Holocaust survivor Knobloch slams CDU-AfD alliance against Stolpersteine in Heidenau

By David Muschenich

Overview

Following a decision by the Heidenau city council—supported by both the CDU and AfD—to reject the installation of Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) commemorating Nazi victims, Holocaust survivor Charlotte Knobloch has spoken out. Knobloch, President of the Israelite Religious Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, is a well-known critic of the brass memorial stones embedded in sidewalks. However, she described the council's resolution as "the completely wrong path."

Knobloch's Statement

"I was never a friend of the Stolpersteine concept," Knobloch told taz. She had previously criticized the idea, arguing it was undignified for the names of the murdered to be walked upon. However, she emphasized that decentralized memorials that "permeate and shape public space" are essential for "a genuine culture of remembrance."

"Removing places of remembrance from the cityscape, as has now happened in Heidenau, is in any case the completely wrong path," Knobloch said. "I am appalled that a democratic party lends itself to supporting such a transparent maneuver by the extremists of the AfD." She called on the democratic center to find itself again and "bring about a better solution."

The Council Decision

On Thursday evening, the Heidenau city council voted in favor of a motion to no longer install Stolpersteine in the town near Dresden. The motion was supported by council members from the AfD and CDU.

• Vote tally: 13 in favor, 6 against, 1 abstention
• Motion text: Called for rejecting Stolpersteine "in public street and sidewalk areas" in the future
• Justification cited: Claimed many citizens, relatives, and initiatives find this form of remembrance inappropriate

Note: The motion's sponsors confirmed to taz that they had not contacted any memorial initiatives or relatives of victims.

The motion proposed that remembrance instead take place at the city's North Cemetery, where a memorial stone for Nazi victims already exists, stating this would "prevent direct stepping on the memorial elements."

Background: The Proposed Stolpersteine

The Association for Alternative Culture and Education Center (Akubiz) had applied to install two Stolpersteine in memory of Fritz and Martha Goldstein, a Jewish couple arrested, dispossessed, and deported during the Nazi dictatorship in Heidenau. Mayor Conny Oertel confirmed to taz before the vote that the council would reject the installation.

Administration's Recommendation

The city administration had recommended rejecting the motion, stating:

"Precisely the presence in public space enables broad perception and direct engagement with history."

The administration argued that decisions on Stolpersteine should be made on a case-by-case basis.

Existing Stolpersteine in Heidenau

Heidenau currently has five Stolpersteine at two locations:

• One commemorating former SPD mayor Paul Gröger
• Four commemorating the Jewish Reiner family

All were installed at the initiative of civil society groups by Gunter Demnig, the originator of the Stolpersteine project.

Reactions

Mayor Conny Oertel

Before the vote, Oertel told taz that Stolpersteine are sometimes covered by leaves, dirt, or snow, and that people "perhaps walk over them thoughtlessly." She was unavailable for comment after the vote.

Ekaterina Kulakova, Chair of the Saxon State Association of Jewish Communities

"People perceive Stolpersteine every day," Kulakova said. She noted that Jewish communities had not been consulted about the proposed central memorial site in Heidenau. "People would only go there twice a year. That serves not remembrance, but forgetting."

Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee

"This is a transparent and shabby attempt to once again throw Heidenau's Nazi victims out of the city and dispose of them where the AfD thinks remembrance already belongs: in the cemetery." He called the CDU's cooperation with the AfD "a scandal."

Kerstin Köditz, State Spokesperson of VVN-BdA in Saxony

Köditz argued that Stolpersteine ensure "that the crimes of the Nazi era confront us in everyday life." The victims were neighbors in the city, not outside it. She criticized the proposed cemetery memorial as too broad, saying it would lump together different victim groups and obscure specific historical contexts.

About Stolpersteine

• Origin: First introduced in the 1990s
• Location: Installed at the last known residence or workplace of Nazi victims
• Design: Small, donation-funded brass plaques bearing names and life dates
• Presence: Found in many European countries

Alternative Memorial Approaches

In Munich, Stolpersteine are not installed on municipal property following a city council decision. Instead, "remembrance signs" with photos and brief biographical information are placed on building facades and steles. Knobloch praised this approach: "I consider the Munich concept of remembrance at eye level to be much more successful."

No such alternative is currently under discussion in Heidenau.

With reporting by dpa