Mapping Memories - Ver(antw)ortung Börneplatz

Frankfurt's Börneplatz, the adjacent neighborhoods and especially the Synagogue there were vibrant places of Jewish life in the modern era, known far beyond Frankfurt. Ceremoniously opened in 1882, the Synagogue developed into a focal point of the Jewish renaissance before it was brutally destroyed on November 10, 1938. Today, its tangible as well as intangible heritage is largely invisible on site. "Mapping Memories" aims to change this. In a temporary architectural intervention and an exhibition, with performances, guided tours, discussions and digital formats, history becomes tangible. For four days, the Neue Börneplatz will be transformed into the site of a lively debate: What has disappeared here and why? How do we want to remember? What and who?

Intervention on the Börneplatz

In their installative intervention on Neuer Börneplatz, Prof. Nikolaus Hirsch and Prof. Dr. Michel Müller open the view for the historical and social dimension of the square. The architects work with structural elements from logistics: pallets and boxes house finds from archaeological excavations at Börneplatz or function as places for conversations and exchange. The question of which and whose stories are told there, and which empty spaces remain, comes into focus, as does the handling of architectural evidence of the Börneplatz Synagogue, which was recovered during construction work in 1990. At the center of the installation are the original fragments of the destroyed Torah shrine, which are temporarily returned to their place of origin.

Artistic research

The project "Unboxing Past" by Helgard Haug (Rimini Protokoll) takes the stone fragments of the synagogue in the depot of the Archaeological Museum as an opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of museum working practices. For the past year, three cameras have been observing Dr. Thorsten Sonnemann as he "unpacks" around 100 archive boxes and takes inventory of the stone evidence they preserve. The project invites reflection on practices of archiving and remembering, and interrogates the museum memory attached to material cultural objects.

Israeli artist Ariel Efraim Ashbel has been undertaking performative explorations of his Jewish identity for some time. Now he has decided to make up for his bar mitzvah. Within the framework of an artistic residency, the Frankfurt community rabbi Soussan is preparing him for religious maturity. In conversations with a wide variety of Frankfurt residents about aspects of Jewish life, Ashbel also goes in search of Jewish traces in the cityscape, in everyday life and in the collections of Frankfurt museums.

An audio installation by Jochanan Shelliem presents memories of those involved in the Börneplatz conflict in 1985. After the city of Frankfurt decided to build a building for the public utility company on the site, the foundations of houses from Judengasse and fragments of the Börneplatz synagogue were found during construction work on site. When the city stuck to the development plans, a vehement conflict arose on site about how to deal appropriately with Jewish cultural relics.

Supporting program

The installations and artistic works will be framed by guided tours on the square and in the surrounding area as well as discussions between curators and artists. Panel discussions on contemporary and appropriate forms of remembrance and commemoration in Germany complement the program.

Digital platform

The online portal metahubfrankfurt.de will be launched to coincide with the Pop Up Event. It tells the story of the Börneplatz Synagogue using objects from the collections of the Jewish Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Historical Museum Frankfurt, which will be located in the urban space. During the four days, there will be continuous testing of the platform with interested users.

Program

Admission is free to all events. The Museum Judengasse is open during the event until 10 pm (except Friday), also with free admission!

We ask for registration for all program points to metahub@stadt-frankfurt.de. Please mention in your mail which program item you would like to come to!

During the event, the temporary architectural intervention and the exhibition of Torah shrine fragments are permanently accessible. Börneplatz is barrier-free to a limited extent.

Unless it is explicitly stated, the program items are held in German.

Thursday, 09.09.2021

10 a.m. - Press conference

With Prof. Dr. Mirjam Wenzel (Director, Jewish Museum Frankfurt), Dr. Wolfgang David (Director, Archaeological Museum Frankfurt), Matthias Pees (Artistic Director, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm).

With welcoming addresses by Dr. Ina Hartwig (Head of Department for Culture and Science, City of Frankfurt am Main), Karin Wolff (Managing Director, Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain) and Friederike Tappe-Hornbostel (Head of Communications, Federal Cultural Foundation).

2 p.m. - Teacher training: Open Educational Resources

6 - 10 p.m. - Opening Mapping Memories - Ver(antw)ortung Börneplatz

Welcome with Prof. Dr. Mirjam Wenzel (Director, Jewish Museum Frankfurt) and Matthias Pees (Artistic Director, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm), Julia Mai (Kultur Digital, Kulturstiftung des Bundes) and Karin Wolff (Managing Director Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain).

Followed by a discussion with Prof. Nikolaus Hirsch (architect, curator and art theorist) and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michel Müller (Professorship for Artistic-Experimental Design and Design, Technical University Cologne) about the development of the memorial Neuer Börneplatz.

8 pm - TSTCHM: Performance by Ethan Braun.

