Documentaries: Jewish Life in Dresden, Kraków & Novi Sad

In the framework of the Dresden Jewish Week, the Jugend- & Kulturprojekt e.V. presents the documentaries: Jewish life in Dresden, Krakow & Novi Sad

Anti-Semitism is still widespread in Dresden and the rest of Saxony – in order to deal with this problem sustainably, the imparting of background knowledge and raising awareness of Jewish history, traditions and customs before and after the Holocaust are essential. “Oral History” is suitable for this, history of experience that enables a personal, approachable and almost “experienceable” representation of historical events.

The documentary series of the project “HANNAH – Challenging and Debunking Antisemitic Myths” gives viewers the opportunity to explore the history, culture and modern life of the Jewish communities in five European cities: Athens, Dresden, Hamburg, Kraków and Novi Sad. HANNAH consists of five episodes, each focusing on one of the five European cities.

Episode Dresden

Audio: Englisch & German
Subtitles: Englisch & German
Duration: 00:21:51

The episode about Dresden gives viewers the opportunity to experience a short journey through the history of Dresden’s Jewish community with historian Daniel Ristau. The second part of the documentary is dedicated to the culture, religious life and festivals of the Jewish community in Dresden as well as the current challenges facing the Jewish community in Dresden today. Finally, the phenomenon of anti-Semitism in Dresden and the Free State of Saxony will be analyzed by Dr. Thomas Feist, while various strategies and practices to combat anti-Semitism will be presented by representatives of civil society organizations, the City of Dresden, the Jewish Community and the Saxon State Government for Jewish Life.

Episode Krakow

Audio: English
Subtitles: Polish
Duration: 00:18:19

The episode about Krakow offers viewers the opportunity to experience a short journey through the history of the Jews in Krakow, as described by Bartosz Wencel, a local guide and historian. Serhii Czupryna and Mateusz Lagosz, who are members of the Jewish Community Center (JCC Krakow), talk about Krakow’s Jewish community and their involvement in the community, modern Jewish life in Krakow, and FestivALT – a Jewish artist group that contributes to discussions about Krakow’s Jewish past and present. Michael Rubenfeld, co-founder of FestivALT, talks about their projects that raise awareness of anti-Semitism and stereotypes against Jewish people. Anna Wencel, museum educator at the Galicia Jewish Museum, explains the museum’s role in combating misunderstandings about the Jewish past through the museum’s educational programs designed to promote awareness of Jewish history, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust.

Episode Novi Sad

Audio: English & Serbian
Subtitles: English & Serbian
Duration: 00:22:07

The episode about Novi Sad offers spectators the opportunity to take a short journey through the history of the Jewish community of Novi Sad with the director of the Historical Archive of the City of Novi Sad, Petar Djurdjev, the chairman of the Jewish community, Mirko Štark, and the historian and member of the Jewish community, Olga Adraši. The second part of the documentary is dedicated to terraforming’s work to promote the culture of remembrance, education about the Holocaust and raising awareness of anti-Semitism in Serbia. The phenomenon of anti-Semitism in Novi Sad and the Vojvodina region is explained by Miško Stanišić, director of Terraforming, and historian Olga Adraši. The last part of the episode refers to the current life of the Jewish community in Novi Sad, which is very active, its traditions and customs, which it tries to preserve by involving young people in various cultural programs and activities. The episode concludes with the choir of the Jewish community singing the song “Tradition” from the musical “Anatevka”.