Berlin

Content Warning for this post.

    Taking up about the length of a city block is a forest of grey stone stelae of varying heights with the tallest found in the center. This monument, officially titled The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe stands in remembrance to the Jewish victims of The Holocaust. Standing on the outskirts of the memorial, I was unsure of how to feel about the design before me and what it was supposed to represent. 

    These stone blocks are arranged such that there is a always a way out of the memorial, but at the same time it felt eerily like a maze. Take one turn left or right and it would lead you to an entirely different area. There were twenty-four of us walking through, plus numerous other visitors, but it felt like I was the only one. People would occasionally show up between the stelae but then disappear, again leaving me in isolation. As I walked, the already narrow paths began to feel tighter like I was being pushed against the pillars. The sound of the cars on the busy street right next to us disappeared. The tallest blocks began to feel more and more like the cramped bunk beds I'd seen in pictures of the concentration camps. I kept thinking this is what it must have felt like to be in one of these horrible places. 

    After meeting our tour guide on the other side of the memorial, I watched the remainder of our class join us. And to see the looks on their faces leaving was just as emotional for me as being inside the memorial. Our tour guide said at the beginning that the memorial isn't complete until you are inside it. And how you behave inside also says a lot about who you are as a person. I now realize what he meant. 

   Underneath the memorial is a museum also dedicated in remembrance. It's aim is educational but it does so in an emotional way. There are six rooms housing letters from those who were murdered, first-hand accounts of what the camps were like, stories of Jewish families from all over Europe, and histories of people who were never seen again. Although heart-wrenching to walk through, it does an excellent job of showcasing a very human side of this tragedy. 

    I appreciate that Germany and specifically Berlin is so open about the events of World War II and the years leading up to it. I think it is extremely important to continue discussion and education so we never forget what happened, so this never happens again. And continuing to tell the stories of those who's voices were silenced is the best thing for Germany to do.

I have not added pictures to this post because to me that's not what this day was about. But there are photos online and I highly encourage seeing for yourself if you get the chance.