"Lexikon an der Glasfassade“ der Mahn- und Gedenkstaette Duesseldorf How the city categorises the events in Israel and the Gaza Strip

ISRAEL

The Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Düsseldorf is presenting a special project in

light of current events

The "Lexikon an der Glasfassade“ is intended to provide an overview of Middle East topics in a total of 36 keywords. The museum also invites to a vigil on Friday, 17 November.

Article in German

Bastian Fleermann, director Mahn- und Gedenkstätte, Astrid Hirsch-von Borries, Miriam Koch, Councillor for Culture and Integration © Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf/Ingo Lammert

Düsseldorf, 15 November 2023: In the wake of current events, the team at the memorial centre has compiled a lexicon that now hangs on the glass façade of the "Forum" at the memorial centre, Mühlenstraße 29. The keywords are intended to help people categorise the events in Israel and the Gaza Strip. The whole thing is intended for teachers and pupils, but can help all visitors. The keywords range from A for "attack" to Z for "two-state solution". Other keywords on the large glass wall include "Palestinians", "genocide", "Zionism" and "Israelis". The memorial centre announced that it is now important for many young people to get an overview of the key terms in order to be familiar with the basics during a discussion. The lexicon can be visited during normal opening hours.

November Pogroms

The temporary art installation "missing link_" by Düsseldorf artist Mischa Kuball was recently unveiled on the corner of Kasernenstraße and Siegfried-Klein-Straße, exactly where the Great Synagogue once stood. On 10 November 1938, the Düsseldorf synagogue was set on fire during the November pogroms and the ruins were demolished on 29 November of the same month. According to the artist, the memorial stone could give no indication of the size and significance of the synagogue and the community centre in Düsseldorf.

A few days earlier, on 3 November, an interfaith prayer for peace had been held on the market square in front of the town hall, at which representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions prayed. It was a solemn moment when the square was illuminated by mobile phone torches. However, many people missed the mention of the victims of the people of Gaza at both events.

The memorial is now finding the right words. The appeal for the vigil on 17 November states: "Our thoughts are also with the people in Gaza who are being abused by Hamas as shields and who are losing their lives. We mourn for them in equal measure. The massacre of 7 October was not directed against Israel alone, but against all of humanity and the values of a free and democratic society."

The vigil will take place on Friday, 17 November at 6.30 pm at the beginning of Shabbat.