Discussion with Dr. Olaf Kistenmacher on the 1923 Scheunenviertel Pogrom from the perspective of the Communist Party

Scheunenviertelpogrom 1923 Gedenktag – Schwarz-Weiß-Foto: Person mit Vollbart und Hut führt auf Gehweg vier Kinder an der Hand. An Ziegelwand steht "Tier Butter Käse". Text: "Paneldiskussion zum

In early November 1923, a pogrom broke out in Berlin’s Scheunenviertel. For nearly two days, Berliners roamed the Scheunenviertel, committing acts of violence against Jewish people in this working-class neighborhood.

This massive outbreak of violence, which occurred ten years before the National Socialists came to power, has virtually
disappeared from the public historical consciousness. Even the historical traces of the Scheunenviertel are scarce; only a few Stolpersteine hint at its former Eastern European Jewish population.



The Communist Party of Germany (KPD) fought against the anti-Semitism of right-wing and far-right parties. The KPD blamed the pogrom in the Scheunenviertel in early November 1923 on “German nationalist agitators” who had incited the unemployed. The party agreed with the Social Democrats on this interpretation. In early 1924, the KPD once again examined the causes of anti-Semitic violence in detail. On the one hand, it clearly condemned anti-Semitism. On the other hand, it warned that its members must not become “protectors of Jewish capitalism.” The lecture will shed light on the background to this interpretation and place the KPD’s dual strategy within a broader historical context.

Dr. Olaf Kistenmacher wrote his dissertation on anti-Semitic statements in the KPD’s daily newspaper, *Die Rote Fahne*. He works as a journalist and has been active in political education against anti-Semitism for over 20 years.Translated with DeepL

Meeting point: Hall of Representatives

Booking: Online Store - Centrum Judaicum

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• Date Sunday, 01/November/2026 13:00 bis 14:00
• Venue Neue Synagoge - Centrum Judaicum
• Address Oranienburger Straße 28, 10117 Berlin-Mitte