Heidenau council debates ban on new Stolpersteine in favor of cemetery memorial
Heidenau city council will vote on a motion, supported by CDU and AfD members, to reject two proposed Stolpersteine for Fritz and Martha Goldstein and instead favor a collective memorial at the Nordfriedhof.
On Thursday the Heidenau city council will debate a motion that aims to prevent the placement of two Stolpersteine commemorating Fritz and Martha Goldstein, a Jewish couple deported during the Nazi era. The initiative, presented by the local citizen group Oberelbe für mehr Demokratie, is backed by two CDU councillors—including faction leader Cornelia Schmiedel—five AfD members and two BOD councillors, with mayor Conny Oertel also indicating support.
The proposal seeks to reject future Stolpersteine applications and create a unified memorial area on the Nordfriedhof for victims of war, terror, dictatorships and specifically National Socialism. Municipal officials advise decisions be made individually, while Jewish community representatives such as Ekaterina Kulakova and VVN-BdA spokesperson Kerstin Köditz argue that a cemetery plaque would hide the memory of victims from everyday life.
The Goldstein memorial request was filed by the Alternative Kultur- und Bildungszentrum (Akubiz) in February 2025, but no response has been received. If approved, the council would deny the two new stones, continuing a broader debate over how best to honor Holocaust victims in the town.
Why it matters
The vote will determine whether Heidenau uses daily street memorials or a single cemetery plaque to remember Nazi victims, affecting local memory culture.
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