There is evidence that Jewish life has existed in Germany for 1,700 years. With events and projects, the city of Offenbach is setting its own accent in the nationwide festival year, which is raising awareness of Jewish life and German-Jewish history and the present. The Federal Ministry of the Interior is providing a total of around 22 million euros to support the festival year, which is being held under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. "150,000 euros of this funding will go to us as the City of Offenbach," says Dr. Felix Schwenke, Head of Cultural Affairs and Lord Mayor of Offenbach. "With a variety of events and projects, we want to make Jewish life in the city visible and tangible, as far as the coronavirus pandemic allows." The funding is supplemented by money from the City of Offenbach's cultural budget and third-party funding.
"The city can look back on a long Jewish history, which has played a significant role in shaping the city's identity far beyond the community. The promise of funding from the Federal Ministry of the Interior is a great honor for the cultural sector of our city and makes it possible for us to showcase Jewish life in Offenbach in all its diversity and celebrate it together," Schwenke continued. The festive year in Offenbach is also intended to send a clear signal against anti-Semitism, racism and any kind of xenophobia: "Offenbach, with its 140,000 people from over 150 nations, is characterized by togetherness. We don't give anti-Semitism a chance and are sending a clear signal for diversity, a vibrant society, tolerance and openness with this year of celebrations," said Schwenke. This will also be reflected in the wealth of events planned, which will bring people together and show that Jewish life is an everyday part of a diverse society. Offenbach's cultural management, the House of City History and the Klingspor Museum are planning numerous formats and events to take place over the course of the festival year.
Hashtag 2021JLID
The Cologne association "321 - 2021: 1700 years of Jewish life in Germany", which was founded especially for the anniversary year, is responsible for coordinating and organizing the nationwide series of events. The first documented mention of Jews in Cologne dates back to 321 in the cathedral city, making it the oldest written record of Jewish life in Germany, which has been an important part of European culture since late antiquity.
The aim of the anniversary year is to raise people's awareness of German-Jewish history and the present. Under the name "#2021JLID - Jewish Life in Germany", around a thousand events will be organized throughout Germany. These include concerts, exhibitions, music, a podcast, video projects, theater, films and much more. The aim is to make Jewish life directly visible and tangible, also to counteract the growing anti-Semitism with education and information. The city of Offenbach is part of the network of organizers who are committed to this goal with a large-scale program.