11 November 2016

Inge Deutschkron Archive in the Akademie der Künste
Archive Opening on 20 November

On 20 November 2016, the Akademie der Künste is holding an event at Pariser Platz to mark the opening of the Inge Deutschkron Archive. As part of the Archive Opening, Inge Deutschkron is joined by André Schmitz, former Secretary for Cultural Affairs in Berlin, for a discussion exploring in particular her committed and critical analysis of the post-war years in Germany. Jeanine Meerapfel, president of the Akademie der Künste, is giving the Welcome Address. The Archive Opening is being held as part of the “Uncertain States” programme.

During Germany’s Wirtschaftswunder and process of rebuilding the country after the Second World War, journalist and author Inge Deutschkron resolutely reported on former Nazis in official positions. One major focus of the Archive, which fills a total of ten linear meters, is therefore on her journalistic work, ranging from critical articles for international and German newspapers to radio broadcasts and lectures as well as travelogues from many countries of the world. Inge Deutschkron recorded in shorthand in 29 notebooks her impressions of the Auschwitz trials in Frankfurt. The notebooks are also part of the Archive, together with the post-war exchange of letters with her family, important for the issues discussed. There are also extensive records on the origins, development and production of the stage adaptation of her autobiographical work Ich trug den gelben Stern. From 1989, this was included in the repertoire of many youth theatres as Ab heute heißt Du Sara. The extensive photo collection testifies to Inge Deutschkron’s social commitment and activities, from meeting politicians from Germany and abroad to her talks given in schools. The Archive is supplemented by documents on Inge Deutschkron’s life, records of the reception of her works, theatre posters and audiovisual documents as well as collections of material on such topics as anti-Semitism, the persecution of the Jews, the Holocaust and contemporary history. The Inge Deutschkron Archive is now open to the public.

Inge Deutschkron (b. 1922) survived illegally in Berlin as a Jew in the Nazi era with help from “unsung heroes”. In 1946, she and her mother moved to London to join her father, who had escaped in 1939. In 1956, after years in England and travels to India, Burma and Nepal, Deutschkron began work as a journalist in Germany. From 1958, she was a correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Maariv and attended the Auschwitz trial for the paper. Her prolonged disappointment over German politics prompted her move to Israel in 1972. Inge Deutschkron returned to Berlin permanently in 2001. The long-term reception of her autobiography Ich trug den gelben Stern, published in 1978, represents a significant contribution to the literature of remembrance by Holocaust survivors.

Event details
Archive Opening
Inge Deutschkron. Mein Leben nach dem Überleben
Sunday 20 November 2016, 11.30 am, Admission € 5/3
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Ticket reservations Tel. 030 20057-1000 or online www.adk.de
Press tickets on Tel. 030 20057-1514 or presse@adk.de

Held as part of:
Uncertain States. Artistic Strategies in States of Emergency
Akademie der Künste exhibition and event programme
15 October 2016 – 15 January 2017, www.adk.de/uncertain-states
Funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes

Enquiries
Maren Horn, Literature Archive, Tel. 030 20057 3278