Festival of Resilience
The Festival of Resilience is a space for a vibrant, solidarity-based, and forward-looking culture of remembrance. At its core it is a specifically Jewish approach to remembrance that views memory as a source of resilience and brings together testimony, solidarity, and the celebration of life.
In recent years the festival was organized by our partner organization Hillel Deutschland e.V. We are very pleased that this labor of love has now been passed on to Widen the Circle and entrusted to our care.
Our goal is not only to create spaces for remembrance but also to reflect together on their future. Through dialogue with survivors from Halle, Hanau, and other instances of extremist violence, as well as with people who have shaped the festival, we wish to discuss key questions:
How can diverse and sustainable spaces of remembrance be created?
How do we prevent remembrance from becoming devoid of meaning?
How can we successfully incorporate different perspectives?
How can remembrance remain alive beyond anniversaries?
At the heart of this is the question: How can remembrance contribute to a society of many?
Our aim is for the Festival of Resilience to strengthen connections among all those who stand against racist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic ideologies and violence, while also serving as a place of remembrance for the victims of this violence.
We want to shape the festival as a space of solidarity and participation. If you are interested in participating in and contributing to the festival, please contact us at: wiebke@widenthecircle.org
In Honor of Their Memory
The festival is dedicated to the memory of Jana L. and Kevin S., who lost their lives in the far-right attack in Halle and Wiedersdorf on October 9, 2019.
The annual Festival of Resilience helps keep this memory alive by giving a voice to survivors, family members, and those affected by right-wing violence.
It will take place in Berlin in the fall of 2026.
History of the Festival
The Festival of Resilience was founded by survivors of the 2019 synagogue attack in Halle, Germany, with the goal of creating a space for remembrance in their own way: beyond media coverage, court proceedings, and political spectacle.
The festival took place for the first time in 2020—a year marked by the attacks in Halle and Hanau as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. It became clear that these acts were rooted in the same racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic ideology.
In this context, the festival evolved into an expression of solidarity among survivors and victims of racist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic violence.
Starting in 2026, the Festival of Resilience is being organized by Widen the Circle.
