ABSTRACT
Antifascism in the GDR has been the subject of prolonged, and often heated, discussions. While it is certainly true that the Shoah was never a prominent topic within East Germany’s memory culture, or at the core of the ruling party’s interests, some individuals dedicated their work to the commemoration of Jewish victims. Their attempts challenged the party’s interpretation of antifascist rhetoric and elements, but never dismissed it altogether. On the contrary, for many returned émigrés and (Jewish) survivors, antifascism constituted a necessary means to ensure the foundation of a new, democratic, and seemingly better Germany, and thus the possibility of Jewish life in Germany once again. In this text, three different approaches are discussed: the works of the writer Arnold Zweig, the historian Helmut Eschwege, and the legal correspondent Rudolf Hirsch. All had to negotiate between their own beliefs, experiences, and the implications of East German memory politics. In contrast to the party, they stressed the importance of dealing with the recent past as decisive for the emergence of a truly matured society. Yet, they usually assisted the government in its propagandistic attacks against West Germany, especially by highlighting the postwar careers of former Nazi criminals. Both are two sides to the same coin. Although their works were certainly less prominent than those favored by the party, they did resonate with parts of the public. Those looking for an alternative reading of antifascism, and those interested in the Jewish perspective of National Socialist persecution, valued the books they were offered. Acknowledging this connectivity challenges a rigid understanding of memory culture in the GDR, and makes a case for individual agency both by the writers and their audience.
