Lea Rosh
Encyclopedia
Lea Rosh (ˈʁoːs; born Edith Renate Ursula Rosh on 1 October 1936 in Berlin
) is a German
television journalist, publicist, entrepreneur and political activist. Rosh was the first female journalist to manage a public broadcasting service in Germany and in the 70's the first anchorwoman of Kennzeichen D, a major political television program. She has been a member of the SPD
since 1968.
Whie she received major public awards, e.g. the Bundesverdienstkreuz, Rosh is either a controversial and influential figure in the local political scene of Berlin. By friend and foe, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
in Berlin
is seen as her main and personal achievement.
Lea Rosh's husband died in 2008. The late Jakob Schulze-Rohr was an architect and building contractor in Berlin and a brother of the film director Peter Schulze-Rohr. Rosh maintains a PR-Agency in Berlin and is lecturing at University of Management and Communication (FH) Potsdam in the fields of Moderating and Media training.
soldier in Poland. At age 18 she left the Lutheran Church in Germany, she describes herself as an atheist. She began to use the first name Lea instead of her given name of Edith, describing the name Edith
, which is of Old English origin, as "horribly German".
Rosh worked at various German radio and television services, including the Sender Freies Berlin
and the ZDF
. From 1991 to 1997 she was appointed director of the Hannover studio of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk
(NDR), being the first woman to hold a comparable post in the history of German broadcasting.
Motivated by historian Eberhard Jäckel
, she was one of the primary forces who lobbied from 1988 onwards for over 17 years for the construction of the widely controversial Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, completed in May 2005. She has been chairman of the „Förderkreis zur Errichtung eines Denkmals für die ermordeten Juden Europas“ (Society for the Promotion of Raising a Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe) since 1995, and vice chairman of the board of trustees of the „Stiftung Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas“ (Foundation for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) since 1999.
Since 2007 Lea Rosh holds a post as a lecturer at the UMC Potsdam-University of Management and Communication (FH) for the subjects moderation and media training.
In 1990, Rosh and Eberhard Jäckel were awarded the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis
for their joint work, Der Tod ist ein Meister aus Deutschland. In 2006, Rosh was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
.
first had opted against the Berlin Holocaust Monument and (similar to the less known Eike Geisel
) had interpreted the attempts as a self finding process of the German Bourgeoisie and a hidden conclusion (heimlicher Schlußstrich) of the Vergangenheitsbewältigung
. While, according Naumann, after 1871 the leading class in the German Empire manifested their historical views in raising retrospective monuments like the Hermannsdenkmal
and Völkerschlachtdenkmal
and joined in a controversial debate abaout the planned reconstruction of Heidelberg Castle
, the Berlin Republic
would use the debates around the Holocaustmahnmal and the reconstruction of Berliner Stadtschloss
for a similar purpose with Lea Rosh being a leading figure in both cases.
According Claus Leggewie, beyond a 'selbsttherapeutisches Lebenswerk' (lit. 'self-therapeutic life's work')Claus Leggewie, Erik Meyer, Ein Ort, an den man gerne geht. Das Holocaust-Mahnmal und die Geschichtspolitik nach 1989, Hanser München 2005, ISBN 3446205861 Roshs monumental work resulted in a symbol of national identity of her generation as well the Berlin capital. Instead of reflection and insecureness in the face of (especially around Berlin) decaying authentic memorial sites, Roshs initiative initiated a higher self consciousness and pride of the World Masters of Remembering('Gedenkweltmeister') involved. Roshs attempts however result in a possibly exclusive stance against Germans with a migration background which do not share the same history.
composed in the 1920s, from NDR radio broadcast, as she perceived them as fascistoid.
When at the Holocaust monument's dedication on 10 May 2005, Rosh held up a molar
which she had retrieved from Belzec
concentration camp in 1988, promising to place the tooth in a column at the memorial, the act outraged several prominent German Jewish leaders, notably Paul Spiegel
, the then chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
, who described the idea as "irreverent". Rosh withdrew her plan and returned the molar to Belzec concentration camp shortly after.
