fokus Jewish Cultural Pathways - Symposium in Dresden, 3-4 December 2026

For centuries, Jewish people have travelled many roads. For centuries, they have left their mark along the way, shaping the communities around them. Many of those traces were erased and fell into oblivion. We see it as our mission to make Jewish traces visible again and to highlight their significance for cultural history.

Over the course of this two-day symposium, we will present various initiatives that research Jewish cultural pathways in their respective regions and work to make them accessible and traceable.

As HATiKVA e.V., we have spent years working to bring Jewish traces back into public awareness - above all within Dresden's renowned collections. This perspective forms the second main focus of the symposium. The event takes place as part of the Jewish Theme Year 2026 Tacheles and is funded by the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen.

Preliminary programme for 03.12. (also available at: www.juedischer-kulturpfad-dresden.de)

10:00 - Welcome / Opening remarks (Kulturbürgermeisterin Dresden, tacheles, HATiKVA board)
10:20 - Musical contribution by and about Jewish artists in Dresden (Youkali)
10:30 - Anchoring the European Route of Jewish Cultural Heritage in Germany - a "workshop report" (Dr. Anke Biedenkapp / Global Partnership Hannover e.V.)
11:15 - "Smart Map of Jewish History" - presenting Jewish history for contemporary audiences; a project on the region between Bratislava, St. Pölten, Vienna and Eisenstadt, linked by their long Jewish history (Michael Schreiber / Managing Director, Burgenländische Forschungsgesellschaft)
12:00 - Cultural project in Poland (TBC)
12:30 - Der Leipziger Notenbogen - Growing with music: a new city exploration route with a Jewish focus (Dr. Felix Papenhagen / Leipzig)
13:00 - Lunch break
14:00 - Rethinking: a discovery project at the Stadtmuseum Dresden (programme in preparation)