Achava Festival: Cultural highlight in Thuringia despite a decline in visitors

Achava Festival: Cultural highlight in Thuringia despite a decline in visitors

The Achava Festival in Thuringia is a living example of Jewish-intercultural dialogue in Germany. This year's edition of this special event ended on Sunday evening with a rousing concert, which provided a fitting conclusion for a total of around 23,000 visitors. Although that is 7,000 fewer than last year, the organizers are proud of the diverse cultural program that was offered in several cities. The series of events, which has a name that means “brotherhood” in Hebrew, is very popular, but its reach is limited by cuts by the state of Thuringia. Deutschlandfunk Kultur reports that the festival has always been an important part of Thuringia's cultural landscape, which is known for its rich Jewish heritage.

Particularly noteworthy is the UNESCO World Heritage title that the state capital Erfurt received in 2023. The city impresses with historical buildings such as the Old Synagogue, the Mikveh and the “Stone House”, which date from the 12th and 13th centuries and impressively tell the history of the Jewish community here.

Award for tolerance and humanity

The work of the Achava Festival was recognized again this year. She received the Margot Friedländer Prize, which was awarded for the first time on November 27, 2024. This award honors people who work tirelessly for tolerance, humanity and against anti-Semitism and hostility to democracy. The Margot Friedländer Foundation established this prize and can look back on an impressive number of applications. Margot Friedländer Stiftung reports that an independent jury chaired by Elke Büdenbender selected six prize winners from 275 entries.

The prizewinners include apropolis e.V., which is committed to promoting democratic values ​​among young people, and Zweizeuge e.V., which is dedicated to remembering the Holocaust. Hèdi Bouden, who was awarded the Personality Prize, is also an example of the commitment against anti-Semitism. By integrating schools and educational offerings into the festival, a further step is taken towards an actively lived culture of remembrance.

Culture and education as shared values

The successes and challenges of the Achava Festival clearly show how important cultural events are to maintain Jewish heritage and intercultural exchange. While the framework conditions are changing due to financial cuts, the core of the festival remains brilliant: the dialogue between cultures and the awareness of roots and history.

The story of Margot Friedländer herself is an inspiring one. Born in Berlin in 1921, she survived the Holocaust and only returned to Berlin in 2009. The foundation that bears her name stands for the values ​​of democracy, freedom and a decisive stand against racism and exclusion. Their compassion and determination to create a space for these already important issues are infectious and show that it is still very important today to stand up for the values ​​that promote peaceful and just coexistence.