Virginia Holocaust Museum Presents: Carolyn Enger’s The Mischlinge Exposé

Internationally celebrated American pianist Carolyn Enger will present her powerful live documentary, The Mischlinge Exposé, at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 14, in the Virginia Holocaust Museum’s historic Choral Synagogue.

The date is significant because on September 15, 1935, the Nazi regime enacted two pivotal race laws—the Reich Citizenship Law and the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor. These laws formally defined and discriminated against individuals known as Mischlinge—a derogatory term for those with one or two Jewish grandparents, considered neither fully Jewish nor fully German under Nazi ideology.

The Mischlinge Exposé explores this little-known aspect of Holocaust history through a compelling blend of live piano performance, video, and audio testimony. Enger shares the stories of her father and godmother, both of whom were labeled Mischling by the Nazis. Their testimonies are interwoven with Enger’s performance of works by salon-era composers who converted to Christianity in the years before the war, as well as pieces that grapple with identity in the postwar era.

Through this deeply personal lens, Enger examines what it meant to exist between worlds in early 20th-century Germany—and invites audiences to reflect on universal themes of identity, inclusion, and empathy.

Event Details:
📅 Sunday, September 14
🕔 5:00 p.m.
📍 Choral Synagogue, Virginia Holocaust Museum
🎟️ Free and open to the public
🪑 Seating is first-come, first-served
📌 Advance registration is required and must be completed at least 24 hours in advance. No walk-ins will be admitted.

Enger maintains an active performance schedule across two continents, with recent appearances at the National Gallery in Oslo, Baruch College in New York, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.