German Resistance Memorial Center
- Exhibitions

Closed Borders - The International Conference on Refugees in Évian, 1938

An exhibition by the Center for Research on Antisemitism of the Technische Universität Berlin and the German Resistance Memorial Center

From July 6-15, 1938, representatives of 32 countries met in the fashionable resort of Évian-les-Bains on the French shore of Lake Geneva. They had gathered for a conference initiated by US President Roosevelt, focusing on the refugee crisis in Europe that had been triggered by the National Socialist regime's expulsion of Jews from the German Reich and the recently annexed Austria.

Although the conference attendees expressed sympathy for the refugees, they gave many reasons for refusing to accept more of them. They also avoided naming the National Socialist regime as responsible for the crisis and the Jews as their main victims. Thus the Évian Conference became a symbol of how the international community largely abandoned the Jews, who were hounded and persecuted and in dire need of refuge.

Marking the 80th anniversary of the Évian Conference, the German Resistance Memorial Center and the Center for Research on Antisemitism of the Technische Universität Berlin have prepared a joint exhibition looking at the conditions leading up to the event, the course of the conference itself, and its consequences. The exhibition also takes a close look at the participating countries and their delegates.

The exhibition is on display at the German Resistance Memorial Center in the special exhibition area on the first floor until October 5, 2018.

A catalog edited by Frédéric Bonnesoeur, Christine Kausch, Thomas Lindner, Winfried Meyer and Julia Pietsch will accompany the exhibition. 400 pages; 10 €