Talking Tacheles. Antisemitism – a Threat to Democracy, Parliamentary Library exhibition, Vienna (A)

The aim of the redesigned exhibition “Talking Tacheles. Antisemitism – a Threat to Democracy” is to provide information about antisemitism and to highlight the associated dangers for democracy. The focus of the redesign was to make the subject more accessible and interactive for a wider audience and especially for young people.

In collaboration with the team from the Austrian Parliament’s Democracy Education Department and in consultation with experts, we developed the storyline and the content and didactic concepts for the exhibition.

The exhibition begins with the present situation and current manifestations of antisemitism, which are addressed with the help of videos illustrating the experiences of young Jews today. This serves to highlight the continuities of antisemitism from the past. The visuals, and hands-on and media stations offer a range of approaches to the subject and so promote a full understanding of the phenomenon of antisemitism.

Based on the structure of the exhibition, the diversity of Jewish life is presented on the facing exhibition panel. The focus of the area is on a number of typical objects, with a media station provided for a more detailed explanation given by young people.

The various stations in the exhibition are suitable for use by individual visitors and school classes. The clarity of the content structure makes it easy for visitors to grasp the basic information and messages of the exhibition. The exhibition makes prominent use of interactive stations to stimulate a process of self-reflection among visitors and confront them with the question, “What’s that got to do with me?”

A continuous focus of the exhibition is the danger that antisemitism poses to democracy today.

Listening stations, induction headphones for hearing aid users, videos with subtitles and panels with Braille ensure that the exhibition is as barrier-free as possible.

The exhibition was opened in the Parliamentary Library in Vienna on 19 March 2024.

Parliamentary Library, Vienna, Talking Tacheles. Antisemitism – a Threat to Democracy,
 Photos: © Christopher Mavrič