Denk Mal Am Ort

 18. -19. April 2026

Denk Mal Am Ort has, for ten years, been hosting intimate events in the actual homes and living places of people who were marginalized, persecuted, deported, and murdered during the Nazi era. There are seven extraordinary programs taking place in Cologne for the first time on April 18–19, two of which will be held at my family’s homes. In fact, the cover photo for the event features (L-R) my mother Ingelore, my cousin Vernon (whose memoirs are the focus of the first event on Saturday, April 18), and my aunt Gisela! Freundeskreis The Unerasure Projekt e.V. is a cooperating partner of DMAO. Please feel free to stop by—we look forward to seeing you

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Denk Mal Am Ort

The Silberbach family lived here
18.04. 2026

Godesberger Straße 8
50968 Köln-Marienburg
12 – 14 Uhr

Reading and discussion,
bilingual (DE/EN)

In front of the villa where my mother and aunt grew up, my friend and co-founder Rita von Schwartzenberg will weave stories of my cousin Vernon Katz’s awestruck visit to this home in the early 1930s with my own parallel experience in 2022 when I came to lay Stolpersteine for my family. Rita will read from his wonderful memoir (Der Blaue Salon und andere Torheiten) in German while I share in English.

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Denk Mal Am Ort

Two Pianists
19.04. 2026
16 – 18 Uhr

Lochnerstraße 12 – 14
50674 Köln-Altstadt-Süd

Reading and discussion,
bilingual (DE/EN)

In the courtyard of this beautiful apartment house, Rita and I will share stories about my grand great-aunt, Lina, a piano teacher, and her downstairs neighbor, Anna, a pianist, and the remarkable connection between them we discovered in our research. There will be live music as well as visits in small groups to see the wonderful architectural details the current owner painstakingly restored in what was Lina’s flat until her deportation in 1941. I will speak English, and Rita will speak German. To go on the tour, please pre-register by sending an email to rita@unerasure.org.

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The “Unerasure Projekt” – how hidden legacies shape our present and our future

Terry Mandel, descendant of the Silberbach family, has done extensive research on her family since 2021. Laying Stolpersteine for her immediate family after being contacted by a student from her mother’s former school sparked a deeper dive into her family history and led her to found The Unerasure Projekt to share how these hidden legacies shape our present-day lives and shared future. She will discuss her journey and, with close colleague Rita von Schwartzenberg, present the Projekt and its aims.

The event takes place online. Please register for the event by sending an email to nsdok@stadt-koeln.de.

Die unERASURE Tour announcement

1.-22. November 2026

Join Köln residents, ages 8-98, from both sides of the Rhine, to discover hidden Jewish life in our city! As we see the past with new eyes, our lives today and tomorrow come into sharper focus. You’ll both experience, and contribute to, remembrance culture in your home.

Register now for scheduled events and Die unERASURE Tour’s web portal.

„Demokratie ist ein Prozess”

Außergewöhnlicher Workshop des internationalen Unerasure-Projekts im WBK.

read more (PDF)

With democracy under threat and hatred rising exponentially, your contributions are more timely than ever. We are now a Verein gemeinnützig in Germany and welcome your membership, donations, and volunteer support.

Tragically, erasure is a universal experience. Cultural genocide. Enslavement. Racial, ethnic, and sexual violence. Antisemitism. Islamophobia. Narcissistic oppression. The climate crisis. Corporate castes. Dementia. Trauma. Dissociation. Hatred. Self-hatred. Everyone everywhere has felt the sting of erasure, as targets and likely as perpetrators, as well. It takes many forms, some obvious, some hidden, and can leave scars with intention or ignorance, or both.

It’s clear that dialogue and learning make a real difference, though, so even in these very dark times, we have tremendous hope for the curious, engaged, and cooperative world our programs foster. We’re striking a chord in Germany and already hearing from educators in other countries interested in how Professor Erkelenz’s curriculum and The Unerasure Projekt’s experiential learning programs could help more deeply engage their students in making sense of, and shaping, the world they’ve inherited.

Though it may feel as if nothing you can do matters, your donation* will support a big-picture, long-term vision to reclaim hidden legacies that thwart too many individuals and institutions from contributing at the highest possible level for our shared benefit. Your partnership in this crucial work will literally make a world of difference.

*Donations are tax-deductible for US taxpayers to the extent allowed by law. German taxpayers, please see our Mitgliedsantrag for how you can support Freundeskreis The Unerasure Projekt e.V. now that we’re a tax-exempt Verein in Deutschland.