Rivky, Deborah, Sara and I writing in our journals outside Vapiano, which was across the street from the Swissotel
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Welcome to my journal!
While in Germany, I kept a handwritten journal. I've compiled this handwritten journal along with e-mails written while I was in Germany. I suggest that you click the arrow (pointed to the right) next to July until it points downward, and start reading with "Berlin Beginnings" and read in order starting from the earliest. It will make the most sense to stay in chronological order!
Toto, I have a feeling I'm not in [New York] anymore
On our second and last night in Weimar, we all arrived back in our rooms. We were already uneasy being in Weimar because we were out of the comfort of our beautiful and comfortable rooms at the Swissotel in Berlin. There was no air conditioning and a bug or two (or three or four...).
People were hanging out in other's rooms and then suddenly we heard this band of men chanting outside. They were actually yelling altogether in German. So what else do a group of young American Jews automatically think? The Nazis are coming to get us! Sara comes rushing into the room with alarm on her face. "What is that?" "Uhhhhh, I don't know," I respond. A few minutes later, one of our guides, Lisa, comes into the room and reassures us that (with Deborah) that it is a group of anti-Neo Nazis protesting fascism and the Neo Nazis. Wow! We had only come into the hotel minutes before.
Earlier that morning, Deborah asserted to a few of us, "This morning, when you closed the door to the shower, did you feel like you were entering a gas chamber?" "Yea," I responded. "Were you also not sure if when you turned the water on if water or gas would come out?"
Weimar was certainly a different experience than Berlin. Berlin resembled New York in certain ways; moreover, it is an international city that is tolerant and easy to understand. Weimar was smaller and less comfortable. We had been making Holocaust jokes the entire time we were there (in Berlin), but the shower/gas chamber one proved that this was how we were coping with the situation. We knew it was absurd to be scared, but also very hard to break out of our pre-conceived notions.
I asked my new German Jewish friend, Martin, about this a few days later. "Do a lot of German Jews make Holocaust jokes? We've been making a lot on this trip." He didn't really answer. I clarified the question a bit and asked if they find that people are really welcoming and (over-welcoming to Jews). This was a perception of our trip that everyone loved Jews in Germany. Martin told me that he doesn't openly tell people that he's Jewish. He wants an impression to be made on an even level. He said if he tells people he is Jewish, they apologize for the Holocaust and then they don't see him from an objective perspective. It's obvious how different life is for American Jews and for Jews living in Germany. American Jews are so very comfortable - for the most part - and can detach themselves. We take so much for granted and have to detach ourselves from a serious situation to cope with the reality of where we are. I am somewhat sure that Martin didn't understand my Holocaust joke question completely (I was a little embarrassed I had even asked it, so I changed the subject), but there is validity to the idea that they don't make any. The Holocaust can't define Jews living in Germany because they have to prove that they are more to be part of society.
People were hanging out in other's rooms and then suddenly we heard this band of men chanting outside. They were actually yelling altogether in German. So what else do a group of young American Jews automatically think? The Nazis are coming to get us! Sara comes rushing into the room with alarm on her face. "What is that?" "Uhhhhh, I don't know," I respond. A few minutes later, one of our guides, Lisa, comes into the room and reassures us that (with Deborah) that it is a group of anti-Neo Nazis protesting fascism and the Neo Nazis. Wow! We had only come into the hotel minutes before.
Earlier that morning, Deborah asserted to a few of us, "This morning, when you closed the door to the shower, did you feel like you were entering a gas chamber?" "Yea," I responded. "Were you also not sure if when you turned the water on if water or gas would come out?"
Weimar was certainly a different experience than Berlin. Berlin resembled New York in certain ways; moreover, it is an international city that is tolerant and easy to understand. Weimar was smaller and less comfortable. We had been making Holocaust jokes the entire time we were there (in Berlin), but the shower/gas chamber one proved that this was how we were coping with the situation. We knew it was absurd to be scared, but also very hard to break out of our pre-conceived notions.
