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Welches Wir? Jenseits von Inside und Outside

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Which "we"? Beyond "inside" and "outside"

Fishbowl discussion, panel discussion

Welches Wir? Jenseits von Inside und Outside

Welches Wir? Jenseits von Inside und Outside

© (c) Centrum Judaicum

Today, there is more frequent talk of
wanting to incorporate “Jewish perspectives.”

This marks undeniable progress—especially given that for a long time, people spoke about Jewish people rather than understanding their actual lived experiences and realities. At the same time, the talk of Jewish perspectives raises fundamental questions: Does this term carry with it essentialist, rigid attributions that tend to narrow identities? And who can articulate Jewish perspectives? Furthermore: Even within the Jewish community, conceptions of one’s own self-identification vary considerably along the spectrum between Jewish and non-Jewish identity. Who speaks of which “we” or which “we-s”? Who sees which alliances?

All of this is taking place against the backdrop of profound societal transformations. Extreme polarization and a marked rise in antisemitism—which has long since taken hold even in the so-called “political center”—shape the context. Under these conditions, what leeway remains for Jews to position themselves independently? How can Jewish self-empowerment succeed without being reduced to a mere defensive reaction? To what extent is thinking in terms of “inside” and “outside” becoming entrenched?

Beyond the threat posed by antisemitism, the question of self-assertion remains complex. Even a well-meaning, non-antisemitic public conveys certain fixed notions and expectations about what it may and should mean to be Jewish. The phenomenon of such external categorizations is by no means new in historical terms. Does not even the concept of diversity sometimes become a slogan and a fantasy—brought in (not only) from the outside—that nevertheless serves to relieve pressure on society as a whole while failing to take sufficient account of the complex situations described?

Following Adorno’s postulate of “being able to be different without fear,” the question is therefore to what extent the Jewish minority can and will—or can no longer—openly articulate and live out its internal differences? Or is the more relevant question, in fact, to what extent Jews—even as a collective—can still be different without fear, or whether even this is becoming a utopia?

This event invites participants to reflect on these questions.

Location:

Repräsentantensaal, Neue Synagoge Berlin

Moderator: Tanja Berg

Panelists:

Sharon Adler, born in Berlin, journalist, writer, photographer, and moderator. In 2000, she founded the online magazine AVIVA-Berlin; since 2013, she has served on the board of the Zurückgeben Foundation, which supports Jewish women in the arts and sciences. Since 2020, co-editor of the series “Jewish Women in Germany after 1945.”

Her topics: Feminism from a Jewish perspective; a lack of solidarity, antisemitism, and one-dimensional reporting on Israel following October 7, 2023; the looting of Jewish property and challenges in provenance research; exile, resilience, and the culture of remembrance in public and digital spaces; experiences and perspectives of the first and subsequent generations.

Anton Livshits, born in Bryansk (Russia), has lived in Germany since the age of four. Cultural studies scholar, active in political education for various organizations; involved in Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects.

The topics of his educational work and research include: right-wing extremism, racism, and antisemitism; pluralistic politics of memory—in this context and more broadly, he is concerned, among other things, with strengthening post-Soviet perspectives. His dissertation project examines how certain narrative modes shape collectives that are not defined by shared characteristics. In this context, he is interested in a responsible approach to the catastrophes of modernity.

Amir Theilhaber, born in Cologne, graduated from high school in Toronto, studied in Brussels, Jerusalem, and Berlin; Fellow in Washington, D.C.; research projects as a historian and Islamic studies scholar; associate researcher at the Moses Mendelssohn Center (University of Potsdam); since the summer of 2026, Executive Chairman of the New Israel Fund Germany.

His formative practical experiences include working in the laundry of Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, an internship at Yad Vashem, directing a legal aid clinic for refugees in Cairo from 2010 to 2011, and establishing the student office at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin.

Maya Wolffberg, born in Haifa; B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology (University of Haifa), M.A. in Conflict Resolution and Mediation (Tel Aviv University). Based in Berlin since 2017, where she is active with Israel Community Europe.

Her areas of focus: Holocaust remembrance and the fight against antisemitism; networking among Israeli and Jewish communities in Europe; issues of identity and belonging. Her grandfather survived the Shoah as a child while in hiding in Berlin.



Event held in conjunction with two current exhibitions at the Neue Synagoge Berlin,
that explore Jewish life today:

– FForms of Alignment
– Pride and Prejudice – Jews in Focus
(both on view through November 17)

In cooperation with the
Network of Jewish Organizations in Berlin
“Jewish Round Table,” supported by the Jewish Agency for Israel.

and
Dagesh – Jewish Art in Context, a program of DialoguePerspectives e. V.
European Academy Berlin
Jewish Life in Europe e.V. (JEWLIF)

Translated with DeepL

Meeting point: Hall of Representatives

Booking: Centrum Judaiucm Online Store

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