Programm Symposium

“Speaking of Us…” Jewish perspectives in Art, Heritage and Cultural Policy Today Symposium in Dresden

October 23, 2025 |9:30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. | JKS Kö15, Königstr. 15, 01097 Dresden

SESSION 1

09:30 – 10:30 AM

“Speaking of Us…” – Who Tells Jewish Stories in Europe? (in German)
Conversation with Maja Gratzfeld (Visual artist and curator, Germany/Israel) & Alex Stolze (Musician & Composer, Germany)

Moderated by Valentina Marcenaro, artistic director Jüdische Woche Dresden

Across Europe, Jewish histories and identities are widely referenced—in museums, media, memorials, and educational programs. But how often are Jewish voices truly shaping These narratives? This opening conversation asks:

How can narratives about Jewish life and culture be expanded, deepened, and co-created through Jewish perspectives—embracing complexity, plurality, and dialogue? Who are our allies, and how can we ensure that Jewish narratives become an integral part of the mainstream cultural and political discourse in the future?

SESSION 2

10:30 – 11:00 AM

What Issues Concern Jews in the Jewish Communities of Germany?

Conversation with Yasna Aksenova – Central Council of Jews in Germany Yasna studied Jewish Studies in Moscow, Jerusalem, Stockholm, and Heidelberg and currently works as a Community Development Officer at the Central Council of Jews in Germany, where she manages the GemeindeCoaching project.

SESSION 3

11:15 AM – 1:00 PM

“Who’s Speaking – and Who’s Listening?”

Jewish Perspectives from Art, Practice, and Activism What does it mean to speak as a Jew in Europe today, to be visible – or to choose invisibility? How can Jewish culture be expressed on its own terms, beyond expectations, labels, or narrow historical frameworks? And what spaces, resources, and networks are needed so these voices aren’t silenced?

In parallel panels, artists, cultural activists, and thinkers share their practices, reflect on and explore how Jews in Europe want to be represented – and by whom?

Participants are invited to choose one panel and actively take part in the discussion.

Panel 1: More Than a Symbol

Jewish Artistic Self-Representation in Contemporary Europe

Jewish artists in Europe are often positioned as symbols—of memory, of multiculturalism, of historical trauma. But Jewish artistic expression is much more: present, plural, and selfdetermined.

This panel explores how artists assert their voices beyond imposed meanings—through image, performance, language, and space. How can allies support this process?

Panelists:

• Nir de Volff – Performer working with and against projections on the body, origin, and language (Israel/Germany)

• Anna Lublina – interdisciplinary performance-maker celebrating diaspora as a methodology against borders

Moderated by Stephan Hoffmann – Director of the Societaetstheater Dresden

Panel 2: Jewish Art Between History, Conflict, and Possibility

Jewish artists in Europe often navigate complex terrains—between historical remembrance, contemporary conflicts, and societal expectations. How can memory be a source of creativity, rather than burden? This panel explores artistic approaches to remembering that

are rooted in the present yet remain open to transformation and renewal.

Panelists:

• Maria Ka – Songwriter and performer combining Yiddish with contemporary Music genres, integrating women’s perspectives into memory and space (Poland)

• Maja Gratzfeld – Visual artist and curator working on identity, heritage and spatial narratives (Germany/Israel)

Moderated by tba

Panel 3: “Between Center and Margin” – Jewish Cultural Work Between Visibility, Structure, and Empowerment

This panel looks at how artistic voices can influence policy, reframe public memory, and build coalitions that challenge tokenism. Through unobvious strategies—intervening in museums, reclaiming public space, and forging unlikely alliances—Jewish artists and

organizers expand visibility into lasting structural change.

Panelists:

• Lena Rubenfeld – Cultural activist and co– founder of FestivALT, a platform for contemporary Jewish art and activism in Poland. (Poland)

• Sonja Viličić – Serbian-born Jewish educator and community leader with extensive experience in cultural heritage, local development, and social inclusion (Serbia)

Moderated by tba

1:00 – 2:00 PM

Lunch Break

SESSION 4

2:00 – 3:00 PM

Working Groups

These interactive sessions invite participants to move from ideas into strategy. Each Group will explore its theme through shared experiences, case studies, and collaborative discussion, aiming to outline practical steps and creative approaches that can be applied

across Europe’s Jewish cultural field.

WG 1: Rethinking Memory

Memory Activism, Remembrance and Heritage Communities

Jewish memory is more than state-sponsored commemorations. This group asks how Jewish perspectives can actively and creatively shape memory culture – beyond ritualization and didactic frameworks. How can memory culture in Europe be reshaped by working across multiple viewpoints and ensuring Jewish projects participation in heritage management, especially in involving a wide range of stakeholders?

Contributors:

• Karolina Freino – Visual artist working on public memory and urban interventions (Poland) (to be confirmed)

• Aleksandra Janus – Cultural anthropologist and curator President of the Zapomniane (Forgotten) Foundation, leading innovative community-centered commemoration projects (Poland)

WG 2: Spaces & Visibility

“From Visibility to Voice” – Reclaiming Space for Jewish Art and Perspectives Jewish artists are visible in the European cultural landscape – but often only under certain conditions. This group will discuss how Jewish voices can assert themselves beyond tokenism

and expectation: What spaces are missing? What structures can be transformed? And how does visibility emerge from self-determination rather than pressure to represent?

