MuseumFebruary 24, 2009
GERMAN FEDERAL COMMISSIONER FOR CULTURAL AND MEDIA AFFAIRS TO PRESENT COPY OF COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF JEWS LIVING IN GERMANY IN 1933 TO UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The German Federal Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs, Bernd Neumann (CDU), will deliver a copy of the first comprehensive list of Jews living in Germany in 1933 to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield will accept the list in a special ceremony in the Museum’s Hall of Remembrance on Wednesday, February 25 at 3:30 p.m. During the handover ceremony, Commissioner Neumann will also meet with Holocaust survivors who volunteer at the Museum, some of whom are from Germany, and participate in a memorial candle lighting.
The list was compiled by the foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility, and Future” and the German Federal Archives. It contains information on the approximately 600,000 Jewish citizens in Germany when the Nazi Party came to power. It is the only such list available in North America and will be accessible through the Museum’s archives.
The list makes it possible for the first time to gain a nearly complete overview of the Jewish population in Germany before the Holocaust and is an important document for reconstructing Jewish history in Germany. The list was compiled in cooperation with the German Federal Archives and with the financial support of the German government.
Mr. Neumann is Minister of State at the Federal Chancellery and Federal Government Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1987. He served as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Technology. Mr. Neumann is also chairman of the management board of the Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. During his stay in Washington, Commissioner Neumann will also meet with representatives of American government foundations for art and cultural affairs, as well as literary scholars. In addition, he will visit the Newseum and speak with its director about the program.
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders to promote human dignity, confront hatred and prevent genocide. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanent place on the National Mall, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by the generosity of donors nationwide.
