The monumental upheaval in the culture of remembrance

The degree of anti-Semitism is always an indicator of the state of a democracy. That is precisely why it is worrying how clearly anti-Semitism has been on the rise across Europe in recent years - and since the outbreak of the pandemic, the situation has worsened again. Regardless of whether anti-Semitism comes from the right-wing fringe, as it has done for more than 150 years, or from left-wing milieus, or from those Muslim communities in which anti-Semitism is part of everyday life: it is encountering growing resistance from civil society. However, their numerous initiatives will only have the greatest possible effect if they are networked in the best possible way. That is exactly what happened in Brussels these days.

The EU Antisemitism Commissioner Katharina von Schnurbein was the driving force behind the "EU Strategy to Combat Antisemitism and Promote Jewish Life" adopted a year ago. This week she invited 180 organizations from all over Europe, Israel and other partner countries to a conference in Brussels. The participants worked in the plenum and various workshops at different levels on strategies to combat anti-Semitism - from educational offers in schools to nurturing Jewish communities to a culture of remembrance.

But there was something else that was important to von Schnurbein: “This conference should also and above all serve to network those actors in European civil society who are committed to fighting anti-Semitism and promoting Jewish life, culture and Holocaust commemoration.” The 220 participants dedicated themselves with verve this task - which not only led to the desired networking, but also made it tangible how broad the possibilities are to get involved against anti-Semitism and hatred.

For a long time, Germany focused primarily on the past, on the crime against humanity of the Shoa. There is no doubt that dignified and, above all, touching forms of commemoration culture were developed. When survivors like Simone Veil, Imre Kertész or Inge Auerbacher spoke in the Bundestag, the "millions of victims" became very personal fates, tangible, tangible. As in the culture of remembrance, German historical studies have so far focused primarily on researching and documenting the past. That's good and right. But that must not obscure the fact that the death of the last contemporary witnesses is currently leading to a change: historical research and commemorative culture are transforming into digital humanities. The digitization of the past and its networking in various groups of actors is the future.

The Arolsen Archives, which emerged from the transnational International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen, are the world's largest archive of the victims of the Nazi regime. Floriane Azoulay has been director there since 2016. Since then, she has continued to open up and digitize her vast archive holdings. At the conference in Brussels, she pointed out that digitization and networking are essential in combating anti-Semitism. The goal of their program "Every Name Counts" is to document the lives and sufferings of 17.5 million victims of the Nazi regime. This project is implemented worldwide primarily by interested citizens on their home computers. In this way, numbers and prisoner index cards become people with whom the processors, their families and friends can identify themselves. Suddenly it is tangible how important democracy and the rule of law are and where their erosion might lead.

Katharina von Schnurbein therefore emphasizes: “The heart of the EU strategy is the promotion of Jewish life. That's why we're supporting Jewish organizations, such as the European Jewish Student Union, which has been donating 800,000 euros since this year. But we also want to encourage broader civil society to stand up against anti-Semitism and for the normalization of Jewish life in public space. The 'Festival Year 1700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany' is a good example - we should launch a similar initiative across Europe."

The Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, underlined this approach of broadly anchoring the suppression of anti-Semitism and the promotion of Jewish life: "By the end of this year, the Commission will have 20 million euros for combating all forms of discrimination, racism and anti-Semitism and 10 million euros provide in support of Holocaust remembrance initiatives.”

Remarkably, the majority of the institutions and experts represented in Brussels were not Jewish. Representatives of, for example, Roma communities, LGBT organizations, concentration camp memorials and educational initiatives underlined that fundamental rights are at stake. Anyone who questions Jewish life today will question other minorities tomorrow - that's why it's important to take anti-Semitism seriously as a yardstick for the state of society. Sergey Lagodinsky, who sits for the Greens in the European Parliament, put this idea in a nutshell: "Jewish life flourishes best in liberal democracies, only there is room for citizens and communities to develop - and a genuine, whole-of-society fight against anti-Semitism conceivable."

But this insight has another effect: the increasing identity politics, in which more and more groups are demanding special treatment and preferential treatment, contributes to social divisions. However, the commitment visible at the conference in Brussels makes it tangible that all minorities are in the same boat. Like every single citizen, they are all dependent on the social consensus that fundamental rights are non-negotiable and must nevertheless be constantly and moderately rebalanced. But this only works in exchange, mutual understanding and a visible commitment to one another. The pastor and resistance member Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) formulated this thought in the words:

“When the Nazis got the communists, I kept quiet; I wasn't a communist.

When they fetched the trade unionists, I kept quiet, I wasn't a trade unionist.

When they fetched the Jews, I kept quiet, I wasn't a Jew.

When they took me there was no one left to protest.”

This spirit was palpable in Brussels - a wide variety of actors are networking against the danger of silence. Civil society is braving itself powerfully and to a remarkable extent against growing illiberalism. Politicians have recognized this and are promoting these activities at EU level. Opinions can be divided about some things that come out of Brussels. Anyone who appreciates free democracy can look forward with confidence to the further implementation of the EU strategy against anti-Semitism and the promotion of Jewish life.