How does anti-Semitism arise, and what role do conformity and societal attitudes play? What can people do to counter anti-Semitism? A series of events organised by the Hochschule Niederrhein, the City of Krefeld’s Nazi Documentation Centre and the support association Villa Merländer e.V. will explore these questions in autumn and winter 2026/27 at the Future Work Lab (Petersstraße 122) in Krefeld.
The series kicks off on Thursday 29 October with an event featuring an interactive workshop, a guided tour of the exhibition and an evening lecture. Attendance is free of charge. Please register for the evening lecture at: ns-doku(at)krefeld.de
The focus is on the exhibition “Some Were Neighbours – Perpetrators, Bystanders and Resistance” by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which is being presented in a new format by the City of Krefeld’s Nazi Documentation Centre. Posters display photographs and personal stories from the period of the Shoah. They encourage visitors to reflect on the scope for action, social responsibility and the significance of historical experiences for the present day.
Guided tour of the exhibition
From 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm, those interested can explore the exhibition on a guided tour and engage with patterns of anti-Semitism in an interactive workshop. Villa Merländer is organising the guided tour. The workshop provides a space for personal reflection and discussion about perceptions, emotions and experiences. Participants are welcome to bring along historical or contemporary images and photographs in which they recognise anti-Semitic depictions or messages. These will be viewed and analysed together.
Lecture on attitudes that threaten democracy
From 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm, there will be a lecture entitled ‘Attitudes that threaten democracy in Germany and the role of anti-Semitism’ by Professor Dr Beate Küpper from the SO.CON Institute within the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at the Hochschule Niederrhein. Küpper will provide an overview of pro-democracy and anti-democratic attitudes in Germany. She will explain how anti-Semitic attitudes pose a direct threat to Jewish people and undermine the democratic order. She will also highlight the social and political consequences, as well as potential avenues for action to strengthen democracy.
Further events in autumn and winter
The series of events will continue in November and December with further sessions. On Monday 16 November, the exhibition will be officially opened from 4.00 pm to 6.30 pm. On Thursday 17 December, another workshop featuring a guided tour of the exhibition will take place, also from 4.00 pm to 6.30 pm. An event focusing on the transfer of knowledge from the AKS project run by the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) is also planned for February or March 2027. The exact date has not yet been confirmed.
