The program will present the extraordinary efforts of today's non-Jewish community in Breisach to recreate the spirit of its former Jewish community. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Christiane Walesch-Schneller, M.D., Ph.D., organizer of this project, will be coming from Germany to be our keynote speaker.

In 1999, Dr. Walesch-Schneller founded the Foerderverein Ehemaliges Juedisches Gemeindehaus Breisach am Rhein (Association to Restore Breisach's Jewish Community House) which today has over 250 members. This organization has been dedicated to purchasing and restoring the home of Breisach's former cantor, which was used as the synagogue after the primary synagogue was burned on Kristallnacht. In June of this year, the Gemeindehaus will be formally dedicated as a center for research and preservation of Breisach's Jewish history, including its violent end. The Gemeindehaus will serve as a venue for ongoing lectures, films, and other cultural events, always with the goal of enhancing communication and understanding among people.

Since 1998, survivors and their families have returned to Breisach on several occasions to meet with the Mayor and community members, and have made presentations in the schools. Brief videos of these events will be shown. Dr.Walesch-Schneller will discuss with us the evolution of these efforts. Members and descendants of the former Breisach Jewish community will also participate.