Rathausausstellung 2026 - Tafel 17: Antisemitismus und Verfolgung von Künstler*innen | Town-hall Exhibition 2026 - Panel 17: Antisemitism and the persecution of artists

Case in point: the State Opera Between 1933, when the National Socialist regime seized power, and 1935, virtually all Jewish ensemble members and employees of Hamburg’s theatres and museums were dismissed. Even before that, the Nazi Party had conducted antisemitic smear campaigns against the artistic director of the State Opera, Leopold Sachse, and its music director, Egon Pollak. The campaigns attacked not only their Jewish origins, but also their choice to include modern works in the repertoire. Besides artists and employees at the State Opera who were Jewish, the Nazi persecution in Hamburg also targeted those who voiced political opposition and who were members of the queer community. The tenor Hans Grahl for instance, was sentenced to six months in prison in 1937 for alleged homosexual tendencies. Upon his release, he relocated to Prague.