Simon Wiesenthal Lecture: Andrea Löw Discusses Post-Liberation Lives of Jewish Deportees, 1945

This lecture by Andrea Löw focuses on the difficult post-liberation experiences of Jewish deportees in 1945. Drawing on their testimonies, the talk will explore their weakened and often isolated situations after surviving ghettos and camps, and their uncertain paths forward.

The lecture, titled 'The First Time After Liberation, Life Was Almost Unbearable for Me.' Deported Jewish Women and Men in 1945, features historian Andrea Löw. It delves into the precarious circumstances faced by German and Austrian Jews who survived deportation, ghettos, and camps during World War II. Many found themselves weakened, sick, alone, and displaced, with the added trauma of potentially being rejected even by their former neighbors in the very countries responsible for their persecution. The talk will utilize their personal testimonies to illustrate the challenges of finding a home and beginning to rebuild their lives, quoting Edith Blau's poignant reflection from May 1945: 'Now I am tired, so terribly exhausted, and yet I see that I have to keep fighting, because I want to start living – yes, at 24 years old one starts to live.' Andrea Löw is the scientific director of the Center for Holocaust Studies at the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich and teaches at the University of Mannheim. Her research and publications include works on the experiences of deportees and life in the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. The event is scheduled for Thursday, January 29, 2026, from 18:30 to 20:00 at the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute, Research Lounge, Rabensteig 3, 1010 Vienna. Registration is required by January 28, 2026.

Registration is required by January 28, 2026, via email. Please bring a valid photo ID. By participating, you agree to the publication of photos, video, and audio recordings made during the event.