I asked my new German Jewish friend, Martin, about this a few days later. "Do a lot of German Jews make Holocaust jokes? We've been making a lot on this trip." He didn't really answer. I clarified the question a bit and asked if they find that people are really welcoming and (over-welcoming to Jews). This was a perception of our trip that everyone loved Jews in Germany. Martin told me that he doesn't openly tell people that he's Jewish. He wants an impression to be made on an even level. He said if he tells people he is Jewish, they apologize for the Holocaust and then they don't see him from an objective perspective. It's obvious how different life is for American Jews and for Jews living in Germany. American Jews are so very comfortable - for the most part - and can detach themselves. We take so much for granted and have to detach ourselves from a serious situation to cope with the reality of where we are. I am somewhat sure that Martin didn't understand my Holocaust joke question completely (I was a little embarrassed I had even asked it, so I changed the subject), but there is validity to the idea that they don't make any. The Holocaust can't define Jews living in Germany because they have to prove that they are more to be part of society.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Visit to the Memorial Site of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp
Today we visited the memorial at the site of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Going to a concentration camp site always sets a person up with an uneasy feeling. Obviously death and destruction occurred at this camp, so it is unclear how you are supposed to react. Should you get emotional? Should you not? What prayers should you say?
We were fortunate that we had an excellent guide. When we began our tour, it started with a documentary about what happened at Buchenwald with survivor testimony. Buchenwald is in the city of Weimar. Buchenwald was a labor camp and not officially designated as a "death" camp, although many people died there. In addition to Jews, there were also political prisoners who were not Jewish. The documentary set a very sad and striking tone for our tour of the grounds of the memorial site. Our guide presented the information with a very strong moral message. He explained that he often guides young German students and tells them that there were many different types of prisoners. Even though many German students think only Jews and foreigners were prisoners, there were others. They may also think it is not personal because it does not directly affect them. The guide often tells these students that it does not affect them because ideas change and people with racist ideas may begin to hate you if you don't stand up. You cannot be passive because hate affects everyone.
When you first arrive at the site, there is a large parking lot full of cars and 4 yellow buildings. They all used to be the housing for the families of the SS men. Interestingly, people still live in the first two. The people who live inside are NOT SS men (or their descendents); but rather random Germans. These people had nowhere to live after WWII destroyed many buildings in the area. Instead of living under bridges or outside, people inhabited these apartments. Strange.
The wives and children of these SS men lived with their men while they were working at the camp. The wives had to prove going back 150 years that they had no Jewish lineage.
As we walked further into the camp site, there was a large concrete area that was a zoo. It was meant to be for the families of the SS men and for the SS men to have a bit of a "retreat" away from their work. The zoo was located right next to the camp. You could see the camp from next to the zoo and you could see the zoo from inside the camp. They seemed to have no consciousness or more likely, no dignity for humanity to do such a thing. I can't believe that they would expose their children to this, as if it is not real. The SS men seemed to convince themselves that their work at the concentration camp was part of everyday life.
We were fortunate that we had an excellent guide. When we began our tour, it started with a documentary about what happened at Buchenwald with survivor testimony. Buchenwald is in the city of Weimar. Buchenwald was a labor camp and not officially designated as a "death" camp, although many people died there. In addition to Jews, there were also political prisoners who were not Jewish. The documentary set a very sad and striking tone for our tour of the grounds of the memorial site. Our guide presented the information with a very strong moral message. He explained that he often guides young German students and tells them that there were many different types of prisoners. Even though many German students think only Jews and foreigners were prisoners, there were others. They may also think it is not personal because it does not directly affect them. The guide often tells these students that it does not affect them because ideas change and people with racist ideas may begin to hate you if you don't stand up. You cannot be passive because hate affects everyone.
When you first arrive at the site, there is a large parking lot full of cars and 4 yellow buildings. They all used to be the housing for the families of the SS men. Interestingly, people still live in the first two. The people who live inside are NOT SS men (or their descendents); but rather random Germans. These people had nowhere to live after WWII destroyed many buildings in the area. Instead of living under bridges or outside, people inhabited these apartments. Strange.
The first two houses on the left are still apartment buildings. The SS men lived in all four.
The wives and children of these SS men lived with their men while they were working at the camp. The wives had to prove going back 150 years that they had no Jewish lineage.
As we walked further into the camp site, there was a large concrete area that was a zoo. It was meant to be for the families of the SS men and for the SS men to have a bit of a "retreat" away from their work. The zoo was located right next to the camp. You could see the camp from next to the zoo and you could see the zoo from inside the camp. They seemed to have no consciousness or more likely, no dignity for humanity to do such a thing. I can't believe that they would expose their children to this, as if it is not real. The SS men seemed to convince themselves that their work at the concentration camp was part of everyday life.
zoo
The camp is on the left and the zoo is on the right. Rivky is standing exactly in between them.
