Drawing on extensive historical research and archival sources, the exhibition examines the 1952 reparations agreement between West Germany, Israel and the Jewish Claims Conference. More than a diplomatic settlement, the agreement became a defining moment in the struggle over responsibility, recognition and compensation after the Holocaust.
The exhibition traces the political, moral and societal conflicts surrounding reparations, highlighting debates that shaped post-war Germany and Israel while influencing international approaches to reparations and transitional justice. Rather than presenting a simple historical narrative, it explores the tensions, disagreements and unresolved questions that accompanied efforts to address unprecedented crimes.
Dr. Iris Nachum (Deputy Director of the Jacob Robinson Institute) © Daniel Hanoch / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Gideon Reuveni (University of Sussex) © Daniel Hanoch / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Elisheva Baumgarten (Dean of the Faculty of Humanities) © Daniel Hanoch / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Itzhak Hen (Director of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies) © Daniel Hanoch / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
© Daniel Hanoch / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
© Daniel Hanoch / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
© Daniel Hanoch / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Historical research with contemporary relevance
Developed by the international research group Paying for the Past: Reparations after the Holocaust in Global Context at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies, the exhibition brings current scholarship into public dialogue. Through historical documents, artistic interventions and critical reflection, it asks questions that remain urgent today: How can societies respond to injustice? What does accountability mean after collective violence? And how can democratic societies negotiate memory, justice and responsibility across generations?
Its title is inspired by Israeli poet Ronny Someck’s poem Tractors, which asks whether history can undergo a “beauty treatment” - whether the wounds of the past can be softened and reframed without obscuring the violence that caused them. The exhibition uses this image to explore the possibilities and limits of reconciliation and redress.
Advancing research on responsibility and democratic values
For the Alfred Landecker Foundation, supporting research on the aftermath of the Holocaust - including questions of reparations, accountability and democratic responsibility - is central to its mission. The exhibition reflects the Foundation’s commitment to fostering rigorous scholarship that deepens our understanding of Holocaust history while illuminating challenges that continue to shape contemporary societies.
The exhibition was curated by Dr. Michal Mor and Eli Ben-Arye and features artistic work by Maya Zack. It will remain on display for one year at the Max and Iris Stern Little Gallery at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.