1938Projekt at German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, DC

On March 20, 2019, German Ambassador Emily Haber and Ronald B. Sobel, President of the LBI, gave remarks at the opening of the exhibition 1938Projekt: Posts from the Past, at the Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, DC.

The installation was adapted from the LBI’s daily online calendar of documents from 1938 and customized for the Kaminzimmer (Fireplace room) in architect Felix Unger’s striking modernist building. The room’s display cases accommodated the addition of a number of original artifacts, including letters, passports, and diaries.

The LBI has been regularly presenting exhibitions in this space since 2009. Ambassador Haber said that she and her husband were proud to host the exhibition and present it to their numerous visitors as an exemplary memorial project that centers the experience of the victims of Nazi persecution. “On the one hand, the 1938Projekt presents simple facts,” said Haber “On the other hand, through heartrending personal accounts, one also gains a glimpse of the thoughts, hopes, and emotions of German Jews on the eve of catastrophe. To us, these glimpses convey an emotional immediacy—we are drawn into the memory.”

From LBI News No. 108