[Hi]stories of the German-Jewish Diaspora

What happens when people (are forced to) leave their homes – but take their languages, cultures, and memories along?

[Hi]stories of the German-Jewish Diaspora is an online portal that shines a spotlight on the trajectories and experiences of Jews who emigrated or fled from German-speaking Europe – particularly in the years after 1933, when the Nazi Party took power in Germany.

Instead of reproducing the conventional narratives of exile and yearning for return, this digital resource centers the fluid dynamics of diasporic processes across several generations. It poses questions about identities and affinities – in day-to-day life, in cultural dialogue, and in multiethnic society – carving out space for new perspectives on the lived experiences of people navigating the space between origins and new beginnings.

Map

Our interactive map invites visitors to discover [hi]stories for themselves. The map visually situates where Jews settled after emigrating or escaping from the German-speaking regions of Europe. These emigrés found new places to live, and therefore new vantage points, in around a hundred countries throughout the globe, spanning an ABC of destinations, starting with Australia, Brazil, and Cyprus.