There was a crematorium inside the camp, operated by prisoners. But, there was also one in Weimar. Normal (non-prisoner) people operated this crematorium. These people had to have seen the starved, strangled, sick dead people who came to them and had to have had some inclination about what was going on. They did and said nothing.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Weimar and Erfurt
I'm sitting on a park bench in Erfurt overlooking a river or stream, not entirely sure what it is. We left the hotel in Berlin yesterday and are staying in Weimar, which is apparently three hours south of Berlin. It was a really beautiful drive south. The highway that we were on is lined throughout with farms, including many windmill farms if that's even what they're called. They are really beautiful to watch and makes you feel good because it's actually a sustainable energy source, something I wish our country would do a lot more of. The sun was also setting, which made for a very picturesque view. We got to the hotel and were disappointed to see it was not quite the same as our beautiful 5-Star Swissotel in Berlin. This was a reluctant 3-Stars. Not terrible. It reinforced the notion that Germany does not believe in air conditioning.
The next day, today, we had a walking tour of Weimar. It is best known for being where the German writer and philosopher, Goethe, lived. It was also home to Johann Sebastian Bach, Martin Luther and many others. It's a really adorable town. Unfortunately our tour guide did a really poor job of giving background information on many of the people were talking about. After the tour, the group broke and Jen, Rivky, Deborah, Staci, Sara and I wandered a bit. We found a cute French crepe place and had some lunch. Later we wandered and had the most delicious gelato. Mine was called "Nougat Minze." It was some sort of chocolate nougat with mint and cardamom. Sooooo delicious.
Here in Erfurt it also seems lke an adorable town, but they gave us free time to wander around without much explanation of the town. I am enjoying the relaxation of the river though.
The next day, today, we had a walking tour of Weimar. It is best known for being where the German writer and philosopher, Goethe, lived. It was also home to Johann Sebastian Bach, Martin Luther and many others. It's a really adorable town. Unfortunately our tour guide did a really poor job of giving background information on many of the people were talking about. After the tour, the group broke and Jen, Rivky, Deborah, Staci, Sara and I wandered a bit. We found a cute French crepe place and had some lunch. Later we wandered and had the most delicious gelato. Mine was called "Nougat Minze." It was some sort of chocolate nougat with mint and cardamom. Sooooo delicious.
Here in Erfurt it also seems lke an adorable town, but they gave us free time to wander around without much explanation of the town. I am enjoying the relaxation of the river though.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Obama Mania in Berlin
Barack Obama spoke here yesterday and it was a really strange experience. Earlier in the day we went to The Jewish Museum, which was quite beautiful. They do an incredible job of painting the beauty and depth of Jewish history, including highlighting prominent people and their place in society.
The museum was designed in the shape of a lightning bolt and had a really cool modern art theme throughout. Museums and exhibits like this make me really proud to be Jewish. It also makes me happy to know that it celebrates the vastness of Jewish life throughout, not only talking about the Holocaust. Definitely a great experience visiting there.
After that, we prepared for Obama's speech. We took the train and wandered a bit to where the government buildings are. There were a lot of people hanging out on the lawn in front of the Reichstag. It was a cool scene. As we walked closer and closer to the street that is between the Brandenburg gate and the Liberty Tower, we were able to see an incredible amount of people. It was a really jovial atmosphere and it made me laugh that they were selling beer all over the place along with sausage. It reminded me of a cross between a state fair and a concert. People were selling Obama '08 gear, which seemed ordinary. There were also people in the crowd registering American citizens living abroad to vote, which also seemed ordinary. We walked closer to the Liberty Tower and it got increasingly more crowded. I have never been to a comparable political rally/speech in the United States, so I have some trouble comparing. I have heard countless politicans speak at closed breakfast, briefings and events. I attended the large pro-Israel rally in Washington, DC in 2002. The mood there was happy, yet somber, given the topic and the constant violence.
I found it weird how playful the crowd was, drinking beer and hot dogs. There was a man standing behind me in the crowd, who at one point, said, "Oh, Barack, you are a great man!"
