Where shopping bags usually dominate the scene, this evening was all about remembrance culture as around 50 guests gathered on the esplanade of the Aventura Mall. Amidst palm trees and celebrities, shopping arcades and serious history, FC Bayern, together with the German Consulate General, presented its touring exhibition “FC Bayern under National Socialism: Victims, Followers, Perpetrators” in one of Florida's largest shopping centres and one of the most popular in the entire United States. “FC Bayern shows that it is about more than just sport,” said German Consul General Christofer Burger. “Thank you for telling your story here – you want to bring people together and make it clear that antisemitism is not exclusively a Jewish problem that only Jews have to solve.”
Brian Siegal from the American Jewish Committee also praised the German champions' commitment in another speech. The exhibition makes it shockingly clear “how quickly neighbours can become targets and victims – it should inspire us all to be guardians of our time”. Rachel Friedland, Mayor of Aventura, emphasised: "The exhibition reminds us that even in darkness, we must take a stand. Thank you to FC Bayern for sending this strong message against hatred – this club will always have a home here." The guests, including FCB legend Stefan Effenberg, responded with long applause.
Curator Fabian Raabe, one of the exhibition's initiators, explained that football is a global language that connects people across borders, cultures and generations – not least in a diverse city like Miami. “We at FC Bayern are proud to represent the same values,” he said. The exhibition gives back identity to people who were persecuted or forced to flee because of their Jewish identity or their beliefs. “This exhibition is part of our culture of remembrance, which aims to counteract forgetting so that the atrocities of the past are not repeated,” Raabe continued.
The format was originally developed under the title “Venerated - Persecuted – Forgotten” and has since been regularly expanded, particularly following the results of an independent study conducted by the Institute of Contemporary History, which was commissioned by FC Bayern in 2017. FC Bayern wants to deal with its past in a transparent and authentic manner – out of conviction. Because only those who know their history can learn from it.
The exhibition comprises 13 large-sized boards and has already been shown at over 50 locations worldwide, including the Capitol in Washington, the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Mexico City, Austria and Switzerland. In Germany, it has regularly appeared at schools and educational institutions for years. Those interested can book it via the FC Bayern Museum HERE: an exhibition that builds bridges and takes a stand.
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