We are glad to announce that with the new issue of Medaon the editorial staff has expanded greatly. With Mathias Berek, Michaela Christ, Kai Drewes, Tobias Ebbrecht, Alina Gromova and Anna-Dorothea Ludewig we will have competent contacts in the fields of the historiography of film, culture and literature science, the history and impact of the Shoah, as well as in the fields of educational and intermediational work on Jewish history at our disposal.
Birgit Wiedl (St. Pölten) investigates the depiction and remembrance of the 1338 pogroms in Pulkau against Jews in her now sixth contribution to Medaon. An event that constitutes merely the beginning of a series of regional persecutions. She analyses especially how the event finds (hidden) resemblance in contemporary and connected Jewish and Christian historiography.
Hendrik Niether (Jena) fathoms out chances and boundaries of open postal communication for jewish emigrants under the political conditions of the Cold War on the basis of letters composed by Max Prochowniks after 8 May 1945 and addressed to his niece living in Leipzig.
In front of the background of a considerable proportion of protagonists with Jewish backgrounds in the first American Punk generation Jonas Engelmann (Mainz), in a third contribution, goes into detail especially on textual references to Jewish culture and history in sub-cultural praxis. He therein sets focus on the use of national socialist symbols.
While Anna Menny (Munich/Hamburg) essentially introduces the question of her doctoral project, the relationship between Jews and non-Jews in the social environment of Spain after 1950, Jana Mikota, in the series “Jewish female authors – rediscovered”, presents the life and work of Meta Samson (1894-1942) who was killed in Auschwitz. Karsten Fritz (Dresden) sheds light on the depiction of Jewish Life in film-production at the DEFA-Studios.
Daniela Wittig (Dresden) at this point presents a rediscovered source significant for local and regional history with her documentation of the “Verzeichniß der Ruhenden auf dem israelitischen Friedhof zu Dresden” from 1852, a record which also includes a layout of the cemetery. Kai Drewes (Braunschweig) illustrates the close interconnectedness of contemporary xeno- and Russian-phobic tendencies at German Universities with anti-Semitism focussing on the writing of student Falk Weinreb from 17 January 1905.
In a contribution under the heading “education” Karin Zenker (Dresden) examines the didactic potentials of the Reader “Sehen. Deuten. Handeln. Filme und Materialien zur Projektarbeit mit Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen zum Thema Jüdisches Leben in Deutschland heute”, edited by the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, and the recomended films therein. Armin Krahl (Hamburg) reflects upon the research of two local teams (Zarbze/Poland and Liberec/Czech Republic) of the transnationally oriented remembrance project [Weiße Flecken (White Stains)] of step21. A non-profit initiative that researches into the still little investigated courses of the November pogroms on site. Christina Werner (Braunschweig) presents the audio-guide for the Jewish Museum in Braunschweig as realized by a school-project.
As usual a variety of reviews will provide critical insight into recent scientific publications.
The current issue of Medaon would not have been possible without the support of Cathleen Bürgelt, Wendy Anne Kopisch and Phillip Roth, as well as all the reviewers – the editors wish to express their gratitude to them.
The Medaon staff, April 2010