Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Institute of International Studies Sean T. McQuiggan Nazi Anti-Semitism Remembered: Jewish Memorials in the SBZ and GDR between the Years 1945–1987 Master Thesis Prague 2016 Author: Sean McQuiggan Supervisor: PhDr. David Emler, Ph.D. Academic Year: 2015/2016 Bibliographic Note McQuiggan, Sean T. Nazi Anti-Semitism Remembered: Jewish Memorials in the SBZ and GDR between the Years 1945–1987. Prague 2016. 101 p. Master Thesis. Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of International Studies. Supervisor PhDr. David Emler, Ph.D. Abstract The thesis is an exploration into the Jewish memorial sites erected in the Soviet Zone of Occupation (SBZ) and German Democratic Republic (GDR) between the years 1945 and 1987. The primary aim of the thesis is to provide a collection of Jewish memorial sites in East Germany during the aforementioned time frame. It uses the theories of French historian Pierre Nora as well a number of other authors to legitimize the importance of these memorial sites. In addition, a typology was created by the author to ensure the proper collection of the memorial sites in order to reflect the research question: how was Nazi anti-Semitism remembered in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) through memorial sites between the years 1945-1987? The thesis is, however, more than just a collection of data. It also provides observations about trends and patterns in Jewish memorialization as well uses a method introduced by Ahenk Yilmaz to examine the individual characteristics of the sites. The thesis concludes that Jewish memorialization in the GDR was primarily a bottom-up approach, a fact that has been overlooked by many researchers in the field. Key Words Memorials, East Germany, SED, Memory, Jewish Range of Thesis: 201,020 symbols. 101 pages. Abstrakt Tato diplomová práce zkoumá židovské památníky postavené v zóně vlivu Sovětského svazu a v Německé demokratické republice (NDR) mezi lety 1945 až 1987. Hlavním cílem práce je poskytnout soubor židovských památníků ve východním Německu ve výše uvedeném časovém období. Práce vychází z teorií francouzského historika Pierra Nory stejně jako mnoha dalších autorů, a vysvětluje tak důležitost těchto pamětních míst. Autor zde nabízí typologii, jež prostřednictvím souboru památníků reflektuje odpověď na výzkumnou otázku: Jak bylo v Německé demokratické republice (NDR) vzpomínáno na nacistický antisemitismus skrze památníky postavené v letech 1945 až 1987? Tato práce je však více než jen souborem dat. Zabývá se rovněž zkoumáním trendů a vzorů ve stavbě židovských památníků, přičemž užívá metody představené Ahenkem Yilmazem pro zkoumání individuálních charakteristik takovýchto míst. Autor v práci dochází k závěru, že připomínka židovské památky vycházela v NDR především zdola – což je fakt, který mnozí výzkumníci v tomto oboru přehlížejí. Klíčová slova Památníky, východní Německo, SED, památka, židovství Declaration of Authorship 1. The author hereby declares that he compiled this thesis independently, using only the listed resources and literature. 2. The author herby declares that all the sources and literature used have been properly cited. 3. The author hereby declares that the thesis has not been used to obtain a different or the same degree. Prague Sean McQuiggan Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to all of those who have supported me throughout the research and writing process. Specifically, I would like to thank my thesis supervisor Dr. David Emler, my program coordinator Dr. Tomaš Nigrin, and the leader of my thesis seminar Dr. Jiři Vykoukal. Additionally, thank you to my family and friends back home who took time to proofread and edit my paper. Finally, this thesis would not be possible without the support of my colleagues in the Great Weekly Writing Challenge (GWWC) Anička, Jord, Conrad, Patrick, and Haylee. I thank them for the extra motivation, the Czech and German translations, help with Microsoft Word and Excel, pranks in the library, and most importantly the victory beers at the end of every week. Master Thesis Proposal Charles University Faculty of Social Sciences International Area Studies: Central European Comparative Studies Author: Sean T. McQuiggan Supervisor: PhDr. David Emler. Ph.D. Topic: Jewish memorial sites in the SBZ and GDR between 1945 and 1987 Research Question: How was Nazi anti-Semitism remembered in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) through memorial sites between the years 1945-1987? Hypothesis: Jewish memorialization in the GDR was the result of a bottom-up or grassroots approach rather than controlled by the SED regime as many authors have assumed. Outline: 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical Framework 3. Methodology 4. Historical Background 5. Analysis. Literature Review: Jeffrey Herf Divided Memory. Michael Meng “East Germany’s Jewish Question: The Return and Preservation of Jewish Sites in East Berlin and Potsdam, 1945–1989.”, Angelika Timm Jewish Claims against East Germany: Moral Obligations and Pragmatic Policy, Thomas C. Fox Stated Memory: East Germany and the Holocaust, Stefanie Endlich, Nora Goldenbogen, Beatrix Herlemann, Monika Kahl, and Regina Scheer Gedenkstätten für die Opfer des Nationalsozialismus: Eine Dukumentation Band II, Anna Dora Miethe Gedenkstätten: Arbeiterbewegung, Antifschistischer Widerstand, Aufbau des Sozialismus, Erica Bergauer, Zwischen Erinnerung und Verdrängung: Juden in Deutschland nach 1945, Claudia Koonz “Buchenwald: Eine Gedenkstätte im Interessenkonflikt”. 1 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................. 1 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 3 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 4 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................... 8 3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................... 14 3.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF SITES OF MEMORY ........................................................................................... 15 3.2 COLLECTIVE MEMORY IN SMALL COMMUNITIES ............................................................................. 16 3.3 DEFINITIONS .................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 19 4. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................... 20 4.1 TYPOLOGY AND METHOD ................................................................................................................ 20 4.2 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 25 5. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................... 26 5.1 THE JEWISH QUESTION IN THE SBZ ................................................................................................. 27 5.2 ANTI-FASCIST MASTER NARRATIVE ................................................................................................ 30 5.3 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................... 32 6. ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................................... 34 6.1 SITES BASED ON EAST GERMAN STATES ......................................................................................... 36 6.1.1 Observations ............................................................................................................................ 37 6.1.2 Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ........................................................................................... 38 6.1.3 Saxony ..................................................................................................................................... 41 6.1.4 Thuringia ................................................................................................................................. 42 6.1.5 Saxony-Anhalt ......................................................................................................................... 44 6.1.6 Brandenburg ............................................................................................................................ 47 6.1.7 East Berlin ............................................................................................................................... 48 6.1.8 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 50 6.2 LOCUS OF SITES ............................................................................................................................... 51 6.2.1 Observations ............................................................................................................................ 52 6.2.2 Jewish Cemeteries