Kulturamt Langen

It has happened, and therefore it can happen again... (Primo Levi)
In 1941, the SS set up the Theresienstadt camp in the Bohemian town of Terezín. It served as a prison for 150,000 Jews until 1945. They all became victims of the inhuman Nazi racial ideology. Countless were murdered, for countless the place was the "forecourt of hell"; the last stop before being transported on to extermination camps such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Of the almost 15,000 children who were sent to Theresienstadt, only 132 survived. Edith Erbrich is one of these 132 children. She has lived in Langen for decades and these days she is more important than ever as a contemporary witness and reminder.

Looking back, it seems hard to imagine that despite the catastrophic living conditions, gruelling forced labour, constant hunger, illness and the omnipresent fear of death, a lively cultural life developed in Theresienstadt: organized by the prisoners, there were lectures, theater and opera performances, cabaret and concerts. The cultural activities in Theresienstadt were first tolerated by the National Socialist rulers, then cynically misused for propaganda purposes: Theresienstadt was presented to the world as a "model camp" with a wide range of leisure activities.

The musical reading with Roman Knižka and the OPUS 45 wind quintet also tells part of Edith Erbrich's life story and is also a tribute to her life's work. The well-known theater and film actor and reciter Roman Knižka will read from the memories of survivors and recite poems by children and young people. And Edith Erbrich will of course also be there as a guest of honor on the evening in the Stadthalle.

Photo credit: Daniel-Haeker-Photography

23.10., 8 p.m.

Neue Stadthalle Langen, Südliche Ringstr. 77, Langen

2for1: price category 1 = 35 €, price category 2 = 32 €

23.10., 19-19.30, box office