Under the title „Between Patriotism and Exclusion - Jewish Scholars at the MGH“, the MGH are participating in the project: „321-2021: 1700 Jahre jüdisches Leben in Deutschland“ celebrating 1700 years of Jewish life in Germany. The MGH contribution commemorates the role of Jewish scholars in the history of the MGH as an institution and their achievements in terms of the developments in intellectual history, while also drawing attention to their conditions of life and the challenges they faced because of their Jewish identity. For the coming year of commemorative celebrations, inaugurated on Sunday, 21 February by the German federal president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, more than 1000 events and exhibitions are planned showing how the Jewish community has quite naturally participated in German society.
In this context, the MGH will be showing an exhibition from September to the end of December 2021 portraying their Jewish scholars and staff members. The exhibition will also be part of the 53rd Deutscher Historikertag being held this year in Munich. As Dr Joachim Käppner wrote in his article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung 22 February 2021 entitled „Juden in Deutschland – Zweifaches Wiedererwachen“ (Jews in Germany – A Second Reawakening): „The first history of the Jews in Germany as an integral and enriching part of society is much less present in our thoughts [than the later history]. It is therefore good that the commemorative celebrations „1700 Jahre jüdisches Leben in Deutschland“ will be specially calling to mind this positive side of history that begins with the first Jewish community in Cologne under the Roman Emperor Constantine and includes the Enlightenment philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, the literary salon of Rahel Varnhagen, Leo Baeck, Hanna Arendt and many other persons up to the present day.“ The MGH exhibition will contribute to the remembrance of this positive history.
The MGH project is being realized in cooperation with the registered assocication 321-2021: 1700 Jahre jüdisches Leben in Deutschland e.V., see https://2021jlid.de.