Talk to Explore the Jewish Experience in Nazi Germany

A University of Worcester lecturer will give a special talk to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Dr Paddy McNally, Principal Lecturer in History and Politics, will deliver the talk on The Jewish Experience in Nazi Germany at the Hive Library on January 27.

The talk will examine the observations of Victor Klemperer, a Professor of Romance Languages at the Technical University of Dresden.

Klemperer was born to a Jewish family, he converted to Protestantism and married Eva Schlemmer, an ‘Aryan’.

Klemperer kept a secret diary between 1933 and 1945, recording the progressive persecution of the German Jewish population.

Dr McNally’s lecture will explore how Klemperer’s observations offer insights into the response of ‘ordinary Germans’ to the radicalisation of Nazi Jewish policy, up to and including the Holocaust.

Dr McNally said: “When we think about the Holocaust, we often think about the numbers of people killed. Sometimes it’s helpful to focus on the experiences of individual people because that can bring home the reality of how individuals were affected.”

He continued: “Victor Klemperer is a hugely important figure, and his diary is unique. It records from the beginning of the Nazi regime up to the end of the war, and whenever a historian writes about antisemitism at this time, virtually all of them will refer to his diary because it was so comprehensive.”

Dr McNally said the talk is open to anyone, and attendees don’t need to have an in-depth knowledge of history: “I’ll be making this topic as accessible as possible, and you don’t need any prior experience in the field.”

The talk will take place from 6pm-7pm on Monday January 27 at The Hive, you can book your free place on the Hive website by following this link.