The City of Erlangen and the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, Sport and Integration are jointly awarding a prize for civil society commitment against anti-Semitism, racism and group-related misanthropy. The prize commemorates Frida Poeschke and Shlomo Lewin, who were murdered in Erlangen on December 19, 1980. All of the city council's parliamentary groups and committees had jointly applied for the prize to be established.
About the award
The Shlomo Lewin & Frida Poeschke Memorial Prize, endowed with 15,000 euros, is to be awarded every three years in future as an honorary and sponsorship prize and will be awarded for the first time in 2025. The prize will be awarded for projects that have already been implemented as well as for the long-term commitment of individuals or organizations. As a sponsorship award, the prize can also be awarded for well-developed project ideas - especially if there are no other funding opportunities. The prize is aimed at individuals, groups, initiatives or associations that are committed to combating hatred and exclusion, promoting respectful interaction with one another, supporting intercultural or Christian-Jewish dialog or strengthening Jewish life - for example by founding or reviving Jewish communities.
The namesakes
Frida Poeschke and Shlomo Lewin worked for many years to promote dialog between Judaism and Christianity, for tolerance and against fascism and anti-Semitism. Shlomo Lewin, born on May 13, 1911 in Jerusalem, trained as a rabbi like his father. During the Nazi era, he emigrated to Palestine and only returned to Germany in 1960.
In Erlangen, he met his future partner Frida Poeschke (born May 23, 1923), the widow of former Lord Mayor Michael Poeschke. Both were intensively involved in Jewish-Christian dialog. In 1975, Lewin took over the chairmanship of the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation in Franconia. He planned the founding of the Jewish community in Erlangen.
On December 19, 1980, Frida Poeschke and Shlomo Lewin were shot dead in their house in Ebrardstraße. A member of the Wehrsportgruppe Hoffmann (WSG) is believed to be the perpetrator of the first anti-Semitic assassination attempt in Germany since 1945. The crime has still not been fully solved.
Photo from left to right: Frida Poeschke, Shlomo Lewin and Lord Mayor Dietmar Hahlweg on May 10, 1979 at the wreath-laying ceremony for Lord Mayor Michael Poeschke on the 20th anniversary of his death at the Central Cemetery (Photo: Stümpel).
There is also a report in the city newspaper "Rathausplatz 1" - June 2025 issue.