I feel very privileged to have been at this speech and in Berlin at this time, though. Obama made some beautiful references to breaking down the barriers that separate people. It was a nice almost mid-point for my program, where we had been learning about the Berlin Wall and all that it represented. I just honestly wonder if Europeans understand the complexities of American politics and realize that Obama's ideals will be more difficult to actualize, if he is even elected. I want to believe him, too, but I'm not sure Europeans see the real picture.
The museum was designed in the shape of a lightning bolt and had a really cool modern art theme throughout. Museums and exhibits like this make me really proud to be Jewish. It also makes me happy to know that it celebrates the vastness of Jewish life throughout, not only talking about the Holocaust. Definitely a great experience visiting there.
After that, we prepared for Obama's speech. We took the train and wandered a bit to where the government buildings are. There were a lot of people hanging out on the lawn in front of the Reichstag. It was a cool scene. As we walked closer and closer to the street that is between the Brandenburg gate and the Liberty Tower, we were able to see an incredible amount of people. It was a really jovial atmosphere and it made me laugh that they were selling beer all over the place along with sausage. It reminded me of a cross between a state fair and a concert. People were selling Obama '08 gear, which seemed ordinary. There were also people in the crowd registering American citizens living abroad to vote, which also seemed ordinary. We walked closer to the Liberty Tower and it got increasingly more crowded. I have never been to a comparable political rally/speech in the United States, so I have some trouble comparing. I have heard countless politicans speak at closed breakfast, briefings and events. I attended the large pro-Israel rally in Washington, DC in 2002. The mood there was happy, yet somber, given the topic and the constant violence.
I found it weird how playful the crowd was, drinking beer and hot dogs. There was a man standing behind me in the crowd, who at one point, said, "Oh, Barack, you are a great man!"
I feel very privileged to have been at this speech and in Berlin at this time, though. Obama made some beautiful references to breaking down the barriers that separate people. It was a nice almost mid-point for my program, where we had been learning about the Berlin Wall and all that it represented. I just honestly wonder if Europeans understand the complexities of American politics and realize that Obama's ideals will be more difficult to actualize, if he is even elected. I want to believe him, too, but I'm not sure Europeans see the real picture.
Standing Behind many people, 200,000 people and I listened to Senator Obama speak somewhere in front of the tower on the left hand side of the picture
BlackBerry Blog
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:36 PM
To: Joel; Ariella
Subject: Hi from in front of the Victory Column
I'm standing somewhere in between the Victory Column and Brandenburg gate waiting for Obama to speak. Yesterday we went to the Foreign Ministry and met with the Deputy Director of Culture and Media Relations. I asked him several questions about Germany's trade with Iran, and about what Iran says when Germany questions them about Holocause denial. He prefaced it by saying he is not an expert on the issue and is not giving the official German position. He said they have to trade with Iran, because of oil, and stressed that Chancellor Merkel stands strongly with Israel against the Iranian threat. He said the same thing as the member of the German government who works in transatlantic relations said about Holocaust denial - that Iran sees Israel as a part of history that they disagree with Germany about. I still can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone when I ask specifically if in light of all that Germany has done following the Holocaust how they can allow Iran to deny it. This is a serious contradiction to me. Later in the day we visited the AJC office and I asked the Director about it and she said despite the stats, trade with Iran is going down.
I just got asked by a few people in the group if I was writing a short novel, so I should go. Hope all is well in NY.
Elizabeth M. Foreman
From: Elizabeth
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 12:36 PM
To: Joel; Ariella
Subject: Hi from in front of the Victory Column
I'm standing somewhere in between the Victory Column and Brandenburg gate waiting for Obama to speak. Yesterday we went to the Foreign Ministry and met with the Deputy Director of Culture and Media Relations. I asked him several questions about Germany's trade with Iran, and about what Iran says when Germany questions them about Holocause denial. He prefaced it by saying he is not an expert on the issue and is not giving the official German position. He said they have to trade with Iran, because of oil, and stressed that Chancellor Merkel stands strongly with Israel against the Iranian threat. He said the same thing as the member of the German government who works in transatlantic relations said about Holocaust denial - that Iran sees Israel as a part of history that they disagree with Germany about. I still can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone when I ask specifically if in light of all that Germany has done following the Holocaust how they can allow Iran to deny it. This is a serious contradiction to me. Later in the day we visited the AJC office and I asked the Director about it and she said despite the stats, trade with Iran is going down.
