Integrating Jewish Voices and Stories at Obersalzberg – towards a new display concept, presentation at the “Jewish Museologies and the Politics of Display” Conference, University of Leeds, 13-14 March 2016

Abstract of my paper

The exhibition at the „Dokumentation Obersalzberg“ presents the history of National Socialism from the perspective of the second seat of power at the Obersalzberg. Central decisions, for example the deportation of der Hungarian Jews felt Hitler, Himmler and other decision-makers of the regime not in Berlin but at the Obersalzberg. The renewal and re-opening of the permanent exhibition is planned for 2018. Actually the Institute for Contemporary History is elaborating and discussing with a team of four curators an entire new concept.

One of the most and controversial discussed curatorial question is the integration of Jewish voices and stories at Obersalzberg. Our main duty is to find an adequate way of presentation and a display concept for the stories of the victims: How can we tell the history of the Holocaust and Jewish History at a perpetrator site („Täterort”)? How can we connect Obersalzberg, the Berghof and the village Berchtesgaden with Auschwitz and the Ghettos like Riga and Lodz? With which kind of narrative structure and museological methods can we show which cruel consequences the talks and meetings at Berghof had for millions of Jews? Finally the paper will discuss Jewish presences in the non-Jewish museum „Dokumentation Obersalzberg“.

For more information see here: http://www.cjs.leeds.ac.uk/2015/11/05/cfp-jewish-museologies-and-the-politics-of-display-13-14-march-2016/ and http://www.cjs.leeds.ac.uk/2016/02/22/jewish-museologies-speakers-and-titles/

Read the conference report here: http://eurojewishstudies.org/cgp/conference-grant-programme-reports/jewish-museologies-and-the-politics-of-display-march-2016-report/