. The Face in the Crowd) will be on display on Pariser Platz from 7–11 November.

1938 Pogrom has been made possible with the kind support of the Gesellschaft der Freunde der Akademie der Künste (Society of Friends of the Academy of Arts).

1938 Pogrom
OVERVIEW OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS

Commemorative Special Event
Friday, 9 November 2018, 7 pm
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Special registration is required for the commemorative special event.
For more information, see www.adk.de/en/programme 

A limited number of press tickets are available for the commemorative special event. Please send your accreditation by 7 November, 10 am, to presse@adk.de, and include the following required information: last name, first name, date of birth, place of birth, media, editorial department and expected date of publication

Photo Preview
Pogrom 1938. Das Gesicht in der Menge (The Face in the Crowd)
7–11 November 2018, free admission
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Daily, 11 am – 7 pm (limited access during the day on 9 Nov)
Selected photographs from Michael Ruetz's publication

Film and Discussion
Hitlers Hollywood. Das deutsche Kino im Zeitalter der Propaganda 1933–1945
Saturday, 10 November 2018, 7 pm, € 6/4
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Documentary by Rüdiger Suchsland, D 2017, 100 mins.
With Jeanine Meerapfel, Rüdiger Suchsland and Andreas Kilb (moderation)
Press tickets Tel. + 49 (0)30 200 57-1514, presse@adk.de 
Ticket reservations Tel. + 49 (0)30 200 57-1000, ticket@adk.de 

Educational Programme
Im Land meiner Eltern (1981)
Friday, 9 November 2018, 9:30 am
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, 10117 Berlin
Film and discussion between Jeanine Meerapfel and school groups
This special event is already fully booked.

Publication
Michael Ruetz, Pogrom 1938. Das Gesicht in der Menge
Akademie der Künste, Berlin / NIMBUS. Kunst und Bücher, Wädenswil, 2018
156 pages, 125 illustrations, ISBN 978-3-03850-050-6, € 29,80
Review copies: Please send requests to Julia Knapp
knapp@nimbusbooks.ch, Tel. +41 44 680 3704