TSTCHM refers to the phrase "Tseitchem l'shalom" in the last verse of the song "Shalom Aleichem" sung on Shabbat: "They [the angels] come to peace, bless them. They rest in peace, bless them. They go in peace, bless them." Ethan Braun recites Psalm 119 and Psalm 120-134 of the Shir HaMaalot with electronic accompaniment.

Followed by artist talk in English with Ruth Fühner (freelance journalist, Frankfurt).

Friday, 10.09.2021

10 am - Workshop for school classes

3 pm - Do you know the House of Eternity? Guided tour of the Old Jewish Cemetery

More than 2,000 gravestones can still be found in the Jewish Cemetery on Battonnstraße: one of the most important Jewish cemeteries in Europe and one of the oldest monuments to Frankfurt's cultural history. Why it is still visited by Jews from all over the world is as much a topic of the guided tour as the burial customs and the enigmatic pictures on the gravestones.

With Michael Lenarz (Deputy Director, Jewish Museum Frankfurt)

Meeting point: Infopoint on Börneplatz, next to the entrance to the exhibition.

5 p.m. - Tracing Börneplatz: Guided tour with a look at the smartphone

The digital platform METAhub re-locates objects from the collections of Frankfurt's museums on Börneplatz. On this guided tour, we explore what can still be recognized with trained eyes and what the digital application brings to light.

With Tanja Neumann (Project Lead, METAhub) and Dr. Thorsten Sonnemann (Archaeologist, Archaeological Museum Frankfurt)

Meeting point: Infopoint on Börneplatz, next to the entrance to the exhibition.

18.30 - Artistic Mapping - Strategies for plural memory

What voices are heard in our places of memory? Who defines how we deal with the testimonies of history? We invite you to join us in conversation with artists and curators to find out how we can design spaces and practices of memory in a participatory and inclusive way and together open our eyes to new perspectives.

In conversation are Helgard Haug (artist, Rimini Protokoll, Berlin), Dr. Angela Jannelli (curator, Stadtlabor / Historisches Museum Frankfurt) and Leon Joskowitz (philosopher, ethics teacher and gardener, Frankfurt).

Moderation: Moritz von Rappard (Dramaturg, Rimini Protokoll, Berlin)

Saturday, 11.09.2021

11 a.m. - Frankfurt's Börneplatz: a foray through Jewish history from the 12th century to the present day.

First Judenmarkt, then Börneplatz: the lively square at the northern end of Judengasse was a hub of Jewish life in modern Frankfurt. The guided tour takes a stroll through the eventful history of this place, from the first evidence of Jewish life in the Middle Ages, through the period of the Judengasse from its destruction by the National Socialists to the "Börneplatz conflict" about how to deal with the evidence of Jewish history in Frankfurt.

With Jürgen Steinmetz (art mediator)

Meeting point: Infopoint on Börneplatz, next to the entrance to the exhibition

3 p.m. - From Börneplatz to the Jewish Ostend: City Tour

In 1895, about 45 percent of the population living in the Ostend were members of one of Frankfurt's two Jewish communities - more than in any other neighborhood. Jewish tradesmen, health and educational institutions dominated the streetscape in the neighborhood immediately adjacent to the former Judengasse. During the Nazi era, the district became a place of refuge for Jewish people from the surrounding areas of Frankfurt. After the war, new beginnings of Jewish life slowly developed in the Ostend.

The guided tour starts at Neuer Börneplatz and then leads into the immediate surroundings.

With Jürgen Steinmetz (art mediator)

6 p.m. - Digital Synagogue Reconstructions as Memory Practice.

3D technologies are making it increasingly easy to digitally reconstruct destroyed structures. Detailed visualizations, 3D applications and immersive storytelling make it possible to relive lost places, their stories and cultural significance. What potential does VR have for bringing Jewish culture to life for non-Jews? What forms of memory and commemoration are given virtual space here?

In conversation with Dr.-Ing. Marc Grellert (Digital Design Unit, TU Darmstadt), Prof. Diwi Dreysse (Board of Directors, Initiative 9. November e.V.) and others.

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Doron Kiesel (Scientific Director of the Education Department, Central Council of Jews in Germany)

7 p.m. - Beyond Memory: On the Discussion about the Reconstruction of Synagogues

In many places in Germany there are synagogues that were looted and destroyed in the November pogrom of 1938. The memory of the communities that once came together here is maintained with varying degrees of intensity and is often associated with communal conflicts. This was also the case at Börneplatz in 1987. In Hamburg and Berlin, the discussion has now led to the decision to reconstruct destroyed synagogues. What is the relationship of the planned projects to the Jewish history of the respective place? Are they an expression of a self-confident Jewish practice that wants to connect to the time before National Socialism? Or do they threaten to make the caesura of National Socialism disappear?

Dr. Alexandra Klei (Institute for the History of German Jews, Hamburg), Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Jörg Springer (Bauhaus-Uni Weimar, Springer Architekten) and Uwe Becker (Anti-Semitism Officer, Mayor and City Treasurer Frankfurt am Main) will discuss the challenges and opportunities of synagogue reconstructions.