I just got asked by a few people in the group if I was writing a short novel, so I should go. Hope all is well in NY.
Elizabeth M. Foreman
-----Original Message-----
From: Ariella
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 1:14 PM
To: Elizabeth; Joel
Subject: RE: Hi from in front of the Victory Column
Thanks for the report, Liz. Sounds similar to my experience with the diplomats, even though you met somebody else. Here's a related article published in today's New Republic:
Short-Term Relationship
by Josef Joffe
Right now, Europeans are greeting Barack Obama as their savior. But how long will the love last if he wins the presidency?
Post Date Thursday, July 24, 2008
This author, a so-called expert on Europe and trans-Atlantic relations, has had more hits from big-time U.S. media in the last five days than in the last five years: Newsweek, CNN, NPR, Lehrer, Reuters, even Al-Jazeera English. They all wanted me to explain Germany's Obama fervor, of course, particularly as it related to his speech in the heart of Berlin, at the "Victory Column" that celebrates the military triumphs that launched Bismarck's Prussia-Germany on the road to Continental primacy.
The site selection is a nice touch for a man who is regarded throughout Germany as the Prince of Peace, as the polar opposite of the one-man axis of evil that George W. Bush is said to be. But what Barack Obama really is or isn't does not matter. Obamania is not about politics, but about desire, dreams, and projections. Obama is not so much a candidate as a canvas, a vast surface onto which Europeans (and half of the U.S. electorate) can paint their fondest fantasies. There hasn't been anything like it in Western politics since ... since ... Jack ("Ich bin ein Berliner") Kennedy, the president Barack Obama so self-consciously mimics, down to the tilt of his head and the inflection of his voice.
If he ran in Germany, Obama would carry the country by a landslide, with 67 percent of the vote. But there is no gold in them thar numbers, only disappointment. By vast margins, Germans and Europeans believe in Obama as the Savior & Redeemer who will deliver them from the last eight years of George W. It's like an exorcist fantasy: Once we can send Bush off into the desert, like the scapegoat of the Israelites, we will be able to love America again.
There are two problems buried in this fantasy. One, Barack Obama is possessed of a pliable identity that oscillates between Barry and Barack, between White and Black, between the Harvard Law Review and the Chicago slums, between a leftish voting record in the Senate and a right-of-center message on the stump. He is neither saint nor softie, but the most consummate power politician to come out of Chicago since Richard Daley the Elder. Following classical electoral ritual in the U.S., Obama has been moving steadily to the right, be it on the death penalty, gun control, or Iraq. Europeans haven't quite processed his pilgrimage to the center, and if they have, they seem not to care.
"He is a universal icon," gushes Ijoma Mangold, a commentator for Munich's Süddeutsche Zeitung, the country's largest quality daily. Obama's "greatest talent," he says, "is to have turned his person into a grand narrative many would like to make their own."
The Washington correspondent of another major left-of-center publication puts it in more practical terms: "Obama recognizes the limits of American power and influence. ... The weight of the White House (in world affairs) is waning. ... In this multipolar world not all the roads will lead through Washington." For the new president (and there is no doubt in Europe that it will be Obama), this means "more cooperation, more UN, NATO, and EU."
This, of course, is Europe's favorite dream: a post-Bush America cut down to size and chastened, a meeker and more modest America, a more "European" (that is, a more social-democratic) America, which at last casts off some of its nastier capitalist habits. An America that is a lot more like us Europeans who have forgone power politics and sovereignty in favor of communitarian politics and integration.
This is the canvas Europeans have been painting with wildly enthusiastic brush strokes. If Obama wins, the reality will be different. Sure, President Obama would speak more softly than did Mr. Bush in his first term, but he would still be carrying the biggest stick on earth. He will preside over an America that is still No. 1 and not part of a multipolar chorus populated by Russia, China, India, and the E.U.
Germans should have read the foreign-policy chapter in Obama's The Audacity of Hope. There are passages in there which read like pure Bush--on unilateralist action, on the right of pre-emption, on playing the world's "sheriff." Obama's upshot: "This will not change--nor should it." This doesn't mean more Bushism if Obama is elected. But it is a useful reminder that the U.S. plays in a league of its own--with global interest, with global military means, and with the willingness to use them.
