“Women in the Resistance” – Exhibition Opening in Bad Bentheim and Accompanying Programme in the Euregio!
How diverse was the resistance of women against National Socialism? And why are their stories still much less known to this day than those of their male fellow resistance fighters?
With the travelling exhibition ‘Women in the Resistance’, the Louis Ignatius Gall Foundation, in cooperation with the Förderverein Erinnerung mit Zukunft e.V., wants to give precisely these women a visible place within our culture of remembrance. In October and November 2026, the exhibition will be connected with special musical evenings in the Euregio. History, personal life stories and music from different cultures and traditions come together.
The opening event will take place on Friday, 16 October 2026 at 7.00 pm at Treff 10 in Bad Bentheim. On the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, Kalyani & Samuel Klemke, Maurizio Di Fulvio & Simona Capozucco and Duo NIHZ & Friends will perform.
At the centre of the exhibition are women who resisted National Socialism, persecution and injustice in very different ways. Among them were Jewish, Muslim and Christian women, but also women with an anarchist or atheist background. Some actively participated in the resistance, others helped people who were being persecuted, organised escape routes, distributed information or resisted the National Socialist regime in other ways.
The fact that the history of the resistance is often told primarily from the perspective of men is not a coincidence. The names and life stories of many women have largely disappeared from the collective historical memory or are still mentioned considerably less often to this day. ‘Women in the Resistance’ does not only want to fill this gap, but above all to show that women also played an important role in the resistance – often under extraordinary personal risks.
Music as a Connection Between the Stories
Duo NIHZ leads the evening in Bad Bentheim and connects the stories of the women with music and storytelling. This creates a direct and special approach to the historical themes.
Different musical worlds come together here. Duo NIHZ & Friends brings Jewish music, klezmer, Yiddish songs and Arabic music. Kalyani & Sam present Indian music. Maurizio Di Fulvio on guitar and Simona Capozucco on vocals bring music from the twentieth century, with a strong emphasis on jazz.
The music is not only an artistic framework, but is also part of the programme in terms of its content. Jazz was among the music that was labelled and persecuted by the National Socialists as so-called ‘degenerate music’. At the same time, jazz was an expression of freedom and openness to the world for many people of that generation.
Yiddish songs and klezmer form a direct connection with the Jewish women who are at the centre of the exhibition. Duo NIHZ & Friends deliberately draws on the musical tradition of Yiddish theatre of the 1930s. Arabic and Indian music broaden the musical perspective and create connections with the different cultural backgrounds of the people whose stories are told in the context of resistance and persecution.
This creates a musical panorama that is just as diverse as the women to whom the exhibition is dedicated. Several evenings are planned.
After the opening in Bad Bentheim, the connection between exhibition, history and music will continue at several other locations with several other musicians. From opera singers and virtuoso instrumentalists to the cantor of the Osnabrück Synagogue.
Remembering is not only about looking, but also about experiencing.
With ‘Women in the Resistance’, the Förderverein Erinnerung mit Zukunft e.V. does not want to tell history exclusively through texts and documents. The combination with music offers an additional point of access: visitors see the stories of the women, hear the music of their time or music connected to their cultural background, and meet the performing artists directly.
It is precisely the connection between history and the present that makes it clear that remembrance is not exclusively something from the past. The question of who becomes visible, whose stories are told and which voices are given a place in our culture of remembrance remains relevant.
These evenings therefore focus on women who have remained in the shadows of the well-known stories of the resistance for far too long. Their lives demonstrate courage, solidarity and the willingness to stand up for others – even under life-threatening circumstances.
The Women in the Resistance project is made possible by the Interreg Deutschland-Nederland programme and its programme partners and is co-financed by the European Union (EU).
Admission: free – voluntary contribution welcome
16 October 2026, 7.00 pm – Treff 10, Bad Bentheim
Duo NIHZ & Friends, Maurizio Di Fulvio & Simona Capozucco, Kalyani & Samuel Klemke
17 October 2026, 6.00 pm - Ev. Ref. Kirche, Billerbeck
Duo NIHZ & Friends, Maurizio Di Fulvio & Simona Capozucco, Kalyani & Samuel Klemke
18 October 2026, 7.00 pm – Evangelical Reformed Church, Neuenhaus
Duo NIHZ & Friends, Maurizio Di Fulvio & Simona Capozucco
21 October 2026, 7.00 pm – Evangelical Reformed Church, Emlichheim
Duo NIHZ & Friends, Trio Mefitis
22 October 2026, 7.30 pm – Alte Kirche am Markt, Nordhorn
Duo NIHZ & Friends, Trio Mefitis
26 October 2026, 7.00 pm – Kirchenschiff Nordhorn, Burgstraße 10
Duo Maddonni & Duo NIHZ & Friends
27 October 2026, 8.00 am - Franziskusgymnasium, Lingen
Duo NIHZ & Friends
27 October 2026, 7.00 pm – Altes Rathaus Neuenhaus, Hauptstraße 24
Duo Maddonni & Duo NIHZ & Friends
28 October 2026, 7.00 pm – Evangelical Reformed Church Brandlecht, Kirchweg 6
Donato D’Antonio & Duo NIHZ & Friends
30 October 2026, 8.00 am - Gesamtschule Emsland
Duo NIHZ & Friends
4 November 2026 - 7.00 pm - Melle
Duo NIHZ & Baruch Chauskin
9 November 2026 - 8.00 pm - Synagogue Coevorden
Duo NIHZ & Friends
11 November 2026 - 8.00 pm - Erve Oude Luttikhuis, Hezingen
Duo NIHZ & Friends
12 November 2026 - 8.00 pm - Synagogue Haaksbergen
Duo NIHZ & Friends