Contributors:

• Lievnath Faber – Artist and founder of Oy Vey Amsterdam, an unapologetically Jewish community, working with participatory projects and Jewish identity (Netherlands)

• Tamara Moyzes – Prague-based artist and activist working at the intersection of art, politics, and Jewish heritage (Czech Republic)

SESSION 5

3.00 – 4.30 Final Session

Building Alliances – Connecting Jewish Cultural Practice Across Borders

Across Europe, Jewish artists, activists, and cultural workers operate in similar conditions – yet often unaware of one another. This concluding session explores : how transnational exchange can be established beyond conferences, invitations, or residencies. Together, participants will reflect on working conditions, structural barriers, and cooperation possibilities, and develop realistic steps for building strategic alliances and solidarity across borders, envisioning a pan-European forum for Jewish cultural practitioners.

A cooperation between the Jüdische Woche Dresden and FestivALT Krakow Funded by Kulturstiftung Sachsen and Amt für Kultur und Denkmalschutz der Landeshauptstadt Dresden.

The event is realized within the project ‘ReActMem: Rescue Memory – Activism, Art and Public Memory,’ co-funded by the European Union under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV 2021–2027) program”

2024

Symposium „“Jewish, Now! – The Significance of Jewish Culture for a Democratic Society“
– Jüdisch, jetzt! Die Bedeutung jüdischer Kultur für eine demokratische Gesellschaft“

MODERATION: Miron Tenenberg
LOCATION: Kulturrathaus, Königstr. 15, 01097 Dresden

MONDAY April 15, 2024

9:00 am – 9:30 am Arrival

9:30 am – 9:45 am Welcome by
Valentina Marcenaro (Vorstandsvorsitzende Jüdische Musik- und Theaterwoche Dresden e.V.)
Annekatrin Klepsch (Beigeordnete für Kultur, Wissenschaft und Tourismus der Landeshauptstadt Dresden)
Prof. Dr. Manuel Frey (Stiftungsdirektor der Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen)

9:45 am – 10:45 am Keynote Speech with Dr Keith Kahn-Harris
Rethinking Jewish culture: Embracing the mundane in an interesting age (with German simultaneous translation)

10:45 am – 11:00 am Break

11:00 am – 1:00 pm  Break-Out-Sessions – Input & Discussion

• 1# with Lea Wohl von Haselberg
  Self-worth, desire for normalcy, symbolic politics? Jewish cultural events in the German context
• 2# with Dr. Anastassia Pletoukhina and Dr. David Klein and Prof. Manuel Frey
  Establishment of sustainable organizational structures for Jewish culture – prerequisites and obstacles
• 3# with Daniel Laufer
  Dagesh – Formats for conveying Jewish topics – Creating positive experiential spaces
  

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch Break

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Reports from the Break-Out Sessions

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Break

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm Workshops

• 1# with Lea Wohl von Haselberg
  Curating film programs and film education offerings
• 2# with Adi Liraz
  Textiles, symbols, and self-representation
  
• 3# with Jelle Zijlstra
  What do Jews in the Netherlands want? The Jewish Manifesto
• 4# with Riv
  Critical Gojness (radikal_jüdisch)

7:30 pm Concert with Davagariko

TUESDAY April 16, 2024

9:00 am Arrival

9:30 am – 10:30 am Expert Lecture by George Wilkes
How Cultural Programmes Contribute to the Human Rights Agenda: Jews as Co-Creators

10:30 am Break

11:00 am – 1:00 pm BEST PRACTICESS
How do we reach our target groups? Presentation of suitable formats for mediation

• 1# Artistic-cultural education with Klarina Akselrud and Caroline Riggert
• 2# History mediation & discussion with Maiken Umbach
  
• 3# Democracy Education/Diversity with Maya Roisman (Keshet e.V.)

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch Break

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Talk: „The importance of vibrant Jewish culture (-experience) for an open society in Saxony, Germany, and Europe“
Herr Markus Franke (Abteilungsleiter Kunst im Sächsischen Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Tourismus) – Dr. Claudia Maicher (Mitglied des Sächsischen Landtags Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) – Dr. Thomas Feist (Beauftragter der Sächsischen Staatsregierung für das Jüdische Leben) –  Annekatrin Klepsch (Beigeordnete für Kultur, Tourismus und Wissenschaft der Landeshauptstadt Dresden) – Valentina Marcenaro (Vorstandsvorsitzende des Jüdischen Musik- und Theaterwoche Dresden e.V.)
Moderation: Miron Tenenberg

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm Conclusion

Get your ticket:

Symposium „Jewish, Now! – The Significance of Jewish Culture for a Democratic Society“
When: April 15th and 16th, 2024
Location: Kulturrathaus, Königstr. 15, 01097 Dresden
Ticket: karten@juedische-woche-dresden.de
Cost: €80 (participation & catering)
! EARLY-BIRD: For the first 20 registrations, participation costs €65 !
Registration deadline: April 4th, 2024

Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert durch Steuermittel auf der Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes. Das Projekt wird durch das Amt für Kultur und Denkmalschutz der Landeshauptstadt Dresden gefördert. Und unterstützt durch den Beauftragten der Sächsischen Staatsregierung für jüdisches Leben.