In Berlin, hundreds of thousands will cheer a projection rather than a flesh-and-blood Obama on Thursday. After Inauguration Day, alas, Europe and the world will not face a Dreamworks president, but the leader of a superpower. Whether McCain or Obama, the 44th president will speak more nicely than did W. in his first term. He will also pay more attention to the "decent opinions of mankind." But he will still preside over the world's largest military, economic, and cultural power.
This vast power differential is what Germans and Europeans don't quite fathom in their infatuation with Obama. Their problem was not Mr. Bush, but Mr. Big--America as Behemoth Among the Nations, unwilling to succumb to the dictates of goodness that animate post-heroic, post-imperial, and post-sovereign Europe.
Josef Joffe is publisher-editor of the German weekly Die Zeit, as well as a fellow of the Institute for International Studies and the Hoover Institution, both at Stanford.
Ariella
----- Original Message -----
From: Joel
To: Ariella; Elizabeth
Sent: Thu Jul 24 13:33:48 2008
Subject: RE: Hi from in front of the Victory Column
Liz,
Great to get a first-hand correspondent's report, even before it is posted on a blog! Thanks for sharing this interesting information.
I find Josef Joffe's piece very interesting, and precisely what I would have expected from him.
I look forward to more news from you.
Joel
----- Original Message -----
From: Elizabeth
To: Joel; Ariella
Sent: Fri Jul 25 04:48:31 2008
Subject: Re: Hi from in front of the Victory Column
Excellent article. It seemed like a lot of the people in the crowd were slightly euphoric about Obama. He was 15 minutes late and at one point they started clapping in a chanting type fashion. We had a pre-scheduled dinner with some young Germans later that night and I had a really interesting conversation with a German guy in his late 20s. He said that he is sure that without a doubt Obama will win by a lot. I've heard others say that since I've been here. I of course mentioned that much of the middle of the country, those who elected GWB may not vote for Obama. This guy is a journalist and very attuned to politics - he wanted to go because his father heard JFK speak when he came to Berlin in the 60s. He liked that Obama spoke with a lot of "large words," to use his terminology. Essentially he liked the esoteric side of Obama. Another German at dinner said that Germans are so into Obama and so sure he is going to win because they only show him and not McCain on TV in Germany.
I do have to say I was very moved by the parallels he drew with US freedom and the references to the Berlin wall, especially with everything I have learned and experienced since being here. It truly is fate that we were here at this time!
On another note, the German guy I mentioned above, Martin, told me a really crazy story I thought you'd like to hear:
One day he was hiking in Saxony with a friend and they encountered some Neo-Nazis. Apparently Neo-Nazis in Germany are quite similar to their counterparts in America in that they come from small insolated towns where there are no jobs. These particular Neo-Nazis were in a bar. They next day Martin put on his tefillin right in front of them. He said that if the Neo-Nazis knew that there a Jew in their midst, they may be trouble. However, he knew they were too stupid to know what he was doing.
We are on our way to Potsdam now. Shabbat shalom!
Elizabeth M. Foreman
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
On Sunday, we had a lackluster bus tour of Berlin. Lackluster in the sense that it was very difficult to grasp a hold of these important buildings, sites and landmarks in German and world history from the lush seat of a tour bus. One of the few spots where we were able to get off the bus was at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in the heart of Berlin.
Our tour guide explained that the memorial contains 2,711 concrete slabs, and as we could see, they were arranged on a grid pattern, sloping up and down. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the memorial. One thing that struck me is that the concrete slabs were protected by an anti-grafitti chemical. Halfway through completion of the project, it was discovered that the same company that produced xyclon-b, the chemical that was used in the gas chambers to poison prisoners in the death camps, also produced this exact chemical. The project was in the midst of completion and while surrounded in controversy, they moved forward.
The moment that our guide mentioned this, I smelled a chemical smell and got nauseous. Besides the fact that the memorial was emotionless, stale and lacked any personification, I felt as if it was almost mocking the victims.
We spent about 3 minutes wandering through the chaotic blocks. With a sense of haste, I knew I had to return.
