Exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters uncovers Jewish heritage destroyed during the Nazi regime

UNESCO launched the exhibition “Painting to Remember” by artist Alexander Dettmar at its Headquarters in Paris on 22 September 2022. The collection of 65 oil paintings document synagogues that were destroyed under the Nazi regime, and in collaborating countries during the Holocaust.  The exhibition is an homage to the Jewish cultural and religious heritage that was lost during the persecution and genocide of Europe’s Jews.

On the night of 9 November 1938alone, otherwise known as “Kristallnacht”, 1400 synagogues from across Germany, Austria and the Nazi-occupied Sudetenland region were attacked and burnt down. It was a warning sign for what would occur in the following years: the genocide of Jews in Europe.

The pogrom was a purposeful attack on culture and civilization as a means to terrorize a population, and resulted in the deaths of 92 Jews, and the arrest and deportation of Jews to concentration camps.  

Illuminate the stories of lost communities

Artist Alexander Dettmar has meticulously retraced the heritage and architecture of these synagogues, and reconstructed their buildings through art. His paintings help to illuminate the stories of lost communities, and preserve an artistic record of what is lost when we allow hateful and genocidal ideologies to spread.

The destruction of synagogues attacked the center point of communal life for many Jewish families, and attempted to erase the inter-generational connections and identities upheld in these buildings. UNESCO recognizes that heritage constitutes a source of identity and cohesion for communities.

Speaking at the launch of the exhibition, Mr Ernesto Renato Ottone Ramirez, UNESCO’ Assistant Director-General for Culture, said, “The preservation of cultural heritage is vital for the protection of life as lays the foundations for open, inclusive and pluralistic societies.”

The exhibition is supported by the Permanent Delegation of Germany to UNESCO. It is open to the public from 22-29 September 2022 at UNESCO Headquarters, 7 place Fontenoy, 75007 Paris.

• Learn more about UNESCO’s programme to educate about the Holocaust and genocide.