The initative kritisches gedenken erlangen (translation: initiative for critical remembrance) was founded in January 2019 to look back on and reappraise the anti-semitic assassination of Shlomo Lewin and Frida Poeschke. This is a continuation of the work of various anti-fascist groups in Erlangen. These groups have organized a public commemoration of Lewin and Poeschke in the city center of Erlangen every year since 2009 on the anniversary date of the murder, December 19. This is how we want to make it possible to remember Lewin and Poeschke and also draw attention to and denounce the circumstances that made them victims that continue to exist up to this day.

We want to take a critical look at these circumstances and conditions from different perspectives. These perspectives include analyzing current and historical manifestations of modern antisemitism, but also looking into current right-wing structures, meaning the actual perpetrators and their supporters. Additionally, we want to discuss the role that governmental institutions have in all this – in relation to the actual investigation into the murder but also in relation to the interpretation thereof. We also want to criticize remembrance through the government, which mostly is collective self-affirmation. In addition to organizing the annual commemoration in Erlangen, we will document and collect the results of our work in the form of a brochure, a website and an exhibition. We want to keep this case, that has not been fully cleared to this date, within public attention and make it accessible for political-historic educational work.

his is why we have developed a conception that explains what we mean when we speak of Critical Remembrance and how our practical work is formed by this idea. One of the core aspects of this theoretical base is to shape our own practical work in these times of collective self-insecurity. Our work is directed against the collective self-affirmation of official remembrance. We will therefore discuss our positions and perspectives with other groups and actors* again and again and carry our results into other thematic contexts and debates. Due to reasons of capacity, we are currently unable to translate all the texts we have worked on so far (e.g. the conception mentioned above).