Exhibition in the Jewish Museum Vienna: Listening instead of argue!

Exhibition in the Jewish Museum Vienna: Listening instead of argue!

In the Jewish Museum of Vienna, the exhibition “No place for discussion?” has been running since October 7, 2023, which pursues the goal of listening to listening and reflection on the Middle East conflict. The exhibition, designed by Caitlin Gura and designed by the studio solo without, shows how social tensions are reinforced by current events. Several prominent votes are involved in the exhibition, including Doron Rabinovici, Mitchell Ash and members of the Jewish Austrian University (Jöh) and representatives of Jewish museums.

A central moment that led to the exhibition was the covering of the Holocaust memorial in the London Hyde Park in April 2024. This disguise raises fundamental questions about the importance of the memorial itself: Is it a symbol for Israel, part of the culture of memory or expression of liberal democracy? Such questions take a back seat in view of the latest events, especially the massacre on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, which have strengthened global political and social tensions.

anti -Semitism and racism in the context of the conflict

The Jewish Museum Vienna invites you to reflect in this context and calls on visitors to take a differentiated perspective. In recent years, anti -Semitism has increased significantly in both Europe and Germany, which has been shown by divisions in families and friendships. On the occasion of these developments, it is important to discuss the sensitive issues in connection with the Middle East conflict.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a crystallization point of political and religious interests. Anti-Semitic statements that fall in the context of the conflict are considered a specific form of Israel-related anti-Semitism, such as [different thinking.info] (https://www.anders-thinking.info/informieren/Nahost conflict-und- and-antiSemitism). In Germany, statements that deal with Israel and "the Jews" in the Middle East conflict are not only common in Germany, but also in large parts of the population. The 2023 religious monitor shows that 43 percent of the German population believes that the treatment of the Palestinians by Israel is comparable to the treatment of the Jews in the Third Reich - a perspective that is also approved by supporters of the established parties such as CDU, SPD and left -wing.

The challenges of memory culture

anti -Semitism in Germany is largely taboo after 1945. Criticism of Israel is often unconsciously linked to classic anti -Semitic pictures. Historian Dan Diner emphasizes that the conflict is characterized by asymmetrical power relationships and different narratives, which can lead to the development of memory competition, in which Jewish victims of the Holocaust do not find the sole recognition.

Another aspect is the role of migrants from countries in which the Holocaust is treated less sensitively. These groups often show higher approval rates on anti -Semitic statements. Bertelsmann Foundation indicates that the reasons for anti-Semitic attitudes are dining from discriminatory experiences.

An important step to combat these currents are early educational offers that help to promote knowledge and judgment. Finally, it becomes clear that anti -Semitism is not just a problem of extremism, but can also anchor itself in the middle of society if it is expressed in the context of the Middle East conflict.