Koffler Centre of the Arts

Join us on April 18 for a conversation with Manuel Herz, architect and Robert Jan van Pelt, curator.

The Synagogue at Babyn Yar is both a place of worship and a monument at a place with both a horrifying past and present. The site of the Holocaust’s first large-scale massacre, on 29 and 30 September 1941, is now also under threat of bomb and missile attack by the Russian Federation.

To mark the 80th commemoration of the massacre at Babyn Yar, Swiss architect Manuel Herz designed a magnificent, jewel-like synagogue that opened in April 2021. As one writer observed, “It is extraordinary to think that a synagogue was chosen to break the agonizingly silent legacy Babyn Yar held for so long.”

During this In Conversation, hear from Manuel Herz and exhibition curator Robert Jan van Pelt. The programme will be moderated by Josh Heuman, the Koffler’s Interim Head of Public Engagement, and will focus on the history of Babyn Yar, the synagogue, and future plans for the site. Questions will be taken from the audience.

Missed the event? View the video recording HERE

In Conversation: Manuel Herz and Robert Jan van Pelt