And this is what I did earlier today. While I was with several people from my group, they all hurried to the other side of the memorial to enter to the Information Center, which I eventually made my way about 20 minutes later. In the meantime, I walked through the path surrounded by concrete slabs that got increasingly larger. While I didn't gain any sense of personality or emotion from an extended experience in the memorial, I was impressed by its architecture. I took a few pictures and added my own personality through color.
After I wandered through, I visited the Information Center underneath the memorial. Once inside, a sense of order was restored. It was cool (very well air conditioned to contrast the strong Berlin sun), modern (clean white lines), and welcoming (free). Immediately I noticed a powerful quote by Primo Levi, author and Holocaust Survivor.
The information center personified the blocks upstairs. One room reflected stories from various prisoners' journals somehow kept from during the war. The room that struck me the most told stories of individual families. The stories covered families from a variety of regions in Europe, families from Poland, Greece, Germany, Russia and many many others. They detailed the family's means of living through profession, religious and cultural affiliations and talked about each family member. These people were normal families with different aspirations and from various social spheres, but what guided them was their faith, and moreover their Jewish heritage. They were all Jewish. It didn't matter at what level; it mattered more their Jewish lineage. The memorial did such a beautiful job detailing the important aspects of each family that I could not bring myself to stop reading.
I was pressed for time and needed to be back at the hotel by a certain time to make our next activity. I felt such a strong sense of obligation to the families outlined in the information center that I read each story. Sometimes twice. Every time I stopped reading one story, I said to myself, OK, time to move on. But I glanced quickly at the next family and my heart sank. I had to read their story. If I didn't read it, who would? The least I could do for them was to learn a piece of their story.
I felt so moved that I purchased the book that contained the materials from the information center.
While I am still very mixed on the Memorial in the fresh air, I am proud that such justice was done to the victims downstairs.
Our tour guide explained that the memorial contains 2,711 concrete slabs, and as we could see, they were arranged on a grid pattern, sloping up and down. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the memorial. One thing that struck me is that the concrete slabs were protected by an anti-grafitti chemical. Halfway through completion of the project, it was discovered that the same company that produced xyclon-b, the chemical that was used in the gas chambers to poison prisoners in the death camps, also produced this exact chemical. The project was in the midst of completion and while surrounded in controversy, they moved forward.
The moment that our guide mentioned this, I smelled a chemical smell and got nauseous. Besides the fact that the memorial was emotionless, stale and lacked any personification, I felt as if it was almost mocking the victims.
We spent about 3 minutes wandering through the chaotic blocks. With a sense of haste, I knew I had to return.
And this is what I did earlier today. While I was with several people from my group, they all hurried to the other side of the memorial to enter to the Information Center, which I eventually made my way about 20 minutes later. In the meantime, I walked through the path surrounded by concrete slabs that got increasingly larger. While I didn't gain any sense of personality or emotion from an extended experience in the memorial, I was impressed by its architecture. I took a few pictures and added my own personality through color.
After I wandered through, I visited the Information Center underneath the memorial. Once inside, a sense of order was restored. It was cool (very well air conditioned to contrast the strong Berlin sun), modern (clean white lines), and welcoming (free). Immediately I noticed a powerful quote by Primo Levi, author and Holocaust Survivor.
The information center personified the blocks upstairs. One room reflected stories from various prisoners' journals somehow kept from during the war. The room that struck me the most told stories of individual families. The stories covered families from a variety of regions in Europe, families from Poland, Greece, Germany, Russia and many many others. They detailed the family's means of living through profession, religious and cultural affiliations and talked about each family member. These people were normal families with different aspirations and from various social spheres, but what guided them was their faith, and moreover their Jewish heritage. They were all Jewish. It didn't matter at what level; it mattered more their Jewish lineage. The memorial did such a beautiful job detailing the important aspects of each family that I could not bring myself to stop reading.
I was pressed for time and needed to be back at the hotel by a certain time to make our next activity. I felt such a strong sense of obligation to the families outlined in the information center that I read each story. Sometimes twice. Every time I stopped reading one story, I said to myself, OK, time to move on. But I glanced quickly at the next family and my heart sank. I had to read their story. If I didn't read it, who would? The least I could do for them was to learn a piece of their story.
I felt so moved that I purchased the book that contained the materials from the information center.
While I am still very mixed on the Memorial in the fresh air, I am proud that such justice was done to the victims downstairs.
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