In 2003, Rosh was elected "most embarrassing Berliner of the year" (peinlichste Berlinerin) by the readers of Berlin city magazine Tip.
Claus Leggewie criticized her very strongly for "running over" ("... überrollt hat") any resistance against "her" monument and for leaving all those who put forward "professionally, pedagogically and aesthetically sound arguments" against her monumental project bereft of nerves, voice, reputation and good faith.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
television journalist, publicist, entrepreneur and political activist. Rosh was the first female journalist to manage a public broadcasting service in Germany and in the 70's the first anchorwoman of Kennzeichen D, a major political television program. She has been a member of the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
since 1968.
Whie she received major public awards, e.g. the Bundesverdienstkreuz, Rosh is either a controversial and influential figure in the local political scene of Berlin. By friend and foe, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe , also known as the Holocaust Memorial , is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. It consists of a site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae", arranged in a...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
is seen as her main and personal achievement.
Lea Rosh's husband died in 2008. The late Jakob Schulze-Rohr was an architect and building contractor in Berlin and a brother of the film director Peter Schulze-Rohr. Rosh maintains a PR-Agency in Berlin and is lecturing at University of Management and Communication (FH) Potsdam in the fields of Moderating and Media training.
Background
Born and raised by a Protestant family in Berlin, her father was killed in the winter of 1944 as a WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
soldier in Poland. At age 18 she left the Lutheran Church in Germany, she describes herself as an atheist. She began to use the first name Lea instead of her given name of Edith, describing the name Edith
Edith
Edith is a female given name, derived from the Old English words ead, meaning 'riches or blessed', and gyð, meaning 'war', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form, also a common name in French, is Édith...
, which is of Old English origin, as "horribly German".
Rosh worked at various German radio and television services, including the Sender Freies Berlin
Sender Freies Berlin
Sender Freies Berlin was the ARD public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin as a whole from German reunification until 30 April 2003...
and the ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
. From 1991 to 1997 she was appointed director of the Hannover studio of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk
Norddeutscher Rundfunk is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR transmits for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein...
(NDR), being the first woman to hold a comparable post in the history of German broadcasting.
Motivated by historian Eberhard Jäckel
Eberhard Jäckel
Eberhard Jäckel is a Social Democratic German historian, noted for his studies of Adolf Hitler's role in German history. Jäckel sees Hitler as being the historical equivalent to the Chernobyl disaster.-Career:...
, she was one of the primary forces who lobbied from 1988 onwards for over 17 years for the construction of the widely controversial Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, completed in May 2005. She has been chairman of the „Förderkreis zur Errichtung eines Denkmals für die ermordeten Juden Europas“ (Society for the Promotion of Raising a Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe) since 1995, and vice chairman of the board of trustees of the „Stiftung Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas“ (Foundation for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) since 1999.
Since 2007 Lea Rosh holds a post as a lecturer at the UMC Potsdam-University of Management and Communication (FH) for the subjects moderation and media training.
In 1990, Rosh and Eberhard Jäckel were awarded the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis
Geschwister-Scholl-Preis
The Geschwister-Scholl-Preis is a literary prize which was initiated in 1980 by the State Association of Bavaria in the Stock Market Society of the German Book Trade and the city of Munich...
for their joint work, Der Tod ist ein Meister aus Deutschland. In 2006, Rosh was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
.
Public debate
Michael NaumannMichael Naumann
Michael Naumann is a German politician, publisher and journalist. He was the German secretary of culture from 1998 until 2001. He is married to Marie Warburg, daughter of Eric Warburg and granddaughter of Max Warburg....
first had opted against the Berlin Holocaust Monument and (similar to the less known Eike Geisel
Eike Geisel
Eike Geisel was a journalist and essayist in Germany and Israel.- Controversial essays and works in cultural history:His essays, studies and polemics led to controversies...
