Celebrations in Thuringia aiming to foster connections amid challenging phases
A Chorus of Brotherhood: The Achava Festival Thuringia 2025
The Achava Festival Thuringia, a unique celebration of Jewish-inspired culture, is set to return to the Thuringia region of Germany from July 26 to September 21, 2025. This artistic and educational festival, which means brotherhood in Hebrew, will bring together a diverse range of events, including concerts, performances, exhibitions, workshops, and discussions, in several Thuringian cities such as Eisenach, Erfurt, Gotha, Meiningen, and Mühlhausen.
Martin Kranz, the artistic director of the festival, leads the charge in blending traditional Jewish cultural expressions with contemporary art and culture, creating a bridge between past and present. The festival's focus on Jewish culture aims to foster encounters with living Jewish culture, providing a platform for dialogue and understanding.
The festival will kick off with the closing concert of Kunstfest Weimar on July 26, marking a collaboration between these cultural events. The opening concert on September 6 will feature star bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff and the Thuringian Bach Collegium. Another highlight will be the concert on September 13, which will present a side of Friedrich Nietzsche as a composer, newly arranged by Weimar jazz professor Manfred Bründl.
The festival will also include three concerts featuring Israeli musician Bar Zemach, as well as a photo exhibition in cooperation with the French Institute Thuringia. French photographer Sicard Bouvatier will exhibit portraits of Holocaust survivors alongside young people who were the same age as them when they were taken to concentration camps, providing a poignant reminder of the past and the importance of remembering.
The festival will also engage students through workshops, discussion rounds, and film screenings. One such film tells the story of Jewish everyday life in a child-friendly way, while the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation in Thuringia contributes to a film for the student forum. The student forum will take place in the state parliament on September 16.
The festival will end in Mühlhausen on September 21, just before the Jewish New Year festival Rosh Hashanah begins. Notable events during this time include Cantor Yoed Sorek greeting Rosh Hashanah with synagogue songs and well-known Jewish songs, and Leon Placek, one of the last Holocaust survivors, coming to Thuringia to give testimony.
The broadcasting hall where the festival takes place is set to become a future cultural and educational center in Weimar. For the most accurate and up-to-date schedule and event descriptions, it is recommended to check official Achava Festival communications or the Kunstfest Weimar platforms close to the festival dates. You can find the festival's program on their website at www.achava-festspiele.de.
Reinhard Schramm, chairman of the Jewish community in Thuringia, describes the festival as a bridge festival, connecting the past and the present, and fostering understanding and dialogue among different cultures and faiths. The Achava Festival Thuringia is more than just a cultural event; it is a testament to the power of art and culture in bridging divides and fostering brotherhood.
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