Becoming a Member

On 5 June 2008, on the basis of the predecessor initiative (the society for the promotion of the Topf & Sons historical site), a registered non-profit association called the Erinnerungsort Topf & Söhne e. V. / Topf & Sons Place of Remembrance was founded. The association’s stated purpose is the “accompaniment in the interest of ensuring, supporting and fostering the scholarly study and documentation of the company history of J. A. Topf & Sons of Erfurt and its role in National socialism”. The association works toward:

• securing parts of the former company facilities and opening them for exhibition and/or documentation purposes
• the establishment of a “remembrance workshop” which will make the site accessible and permit an active and ongoing critical examination of the thematic complex “industry, destruction and responsibility”
• ensuring that the prerequisites for this work – in terms of personnel and material – are fulfilled.

The society’s founding members are the Jüdische Landesgemeinde Erfurt, Andreas Barthel, Elfriede Begrich, Rüdiger Bender, Lelah Bender-Ferguson, André Blechschmidt MdL, Gert Gutberlet, Heike Hilpert, Maria Holluba, Joachim Kaiser, Thomas Köcher, Steffen Lemme MdB, Frank Lipschik, Prof. Dr. Holt Meyer, Birgit Pelke MdL, Falk Przewosnik, Astrid Rothe-Beinlich MdL, Ingrid and Johannes Schlemmer, Dr. Andreas Schneider, Norbert Schneider (†), Dr. Eckart Schörle, Dr. Annegret Schüle, Franziska Schwider, PD Dr. Alexander Thumfart and Beate Wichmann.

The chairman of the society is Rüdiger Bender, the vice chairwoman is Dr. Annegret Schüle.

A membership application must be submitted for admittance to the society.

If you are interested please contact us.