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Doron Kiesel (Scientific Director of the Education Department, Central Council of Jews in Germany)

20.30 - Rosh HaShanah 5782: on a politics of love

Performance by Ariel Efraim Ashbel and friends: To celebrate the year 5782, Ashbel and his friend Ethan Braun gather with the audience around food, actions and ideas: philosophical texts from the European tradition, the cycles of Rosh Hashanah prayers and Yemeni music. In the process, they also take a look at Frankfurt's Börneplatz and reflect with us on the solidarity that is necessary in our world today - and the potential that love has to transform exclamation points into open questions.

Sunday, 12.09.2021

11 am - Mapping Memories - Places of Remembrance

Memorials are places that commemorate victims of crimes. Their form and the choice of their location express the perspective under which past events are commemorated. Forms that were chosen decades ago often fail to appeal to people in the present. What does it take to keep memory alive in places of commemoration? Who participates in the narratives of remembrance? What role does the place itself play?

In conversation about the function and form of places of remembrance are Marc Grünbaum (board member of the Jewish Community Frankfurt), Michaela Melián (artist, Berlin), Jo Frank (writer, publisher and managing director of the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Fund, Berlin) and Prof. Nikolaus Hirsch (architect, Frankfurt/Brussels).

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Mirjam Wenzel (Director, Jewish Museum Frankfurt)

12 pm - Do you know the House of Eternity? Guided tour of the Old Jewish Cemetery

More than 2,000 gravestones can still be found today in the Jewish Cemetery on Battonnstraße: one of the most important Jewish cemeteries in Europe and one of the oldest monuments to Frankfurt's cultural history. Why it is still visited by Jews from all over the world is as much a topic of the guided tour as the burial customs and the enigmatic pictures on the gravestones.

With Michael Lenarz (Deputy Director, Jewish Museum Frankfurt)

Meeting point: Infopoint on Börneplatz, next to the entrance to the exhibition.

2 pm - "Rosh HaShanah 5782: on a politics of love"

Performance by Ariel Efraim Ashbel and friends: To celebrate the year 5782, Ashbel and his friend Ethan Braun gather with the audience around food, actions and ideas: philosophical texts from the European tradition, the cycles of Rosh Hashanah prayers and Yemeni music. In the process, they also take a look at Frankfurt's Börneplatz and reflect with us on the solidarity that is necessary in our world today - and the potential that love has to transform exclamation points into open questions.

4 p.m. - Searching for traces on Börneplatz: Guided tour with a look at the smartphone

The digital platform METAhub re-locates objects from the collections of Frankfurt's museums on Börneplatz. On this guided tour, we explore what can still be recognized with trained eyes and what the digital application brings to light.

With Tanja Neumann (Project Manager, METAhub) and Dr. Thorsten Sonnemann (Archaeologist, Archaeological Museum Frankfurt)

Meeting point: Infopoint on Börneplatz, next to the entrance to the exhibition.

5 p.m. - It makes you feel like dancing: Reading from Ludwig Börne's letters from Paris

Selection and introduction: Hanne Kulessa (author, moderator), read by Thomas Hupfer (actor)

6 p.m. - Living Memories - living intangible cultural heritage (in English)

The Börneplatz Synagogue was a starting point and crystallization point of the Jewish Renaissance, a movement of artists and intellectuals who wanted to further develop Jewish tradition under modern, cultural auspices. What traces did this movement leave behind in Frankfurt and throughout Germany? What role does this intangible heritage play for Jewish self-understanding in the present? Is the new self-confidence of young Jews a second Renaissance movement? And what approaches to this heritage do personal artistic practices and questions open up for us?

In conversation about their own Jewish histories and research are Ariel Efraim Ashbel (performance artist, Berlin), Dr. Rachel Heuberger (historian and chair of the Community Council and School Commission, Jewish Community Frankfurt) and Ethan Braun (composer, Berlin).

Moderated by Sara Soussan (Curator of Contemporary Jewish Cultures, Jewish Museum Frankfurt).

7.30 p.m. - 19.30 Uhr - To paint over and to make sense - Part II: Konzert von Elischa Kaminer und Alex Paxton

It was here, on this very square where we decided to stay a little while longer. Somehow the leaves were still purple, and a familiar smell was in the air, like on the first day of the new year or a toddler's birthday with candle-smoke or incense rising. It was here that we decided to paint the walls of this very city, paint over it all, in order to remember and reveal. There is no need to hide, the angel said. There is no need, to be ashamed, of any of this.

To paint over and to make sense - Part II is an arrangement of songs by composer and performer Elisha Kaminer, written for a duo of voice/piano/synthesizer and improvising trombonist Alex Paxton. Journeying through queer pop, improvised music and Yiddish music, Part II looks at what's left after the big celebration. It remembers the songs that came before, traces what is still moist, perhaps even tender, here in this place, in the clouds of smoke from last night's long dreams.

20-22 h - Finissage

with drinks & music by Kimberly Clark