The Max Dienemann / Salomon Formstecher Society e.V.
Would you like to find out more about Jewish life, religion, culture and history? We will inform you! As a forum for contemporary Judaism, we organize events - lectures, panel discussions, discussion evenings, historical tours and excursions as well as readings and concerts - with internationally renowned academics and prominent personalities who will give you an authentic picture of Jewish life. In recent years, the topics we have addressed have repeatedly attracted nationwide attention in newspapers and on the radio.
Who we are and what we want
We are an association of citizens - Jews and non-Jews - that was founded in Offenbach on June 21, 1995 with the aim of creating a public forum to present and discuss questions of contemporary Judaism from a historical and current perspective in a scientifically sound manner. Our focus is particularly on the legacy of German Jewry, which was destroyed in the Shoah. We understand the almost three-hundred-year history of Offenbach's Jews as part of the history of our urban community and the reciprocal influences.
Our society aims to uncover the traces of Judaism that have shaped Offenbach for more than a century and are associated with the names of Rabbis Dr. Salomon Formstecher (1808-1889) and Dr. Max Dienemann (1875-1939). While Rabbi Formstecher was an outstanding representative of the Reform movement, Rabbi Dienemann was a leading representative of Jewish liberalism. Both rabbis were recognized beyond Offenbach.
With its name, the society is focusing on the period between 1820 and 1938. An era that reveals the poles of tension of Jewish existence in Germany - life between the ghetto and society. During this time, the Jewish community developed a productivity that gave society a shape, culturally and intellectually, economically and socially. But emancipation failed, and the hope of being able to be both was disappointed: Jew and German.
As a forum for contemporary Judaism, we want to
- highlight the rupture and continuity of German-Jewish history,
- present the diversity of Jewish life and thought after Auschwitz,
- provide insights into the everyday life of Jews in this country,
- encourage controversial discussions on topics of interest to Jews and non-Jews
Jews and non-Jews, as well as
- contributions to Jewish culture in Offenbach and the region.
Further information about the Max Dienemann / Salomon Formstecher Society and its events can be found at: