Renate Aris talks about responsibility and humanity at TUD!

Renate Aris talks about responsibility and humanity at TUD!

On May 20, 2025, Renate Aris, the last Holocaust survivor in Dresden, will speak about her moving life story at the Technical University of Dresden (TUD). The event starts at 6:00 p.m. and will be accompanied by simultaneous English translation. Renate Aris, born during the Nazi era, combines her memories of this dark era with an urgent appeal for responsibility, moral courage and humanity. The TUD hosted a discussion with her in November 2024, which was also very well received. Those interested are encouraged to register. The exact venue will then be announced.

This event is part of the Jewish Campus Week 2025, which will take place from May 19th to 25th at over 15 university locations in Germany. Its goal is to make Jewish life visible and to create spaces for open exchange. Further events at TUD include a workshop on May 21st on the topic of “Anti-Semitism and anti-feminism – historical and ideological entanglements” and a “Safe Space” for Jewish students on May 22nd, both led by experts and associations such as Keshet e.V. and the Jewish Alliance for Central Germany.

Renate Aris: A voice of memory

Renate Aris, who escaped deportation to Theresienstadt as a child, is one of the last Holocaust survivors in Saxony. She has made a strong public commitment to coming to terms with the Nazi past. In a recent interview, she said it is not enough to just talk about these issues on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Her opinion was reinforced by her involvement in demonstrations against right-wing extremism. The testimony of her experience is particularly important to her.

During an interview in her apartment in Chemnitz, the program for the German Bundestag's Holocaust memorial hour lying on the coffee table testified to her ongoing commitment to the culture of remembrance. Aris explains that sharing about the Holocaust should not only be reserved for survivors, but that younger generations must also take responsibility. This attitude is particularly relevant in a context in which the Holocaust and the Nazi past are increasingly being relativized, including by political movements such as the AfD.

Challenges of the culture of remembrance

The discussion about coming to terms with the past and the culture of remembrance in Germany is complex. Artists such as Moshtari Hilal and Sinthujan Varatharajah have recently suggested introducing the term “people with a Nazi background” to address the responsibility of the descendants of the Nazi regime. This discussion shows how the authority to interpret the Nazi past is being renegotiated in a post-migrant society. Historically, such debates often took place within the “German of origin” collective.

Central questions have been raised in remembrance-cultural struggles since the 1980s, for example in the debates surrounding the historians' dispute or the protests against the processing of history in the theater. There is also a tendency to increasingly project anti-Semitism and forgetfulness of history onto migrants. Critical voices, like Naika Foroutan's, call for an inclusive culture of remembrance that should appeal to everyone in society and emphasize the universal relevance of history.

The upcoming lecture by Renate Aris at the Technical University of Dresden will not only offer a look at her personal experience, but also an invitation to open discussion about responsibility and the topics of memory in our society today.

For further information and to register for the events, those interested can contact Anja Wiede directly.

For further information you can read the reports from TU Dresden, Free press and bpb visit.