UA Ruhr offers Action Days against Anti-Semitism and Racism

In our panel talk, we will discuss the war in Israel/Palestine and its impact on people both on the ground and here in Germany. The discourse around this war is often polarized and aggressive, marked by a struggle for interpretative sovereignty and moral superiority that leaves little room for the pain of those affected, nuanced opinions, and collaborative solutions. We aim to foster radical empathy for all those affected and tolerance of ambiguity for differing perspectives.

This 90-minute event is open to UA Ruhr students and other interested individuals. As an introduction, a short film about a peace initiative in Israel/Palestine will be shown, followed by a moderated panel discussion in English. At the end of the event, participants will have the opportunity to ask written questions, which the speakers will address.

Registration at: https://eveeno.com/260677599

About the speakers:

Zey (she/he) is a queer feminist activist and teacher. She grew up in Turkey with Palestinian and Syrian parents. She has been living in Germany for four years and currently works as an inclusion tutor at a school in Cologne.

Swetlana (she/her) is a sociologist with Ukrainian-Russian-Jewish roots. She holds workshops on political and religious radicalization, conspiracy myths, and abuse of power in political and religious contexts.

This event is organized in cooperation with Ruhr University’s Psychological Student Counseling Service.

A Stolperstein is a small memorial that honors the victims of Nazism. Each brass-plated stone, placed in front of the victim's last freely chosen residence, bears their name and dates of life. These stones commemorate Jews, Roma, Sinti, dissidents, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, people with disabilities, and others persecuted by the Nazi regime. By 2024, tens of thousands of Stolpersteine will have been laid across Europe, making it the largest decentralized memorial in the world.

In Germany, November 9th is often marked by the "Stolperstein cleaning." This commemoration holds special significance as it coincides with the anniversary of the violent November pogroms of 1938. By cleaning these stones, participants remember the victims and emphasize the importance of Holocaust remembrance and the fight against hatred.

At Ruhr University, we aim to honor the victims of persecution and extermination by organizing an interactive excursion to immerse ourselves in the history and lives of those affected by the Nazi regime in Bochum.

Meeting Point: Bochum Town Hall at 4 p.m.

Together, we will explore several Stolpersteine in Bochum's city center, delve into the history and life stories of the people of the 20th century, and "stumble" over their fate to bring awareness to their experiences. Afterward, we will return to the university campus to reflect on the topic together over tea.

The excursion will last 2-3 hours.

Registration: https://eveeno.com/124908893

We will discuss (a) why anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim racism are so controversial today, (b) how we can address this controversy by thinking about them together and in terms of their historical formation within Christian Europe, and (c) what are the implications of this for Muslim-Jewish encounters.

Our core objective is to contribute to public understanding of the racisms experienced by Jews and Muslims, including the understanding of members of each minority about the other. We believe that thinking rigorously about the connections between Islamophobia and antisemitism provides a basis for a stronger anti-racist culture in Europe. For this event, we hope to provide some research-based perspective to deepen understanding of these issues.

Registration: https://eveeno.com/258465421

Berlin is the city with the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Germany, among them a considerable Israeli as well as the largest Palestinian Diaspora in Europe. Living in proximity brings forth many forms of encounter across a wide range of domains: in formal dialogue, cultural production, commercial activities and in everyday life. Dialogue and alliances between Jews and Muslims exist in different fields such as interfaith relations, holocaust commemoration, antidiscrimination education, culture, and political advocacy. Local relations between Jews and Muslim tend to be influenced by cycles of geopolitical tensions and tranquility. Yet, the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7^th and the ensuing Israel-Gaza war have had global repercussions with seismic effects on local encounters and dialogue initiatives. This talk will explore the shifts in encounter dynamics and contact zones based on ethnographic field work carried out in Berlin between 2021–23 as part of the ORA joint research project “Muslim-Jewish encounter, diversity & distance in urban Europe: Religion, culture and social model” as well as ongoing fieldwork after October 7^th.

Registration at: https://eveeno.com/268885011

Dr. Dekel Peretz is a post-doctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen. Peretz’s research focuses on Jewish life in Germany in past and presence, Jewish–Muslim encounters, digital religion and postcolonial studies. His current research theme is “Dialogue in times of Crisis. Muslim–Jewish Encounters in Berlin in the Shadow of the October 7th Israel–Gaza war.” Peretz’s most recent book Zionism and Cosmopolitanism: Franz Oppenheimer and the Dream of a Jewish Future in Germany and Palestine deals with Jewish identity in fin de siècle Germany in the context of racial and colonial discourses.