From 27 August to 6 September, synagogues, churches and public buildings throughout Erfurt became venues for ACHAVA, a 10-day festival with concerts, tours, discussions and other events to promote interfaith cooperation. The State Development Corporation of Thuringia provided one of the concert venues, the ‘Heizwerk’ in Brühl. A former heating plant and imposing industrial monument, it has wonderful acoustics that are ideal for music performances.
The Hebrew word achava means ‘friendship’ or ‘brotherhood’, an important topic for reflection in contemporary cosmopolitan society, standing as it does for communication and understanding, tolerance and mutual respect. The ACHAVA Festival provided insight into Jewish culture and paved the way for intercultural dialogue in Thuringia. (td)
