Tacheles 2026
The year of Jewish culture in Saxony 2026
The year of Jewish culture in Saxony 2026
100 years after the founding of the first Saxon state association of Jewish communities, the Free State of Saxony is celebrating a state-wide "Year of Jewish Culture" in 2026. With projects, events and exhibitions, the rich Jewish history and culture as well as Jewish life in Saxony, their contribution to the past and present of the state, but also their losses, will be made visible and accessible to a broad public. Jewish culture and history should be understood as a natural part of Saxony's culture and history.The theme year is aimed at all cultural sectors, museums, theatres, cinemas and other cultural, scientific, educational and church institutions as well as associations, initiatives and groups in the Free State. It aims to create a more sustainable network of these stakeholders, as well as the active participation of civil society.
The project team is based at the State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz (smac) in the former Schocken department stores', a central site of Jewish Saxon history. The theme year is being organised by the Free State of Saxony under the leadership of the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWKT).
STARTING POINTS
The "Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026" emerged from the discussion about a Jewish museum in Saxony, which took place primarily in Leipzig and Dresden. This gave rise to the idea of a state-wide debate in Leipzig in the form of a state exhibition. Both cities approached the state government, which took up the initiatives that led to the planning of a Saxon theme year in 2026. For the first time, Jewish culture and Jewish life in the past and present will be brought into focus as a state theme for a year and decentralised throughout Saxony and made accessible to a broad public.
GOALS AND FORMATS
The aim of the theme year is to see and understand Jewish life, Jewish culture and history as a natural part of Saxon society and cultural landscape as well as local and regional history.
The theme year 2026 is based on a broad concept of culture, which, in addition to art and culture in the narrower sense, also includes history and the culture of remembrance, the field of cultural, historical and school education as well as opportunities for encounters.
On the one hand, it is intended to enable a comprehensive and at the same time critical stocktaking of the handling of Saxony's cultural and historical Jewish heritage and its exploration and to give greater visibility and attention to what already exists, but also to include new perspectives, forms of representation and mediation offers. The theme year presents Saxony's rich and diverse Jewish history and culture, but also highlights gaps and irretrievable losses. It is particularly influenced by the threats posed by anti-Semitism and the long-term consequences of the massacre of 7 October 2023 - both for the Jewish community and for the democratic order in Germany.
The perception, inclusion and visualisation of Jewish voices and perspectives is part of the self-image of the theme year. It aims to open up, promote and consolidate the dialogue between the Jewish community and the majority society in Saxony and at the same time increase knowledge and understanding of Jewish life, culture, tradition and religion.
The programme is based on the Jewish holiday calendar, starting with Hanukkah 5786 on 14 December 2025.
TACHELES
The word "Tacheles", which comes from Yiddish or Hebrew, stands for free opinion and the resulting open conversation/discourse, dialogue at eye level; and, in the programme of the theme year, for the self-confidence and self-evidence of Jewish voices and perspectives in Saxony, which are to be given a human, social and cultural - historical and contemporary - hearing and visibility. "Tacheles" means freedom - but also responsibility. No opinion-forming without education. This is also what the theme year stands for.
"Tacheles" represents the Jewish tradition of a respectful and responsible culture of debate. This is inextricably linked to the value of lifelong learning, education, reflection, deliberation, enlightenment and argumentation. "Tacheles" means taking and recognising positions, allowing and enduring ambivalence and contradictions. In the concrete confrontation with the Saxon Jewish past and present, the aim of "Tacheles" is to overcome silence, forgetting and repression. "Tacheles" is also linked in a special way to the end of the GDR and the period of reunification. The East Berlin band "Tacheles" and the "Tacheles" art centre in Berlin, which has since disappeared, symbolise and stand for the freedom of the word and art. They are the starting point and claim of the theme year for Jewish perspectives and narratives in an East German federal state.
JEWISH - SAXON - MENTSHLICH
The idea of "being a Mentsh", which also comes from the Yiddish language, reflects the self-confidence and naturalness of Jewish voices and perspectives in Saxony, which should be heard and seen in human, social and cultural terms. Because "to be a Mentsh" in Yiddish means to be a good person - someone who stands up for Mentshlekhkeyt, for solidarity and empathy, someone who shows attitude.
Affiliation
Jewish life is an integral part of Saxon culture and history. Today, belonging means recognising Jewish voices, traditions and perspectives as a natural part of social coexistence in Saxony. The theme year sets an example for an open society in which people with a Jewish identity feel a sense of belonging - in cities, communities and in the cultural memory of the state.
Tolerance
Tolerance is a fundamental pillar for peaceful coexistence in a diverse society. In Saxony - a state with a rich Jewish history - tolerance is not just a wish, but an active task. The Jewish theme year calls for the promotion of respect for different lifestyles and a clear stance against anti-Semitism.
Humour
Jewish humour is deeply rooted in life experience, wit and self-irony - often clever, sometimes sharp, but always human. In Saxony, it can be found in literature, cabaret and everyday stories. Especially in difficult times, humour was a means of survival and dignity for Jewish communities. In the context of the theme year, humour stands for the power to deal with history, to build bridges and to open up new, surprising perspectives.
Exchange
For centuries, Jewish life in Saxony was part of a lively cultural and social coexistence. Cities such as Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz were centres of Jewish scholarship, art and business. Today, the value of exchange stands for the conscious resumption of this dialogue - as a bridge between history and the present, between Jewish and non-Jewish perspectives in Saxony.
