Interview with Michael Kretschmer

You come from Görlitz, a city with a rich Jewish history. When did you first come into contact with Jewish religion and culture?
Michael Kretschmer: The Görlitz synagogue survived the Nazis' destructive fury and is a very distinctive, unmistakable building. Even though there was no longer a community, the building alone was reason enough to think about Jewish religion and culture.

Jews now live in Görlitz again. How important is it that Jewish life is returning to the city of Görlitz today?
MK: People of the Jewish faith have shaped the city for centuries. With their faith, their piety, their lived culture, their commitment to the city and also with their history as a religious community that has experienced exclusion and defamation over the centuries. All these experiences belong to Görlitz's urban society.

Unfortunately, Jewish life is once again exposed to hostility. What can politics and society in Saxony do specifically to support and protect Jewish life?
MK: Let me make this very clear: I find it absolutely scandalous that people of the Jewish faith hide their religious beliefs in public in parts for fear of hostility. That is unacceptable. We are very clear about this: we protect Jewish institutions and show state presence. We support all formats that provide information and education. We support personal encounters and dialogue, especially with the Year of Jewish Culture. It has been shown time and time again that incitement to hatred thrives on a lack of education and, above all, a lack of knowledge. Even formally highly educated people can get caught up in resentment and ideology.

Critics claim that the culture of remembrance is purely symbolic politics - what is your view on this?
MK: We humans need symbols and signs. They have always been part of human culture. They summarise meanings, stand for experiences or hopes. Sometimes they save you from having to find words. They are understood by everyone.
It is true that the symbol can become empty if the content is no longer understood and comprehended. This possibility exists. Symbols help with remembrance and give it a simple form. Every generation has to re-appropriate the culture of remembrance. A very good example of this was the annual "Path of Remembrance" with young people in Dresden. The young people look at specific places in their city and ask how they relate to the history of the National Socialist persecution of Jews.

Why should young Jews move to Saxony?
MK: Young people should generally move to Saxony. Saxony should be a state where you can shape your life, where you can live safely and with respect, with good opportunities for every walk of life and a high quality of life. We have been given the beautiful landscape as a gift. We have inherited its rich history. Everything else is in our hands. And part of a good future is respect and interest in religious beliefs and lifestyles. There has been Jewish life in Saxony for over 1,000 years. It belongs to Saxony. If it's not there, the state is missing something.

There are many great Jewish cultural figures, past and present. Which ones have particularly impressed you?
MK: It's difficult for me to choose. Because Jews have achieved outstanding things in almost all areas, whether in business, science or culture. In 2025, we will be looking at the Capital of Culture Chemnitz. The Schocken brothers built this fantastic department stores' there, which now houses the Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology. The writer Stephan Heym also comes from Chemnitz. On behalf of the whole of Saxony, I would like to remember the first Minister President Georg Gradnauer. He was also a Jew. As a Görlitz resident, the writer Clara Hepner, who invented Jewish fairy tales, is important to me. As a science fan, I am of course fascinated by Albert Einstein. He revolutionised physics. His life story is a perfect example of what Germany lost with its anti-Semitism and what it did to itself.

The theme year in Görlitz ends on 12 December 2026.
MK: I hope that we will look at the diverse Jewish life in Saxony with curiosity and interest and better recognise its traces in the towns and villages, in the companies and museums, in the concert halls and universities. In the best case scenario, we will all succeed in making Jewish life simply part of everyday life in Saxony.

Is there a Yiddish word that you particularly like?
MK: I like "meschugge". It's a good word. You can laugh about everyday madness and if you call another person that, it's also rather affectionate and conciliatory.