Blog

13-15 September, 2024

The HerStories project came to a poignant close in Dresden from 13-15 September 2024, with a series of impactful events held at various venues across the city. The aim was to connect with a broad audience and celebrate the narratives of seven Jewish female Holocaust survivors from Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
The event began at the Kulturpalast Dresden on the 13th and 14th with the HerStories exhibition. The opening of the exhibition featured speeches from Fabian Rühle of Centropa Germany and Stefan Kiehne of Jugend- & Kulturprojekt e.V. who welcomed guests and presented the project. Anna Pantelakou from the Jewish Museum of Greece delivered an inspiring talk about the exhibition’s concept, structure, and design. The most moving moment came from Dory Sontheimer, daughter of Holocaust survivor Rosl Heilbrunner, who shared her mother’s harrowing yet resilient story of surviving the Holocaust and the Francoist regime in Spain under a new identity.
In addition to the Kulturpalast, the HerStories exhibition was also showcased at the Besht Yeshiva Synagogue, where Doreen Siegmund and Stefan Kiehne from Jugend- & Kulturprojekt e.V. provided insights into the project and the exhibition. Both venues offered an intimate viewing experience of the HerStories documentary film, screened on small screens for individual reflection.
The event concluded on the evening of September 15th with a well-attended screening and discussion of the documentary at KulturCentrale. These events marked the project’s successful culmination, bringing to light Jewish women’s stories of persecution, deportation, and flight, as well as their incredible resilience, resistance, and efforts to rebuild their lives after World War II.
We are honoured to have shared these powerful stories and to have fostered a deeper understanding of European history through the HerStories project.