Threads of Resilience | Panel Talk | Ersatznationalismus: on the instrumentalisation of Jewish fear and Antisemitism

Organised by Oyoun

Emilia Roig, Candice Breitz and Iris Hefets will critically explore how expressions of philosemitism in Germany are increasingly being used as a tool for political and social agendas, often targeting and marginalizing other groups such as Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, and various racialized minorities. In this conversation, they will shed light on the ways in which Jewish identity and the fear of antisemitism are instrumentalized, sometimes serving as a cover for xenophobic and nationalistic sentiments.
It seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the implications for various communities, fostering a dialogue that is both inclusive and critically aware of the complex realities in Germany today.

Tickets: Donation-based
Registration: First come, first served
Language: English
Room: R1: Galerie Lameck

Biographies

Candice Breitz

Candice Breitz (born in Johannesburg, 1972) is a Berlin-based artist. Her moving image installations have been shown internationally. Throughout Breitz’s career, she has explored the dynamics by means of which an individual becomes him or herself in relation to a larger community, be that the immediate community that one encounters in family, or the real and imagined communities that are shaped not only by questions of national belonging, race, gender and religion, but also by the increasingly undeniable influence of mainstream media such as television, cinema and other popular culture. Most recently, Breitz’s work has focused on the conditions under which empathy is produced, reflecting on a media-saturated global culture in which strong identification with fictional characters and celebrity figures runs parallel to widespread indifference to the plight of those facing real world adversity. In 2022, she completed The White Noise Trilogy , a trio of multichannel video installations that includes Love Story (2016), TLDR (2017) and Whiteface (2022).

Emilia Roig

Emilia Roig (she/her) is the Founder and Executive Director of the Berlin-based Center for Intersectional Justice (CIJ), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting justice, equality and a life free from systemic oppression for all. Her experience growing up in a multiracial Algerian-Jewish-Martinique family in France shaped her commitment and passion for intersectional social justice. Emilia is a faculty member of DePaul University of Chicago's Social Justice Study Abroad Program and has taught graduate and postgraduate courses in Intersectional Theory, Postcolonial Studies, Critical Race Theory, Queer Feminism, and International and European Law at universities across Europe. She holds a PhD in Political Science, a Masters of Public Policy and an MBA in International Law. Before her doctorate, she worked extensively on human rights issues at the UN in Tanzania and Uganda, at the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Cambodia and at Amnesty International in Germany - and decided to leave the field of "development" to focus on focus on social justice in Europe. Emilia has also given numerous keynotes, lectures and interviews at major conferences and events and was a jury member for the German Non-Fiction Prize 2020 and the 25 Women Award of Edition F in 2019 and was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2020.

Iris Hefets

Iris Hefets was born in Israel and has lived in Berlin for 21 years. She is a board member of Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost and works as a psychoanalyst in Neukölln.

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This event is part of the Threads of Resilience Festival

Given the current situation and urgency to express, we decided to co-organise a community-led and collectively curated 3-day festival “Threads of Resilience” from 14-16 December at Oyoun.Those include a press conference, bazaar, panels, film screening, talks, exhibition, workshops, concerts, healing session, theater, puppet show for children, and parties. With this festival, we want to reflect on and learn from movements of resistance, resilience, and solidarity across the world and come together for three days of ephemerality and collaborative archiving. We want to address and speak out against repression, silencing, instrumentalisation, and division. We need to continue to empower, promote, and celebrate pluralistic perspectives from, with, and intersectionally marginalised communities.Admission is based on free donation (nobody will be denied entry if they cannot donate). All proceeds will be given to organizations in support of victims of racist police violence and to organizations giving legal support to people threatened with deportation.

Accessibility:

Oyoun is constantly working to make access to all events offered in the building as barrier-free as possible. For this event a simultaneous DGS (German Sign Language) translation has been organised. Our team can guide you to the designated seating area. For individual information on accessibility, please send us an email to access(at)oyoun.de. We will get back to you as soon as possible. More info on this topic here.

Awareness:

At Oyoun there is no place for sexism, queerphobia, transphobia, any form of racism or discrimination such as anti-Black, anti-Muslim racism or antisemitism. The same applies to any kind of violent, aggressive or assaultive behaviour. Oyoun provides an open forum for dialogue and a place where we support and stand up for each other. If someone or something bothers you during an event, please contact a member of our staff who is there to help you! If you would like to share an experience with us after an event, please email us or send us an anonymous message through our website.