What was the daily experience of Jews hiding from the Nazi German machine of extermination and those who brought them help sometimes even risking their lives? An exhibition that juxtaposes these two distinct yet intertwined perspectives will be inaugurated at the Heinz Joachim Aris Hall of the Dresden Jewish Community on 1 March 2020 at 17.00.
The exhibition "Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue During the Holocaust" presents accounts from ten European countries: Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The German part of the exhibition showcases the stories of Alice Löwenthal, a Jewish seamstress, who survived the persecution thanks to various rescuers and Otto Weidt, one of 600 Germans recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations.
By outlining stories of survivors along with those of rescuers, the display highlights the complexity of human relations under extreme conditions. The testimonies are also shown against a broader historical background to offer a better understanding of local opportunities for Jews to survive and for helpers to provide aid.
The exhibition had its premiere in Brussels with the official opening in the European Commission headquarters and later was presented also in Amsterdam, Bratislava, Vilnius and Wrocław. Dresden will be the second stop on the exhibition’s tour around Europe.
"Between Life and Death" in Dresden is part of this year’s program of the Week of Brotherhood, organised every March since 1993 in the capital of Saxony.
Read more about the exhibition in Dresden