86 years ago, synagogues were burning in Germany. On the morning of November 10, 1938, a country woke up in a heap of shards of destruction and the smoke of burning. The November pogroms made the increasing disenfranchisement and persecution of Jewish and non-Jewish citizens by the National Socialist regime visible to everyone. Every year, Villa Seligmann commemorates the crimes of that time with a concert reading. This year’s event was conceived by two native Israelis commissioned by Villa Seligmann who live in Germany and give the concepts of pogrom, destruction, pain, grief and hope a compellingly contemporary meaning.
What would we have done if we had been present during the pogrom night of November 9, 1938 – participated? Watched passively? Protest against it? What have we learned since then, and how do we reflect on it for our own time and for our future?
Pianist and composer Noam Sivan and director Dori Engel link these questions to the memory from the perspective of the “next generation”. The view of youth is revealed above all in the musical improvisations and interpretations of Trio Sivan (piano, violin and cello), which are interwoven in the literary lecture by Hila Meckier and Dori Engel. Texts by Hans Peter Richter (Der Pogrom), Manfred Franke (Mordverläufe), Paul Celan (Die Todesfolge), Primo Levi (Sh’ma), Abraham Sutzkever (Unter Deinen weißen Sternen) and the distant voice of the biblical prophet Isaiah will be performed.
Admission to the memorial concert is free. Donations are welcome.
To take part in the event, please register via our webshop, by e-mail to karten@villa-seligmann.de orby telephone on 0511-844 887 200.
Please note that we will be taking photos and videos during this event. The image material will be published on our website and/or social media channels and used for press work. By participating, visitors to this event agree to this.