) had interpreted the attempts as a self finding process of the German Bourgeoisie and a hidden conclusion (heimlicher Schlußstrich) of the Vergangenheitsbewältigung
Vergangenheitsbewältigung
Vergangenheitsbewältigung is a composite German word that describes processes of dealing with the past , which is perhaps best rendered in English as "struggle to come to terms with the past"...
. While, according Naumann, after 1871 the leading class in the German Empire manifested their historical views in raising retrospective monuments like the Hermannsdenkmal
Hermannsdenkmal
The Hermannsdenkmal is a monument located in Ostwestfalen-Lippe in Germany in the Southern part of the Teutoburg Forest, which is southwest of Detmold in the district of Lippe...
and Völkerschlachtdenkmal
Völkerschlachtdenkmal
The Monument to the Battle of the Nations is a monument in Leipzig, Germany to the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations...
and joined in a controversial debate abaout the planned reconstruction of Heidelberg Castle
Heidelberg Castle
The Heidelberg Castle is a famous ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps....
, the Berlin Republic
A Berlin Republic
A Berlin Republic is a book which is composed of a collection of transcripts of interviews with the German philosopher and sociologist Jürgen Habermas conducted by various European media in the mid-1990s...
would use the debates around the Holocaustmahnmal and the reconstruction of Berliner Stadtschloss
Berliner Stadtschloss
The Stadtschloss , was a royal palace in the centre of Berlin, capital of Germany. The palace bore features of the Baroque style, and its shape, finalized by the mid 18th century, is attributed to Andreas Schlüter, whose first design is likely to date from 1702, though the palace incorporated...
for a similar purpose with Lea Rosh being a leading figure in both cases.
According Claus Leggewie, beyond a 'selbsttherapeutisches Lebenswerk' (lit. 'self-therapeutic life's work')Claus Leggewie, Erik Meyer, Ein Ort, an den man gerne geht. Das Holocaust-Mahnmal und die Geschichtspolitik nach 1989, Hanser München 2005, ISBN 3446205861 Roshs monumental work resulted in a symbol of national identity of her generation as well the Berlin capital. Instead of reflection and insecureness in the face of (especially around Berlin) decaying authentic memorial sites, Roshs initiative initiated a higher self consciousness and pride of the World Masters of Remembering('Gedenkweltmeister') involved. Roshs attempts however result in a possibly exclusive stance against Germans with a migration background which do not share the same history.
Controversies
As head of the NDR in the 1990s Rosh banned the lyrics of the Niedersachsenlied, the anthem of Lower SaxonyLower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
composed in the 1920s, from NDR radio broadcast, as she perceived them as fascistoid.
When at the Holocaust monument's dedication on 10 May 2005, Rosh held up a molar
Molar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
which she had retrieved from Belzec
Belzec extermination camp
Belzec, Polish spelling Bełżec , was the first of the Nazi German extermination camps created for implementing Operation Reinhard during the Holocaust...
concentration camp in 1988, promising to place the tooth in a column at the memorial, the act outraged several prominent German Jewish leaders, notably Paul Spiegel
Paul Spiegel
Paul Spiegel was leader of the Zentralrat der Juden in Germany and the main spokesman of the German Jews...
, the then chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland
The Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland is a federation of German Jews organizing many Jewish organisations in Germany. It was founded on July 19, 1950, as a response to the increasing isolation of German Jews by the international Jewish community and increasing interest in Jewish affairs by the ...
, who described the idea as "irreverent". Rosh withdrew her plan and returned the molar to Belzec concentration camp shortly after.
In 2003, Rosh was elected "most embarrassing Berliner of the year" (peinlichste Berlinerin) by the readers of Berlin city magazine Tip.
Claus Leggewie criticized her very strongly for "running over" ("... überrollt hat") any resistance against "her" monument and for leaving all those who put forward "professionally, pedagogically and aesthetically sound arguments" against her monumental project bereft of nerves, voice, reputation and good faith.