20 November 2025 press release

The German Exile Archive 1933–1945 of the German National Library and the Office on Research and Information on Antisemitism Hessen (RIAS Hessen) have signed a cooperation agreement on closer collaboration in developing strategies against antisemitism and to raise awareness of antisemitism and its effects. Through this agreement, the two institutions are aligning their strategic objectives and the tools at their disposal to achieve their goals.

The German Exile Archive is a platform for discussing the subjects of exile and emigration during the Nazi era. Its goals include seeking to understand the phenomenon of exile in all its diversity and to facilitate access to its holdings. Through its Exile Archive, the German National Library took a stand as long ago as 1949, alongside those who were disenfranchised, persecuted and driven into exile by the Nazis. Ever since then, the Exile Archive has continued to oppose antisemitism through its work in cultural education.

RIAS Hessen, the Office on Research and Information on Antisemitism in Hessen, has documented antisemitic incidents in the state of Hesse since spring 2022. RIAS Hessen cooperates with the Jewish communities of Hesse, the public advisory body for victims of antisemitism OFEK e.V., and the Hesse antiziganism reporting office MIA. It also acts in partnership with museums and educational institutions to promote study and research, with the goal of making society more aware of antisemitism.

The Exile Archive and RIAS Hessen plan to hold an annual joint event and a number of workshops, which will bring together different fields of expertise in order to develop synergies as a means of shedding light on antisemitism in the past and the present, and to take action against it.

Dr Sylvia Asmus (Director of the German Exile Archive 1933-1945) said, “For some time now we have been active in the field of educational work which reflects critically on antisemitism both in the past and the present. This new cooperation with RIAS Hessen is an opportunity to extend these activities even further. Working together, we will seek to connect historical experiences with contemporary social challenges, and thereby to further strengthen the fight against antisemitism. We are delighted to be able to extend this work now through our collaboration with RIAS Hessen. By doing so, we will build bridges between the past and the present.”

Dr Susanne Urban (Project manager RIAS Hessen) said, “RIAS Hessen is delighted to be cooperating with the German Exile Archive. We will be able to shed light on the continuities of antisemitism and experiences which are transgenerational. We will also see how literature and people’s written testimonies of their lives reflect experiences of antisemitism. To this end we will stand as one to ensure that the voices of those who have faced such experiences or still do so today are heard.”

Contact

Background

The German National Library’s German Exile Archive 1933–1945 is a platform for discussing the subjects of exile and emigration during the Nazi era. The archive collects testimonies of this exile: publications, institutional and personal estates – from all walks of life and regardless of the prominence of the individual concerned. The Archive’s goal is to capture the phenomenon of exile in all its variety and to facilitate access to our holdings.

The establishment of the Exile Archive during the early post-war period was initiated by a number of émigrés who saw it as an instrument of political enlightenment. This is another reason why the Exile Archive attaches particular importance to cultural education: the many aspects of exile between 1933 and 1945 are conveyed in exhibitions and a wide variety of events and publications, thus making a significant contribution to the cultivation of a vibrant culture of remembrance.

The Research and Information Centre on Anti-Semitism in Hesse (RIAS Hessen) is dedicated to supporting those affected by anti-Semitic incidents and to documenting and analysing anti-Semitism in Hesse. It is one of twelve RIAS centres currently operating in Germany. The description and categorisation of anti-Semitic manifestations is based on the working definition of anti-Semitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2016. RIAS Hessen has close ties to the Jewish community and Jewish congregations in Hesse, cooperates with cultural and educational institutions, and is itself active in education and science.

Images for editorial use

Press image material is only available in German.