„MIR ZENEN DO!“ – „We are here!“

• Religious works helped to resume Jewish life after the Shoah.
• Newspapers and newsletters provided information, guidance and a sense of community.
• Literature and textbooks enabled education, cultural participation and preparation for emigration.
• Documentaries and memoirs preserved the memory of destroyed communities and personallosses.


The books and newspapers were produced under the most basic conditions: on poor-quality paper, withminimal equipment, and in small print runs. Today, some 80 years later, many of these unique, widelyread testimonies are badly damaged. Their restoration was urgently needed in order to preserve them for research,education and cultural memory. The Berlin State Library now has one of the most important collections of its kind in Europe.


Thanks to the support of foundations and over 150 donors, more than 450 endangered works have been restored. A cultural heritage has been saved from decay – for the survivors. And for us.


The closing event will take place on 16 November as part of the Jewish Culture Days:


Lecture: Thomas Rahe, former Scientific Director of the Bergen-Belsen Memorial


Discussion: "How can old books and newspapers be saved from decay?"

Britta Schütrumpf (State Library of Berlin) and Uwe Löscher (Werkstatt Uwe Löscher, Leipzig)


Moderation: Kirsten Dietrich (Radio Berlin-Brandenburg)



(IN GERMAN)