Street Mural Honoring Late Jewish Mayor of Dortmund Persecuted by Nazis Unveiled at European Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism

A new public mural paying tribute the late Mayor of Dortmund Paul Hirsch was unveiled outside Dortmund’s City Hall on Thursday afternoon as part of the 2023 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism.

Participating in the ceremony were Lord Mayor of Dortmund Thomas Westphal, artist Mister Oreo 39, the creator of the mural, and descendants of Hirsch, including his grandson, Leopoldo Khan, and great-great-granddaughter Adi Amit, both of whom spoke.

Paul Hirsch served as Dortmund’s first and so far only Jewish mayor from 1925 to 1932. After his retirement due to health issues, he was persecuted by the Nazis because of his religion and stripped of his pension. He passed away in abject poverty in Berlin in 1940, at the age of 71.

“My family and I are filled with emotion to be here in Dortmund participating in this meeting of European mayors, invited for this special recognition and honor of my grandfather Paul Hirsch,” Khan said.

“The mistakes of the 1930s are beginning to repeat themselves, unfortunately, worldwide, and we need to work to stop these attitudes and hatred,” he cautioned. “Never again.”

Amit noted, “Like many, Paul faced numerous challenges in his life simply because he was Jewish. But today, around 90 years later, we stand here in Germany to commemorate and acknowledge the man he was and the meaningful contributions he made. This is a point of light for me, especially given the terrible reality we have been experiencing since October 7th.”

Similar street murals, honoring non-Jewish “Righteous Among the Nations” heroes from the Holocaust era, have gone up in recent years in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal; Patras, Greece; New York City; and Los Angeles, California, in an Artists 4 Israel initiative supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).

The city of Dortmund has just unveiled a new mural in the heart of the city, paying tribute to Paul Hirsch, the city’s first and only Jewish mayor.

From 1918 to 1933, Hirsch fearlessly led the city, guiding its growth and uniting the diverse districts into the vibrant Dortmund… pic.twitter.com/Pe2j2dtHS7

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) November 30, 2023

Earlier on Thursday, the summit’s programming included addresses by: Robert Singer, CAM Board of Governors Member; Rabbi Avigdor Moshe Nosikov, Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Dortmund; Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Commissioner for Antisemitism of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Former Federal Minister of Justice; Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Regional and Local Authorities of the Council of Europe; and Oriana Marie Krüger, CAM Director of European Affairs.

The morning’s panel discussions featured the participation of: Betina Beskina, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn, Estonia; Pavlo Vugelman, Deputy Mayor of Odessa, Ukraine; Marie-Christine Lemardeley, Deputy Mayor of Paris, France; Sem Moema, London Assembly Member for North East; Eddo Verdoner, National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism of the Netherlands; Joris Bengevoord, Mayor of Winterswijk, the Netherlands; Pieter Verhoeve, Mayor of Gouda, the Netherlands; Matthijs Sikkes-van den Berg, Alderman of Diemen; Danijel Cubelic, European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR) Vice President; Jana Christ, European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR) Coordinator; Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israeli Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism; Dr. Felix Klein, Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism in Germany; Gregor Lange, Chief of Police in Dortmund; Daniel Lörcher, Managing Director of What Matters GmbH; Markus Günnewig, Director of Memorial Steinwache; and Micha Neumann, Team Leader at ADIRA.

Lemardeley offered to host the 2025 European Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Paris, an invitation accepted by CAM CEO Sacha Roytman.

Today, we’re honored to be joined by visionary municipal leaders from across Europe, united in their commitment to combat hate within their cities and foster collaborative efforts.

We’re looking forward to an action-packed day filled with intriguing panels and discussions that… pic.twitter.com/GwHgbyonoZ

— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) November 30, 2023

More than 150 mayors, high-level municipal leaders, diplomats, and communal leaders from over 60 cities and 30 countries are participating in the Dortmund summit, being held under the banner of “Fostering Cultural Diversity.”

For more information on the 2023 European Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism’s program and speakers, please visit: europeanmayors.combatantisemitism.org