Commemorative Event in Bonn: Remember Together, Show Responsibility
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Remember, pause, and make a stand against antisemitism
On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the city of Bonn will remember the pogroms of November 1938 and the Jewish people who were persecuted, disenfranchised, and murdered at that time. The commemorative event combines music, words of remembrance, and a joint sign of solidarity with the Jewish people living in Bonn today.
Memorial Concert in the Foyer of the Opera House
The afternoon will begin at 4 PM in the foyer of the Bonn Opera House. Soprano Valerie Haunz and guitarist Christian Kiefer will present the song cycle Seidenkoffer by Leon Zmelty based on poems by the poet, author, and translator Rose Ausländer. Her life story is closely linked to the memory of the Shoah: Rose Ausländer was born in 1901 in Czernowitz, survived the ghetto and a hideout in her hometown, and died in 1988 in Düsseldorf.
The musical design creates a concentrated space for remembrance and reflection. In the atmosphere of the opera house foyer, it is not the loud staging that takes center stage, but rather the conscious listening.
Commemoration at the Synagogue Memorial
At 5 PM, the event will continue at the Synagogue Memorial at Moses-Hess-Ufer. There, Mayor Guido Déus and Jakov Barasch, Chairman of the Bonn Synagogue Community, will speak. The focus will be on remembering the victims of the Shoah, lighting candles, and the memorial prayer El Male Rachamim.
Musically accompanying the memorial service will be Matthias Höhn. The moderation will be led by Astrid Mehmel from the memorial and the NS Documentation Center Bonn. The transition from the opera house to the memorial symbolically guides participants from a protected event space to a public place of remembrance.
Historical Occasion and Bonn's Responsibility
On the morning of November 10, 1938, the synagogues in Bonn, Poppelsdorf, Beuel, Bad Godesberg, and Mehlem were burned. The commemorative event makes this local history visible and places it within the context of Nazi persecution of Jewish people.
The commemoration is supported by an initiative of numerous Bonn institutions and civil society organizations. These include, among others, the memorial and the NS Documentation Center Bonn, the Bonn Synagogue Community, the German-Israeli Society, the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation, the Bonn Adult Education Center, and the Bonn Theatre. This broad collaboration stands for responsible event planning and clear target group outreach: The commemoration is aimed at all people who wish to consciously remember history and take a position against antisemitism.
An Event Experience with Lasting Significance
The combination of concert, speeches, lighting ceremony, and prayer creates an intense event atmosphere. Visitors can expect not an ordinary cultural appointment, but a shared event experience with historical depth, musical sensitivity, and personal involvement.
Entry begins at 3:30 PM. The commemorative event will last until about 6 PM. Those who wish to participate will experience an afternoon that connects Bonn city history, Jewish life, and the responsibility of the present.
Conclusion
The commemorative event of the city of Bonn invites everyone to engage with the victims of the November pogrom of 1938 through music, words, and visible compassion. Experience the commemoration at the opera house and at the synagogue memorial, and together with the Bonn community, make a stand for remembrance, solidarity, and against antisemitism.
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