Impressions of Germany

As a young girl, Holocaust studies at a Jewish day school in Dallas, Texas fueled my initial knowledge and impressions of Germany. That education, on top of Holocaust books and movies, painted a dark picture of Germany, a gloomy place that bred Nazis and murderers. Thus, I equated Germans as cold, serious, and murderous people who killed six million Jews during the Holocaust. The fact that my family lost 98 members during the Holocaust furthered my negative impression of Germany. My grandmother was born in Cottbus, just outside Berlin, but I knew little of the place where she came from and she rarely spoke about her childhood. I knew that she fled Germany as the Nazis came to power. Other than that, pictures of Germany portrayed a beautiful country with fairy-tale like castles that towered over river banks and scenic, quaint towns set against a backdrop of glorious mountains. But, I knew that the Germany of the past was hardly a fairy-tale setting.

During my recent trip to Berlin in November 2008 on the American Jewish Committee/ACCESS program, I arrived at Berlin's Tegel Airport with my fair share of preconceived notions of Germany. I was now able to see for myself what Germany and its people were all about. As a Jew standing on German soil, I felt a rush of mixed emotions. How would I feel being a Jew in Germany? Would I be able to look beyond my preconceived notions? Would I be able to separate the Germany of today and Hitler's Germany? Would I feel comfortable as a Jew visiting Germany? Would I feel welcome?

Being Jewish and losing family members in the Holocaust forced me to walk the streets of Berlin with curiosity and cautious steps. I could not help to wonder who the old man was who walked passed me. It is still impossible to comprehend how the annihilation of the Jews even happened.

I soon realized that you should never travel anywhere with any preconceived notions. A city, a town, or a country, and even its people can open your eyes to new ideas and perspectives. As I had traveled far to Germany, I realized that Germany, too, had come a long way from a damaged past to a brighter future. I put aside my dark impressions of Germany and opened my heart and mind to new ones.

When Evil Prevailed

On November 9, 1938, an orchestrated whirlwind of destruction was unleashed on the Jews of Germany. From the streets of Berlin to the smallest towns of Germany and Austria, more than a thousand synagogues were set on fire and destroyed. Tens of thousands of Jewish shops and homes were ransacked and Jewish books were burnt to ash. In 24-hours of violence, 91 Jews were killed and more than 30,000 Jewish men and boys were sent to concentration camps. With shattered glass covering the streets of Germany, the Nazi pogrom became known as Kristallnacht: the Night of the Broken Glass. The event was the turning point toward the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

The Holocaust occurred between the years 1933 to 1945 and the ramifications were great. Germany lay in ruins. It had not become a world power as Hitler had planned. Germany did not only have to rebuild its country, but millions of people were displaced from their homes and burdened financially and emotionally from the repercussions of the war and the Holocaust. It wasn't until the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 that Germany was able to reunite and rebuild itself as a global leader.

The Nazis were famous for record keeping, resulting in an extensive recorded history of the Holocaust. Storerooms full of secret archives held the stories of millions of victims. With this collective history, artifacts, the remains of the concentration camps, and the memorials built around the world, we can learn from the past to ensure history does not repeat itself.

Personal View

While in Berlin, the ACCESS/American Jewish Committee group met young Germans of Jewish and non-Jewish descent. Once we broke the ice and the discussion flowed freely, the young Germans voiced a common feeling. Upon knowing we were a Jewish group, our new German friends claimed they were ashamed over the Holocaust. This moral guilt seemed to weigh heavily on their minds and they questioned the future. The people who lived during the Nazi era are quickly dying out, but the interest of Germans in their past is still at a peak. To me, those who were part of the Nazi party or were collaborators are the symbol of evil, but I could not bring myself to blame these young Germans who sat next to me over a meal. They were not alive during the Holocaust and had nothing to do with the tragic events. Unfortunately, they, as well as the generations before and after them, will have to bear the shame, but hopefully they will realize their country is a forward-thinking society that is opening its arms to a better and stronger future.

It's obvious that Germans are still trying to define what it means to be German. Germans feel ashamed to be patriotic, and the strong sense of fatherland and world dominance that was once a symbol of Germany seemed to have died with Hitler. Germans have dismantled the Nazi idea of fatherland and are finally creating a new sense of nationalism. Germany will not forget its past and will hopefully move forward with a stronger, reenergized sense of national identity.

Seventy years later, on November 9, 2008, the anniversary of Kristallnacht, I sat alongside other young American Jews inGermany's largest synagogue, Rykestrasse Synagogue, located in Berlin. As a participant in the American Jewish Committee's ACCESS Program, I looked on in awe as German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed hundreds of Jews and non-Jews who sat together at a commemoration ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Nazi-incited violence.

"We can't be indifferent to right-wing extremists marching through the Brandenburg Gate or to right-wing extremists winning seats in legislatures," Merkel said, in reference to recent events.

"We can't remain silent when rabbis are accosted on the streets, Jewish graveyards desecrated and anti-Semitic crimes are committed," she said. "Complacency is a first step toward putting the most essential values of our democracy at risk."

Merkel also noted that remembering Kristallnacht is not enough; "we must always think how it was that it could come to this singular event, the Holocaust."

It moved me to sit in one of the restored synagogues that was among the many damaged or destroyed during Kristallnacht. It showed me that there is hope for the future and that as human beings, we can learn from the past and create a better future for ongoing generations. My belief is that with a little knowledge and understanding, these kinds of events can be prevented in the course of time.

The shadows of an old Germany are still very much there, but I believe the Germany of today will not forget the Holocaust anytime soon. Reminders of the Holocaust can be seen throughout the streets of Berlin. A vast Holocaust memorial consisting of 2,700 concrete slabs built by American architect Peter Eisenman is a national reminder and lasting symbol of the Holocaust. Abstract to extremes, an individual who visits this memorial may interpret the structure in his own unique way. Standing in front of the gigantic stone structure that made up the memorial, I imagined a large grey maze or graveyard. But the seriousness of the structure may not always be understood. Some children may see it as a large playground, but hopefully its purpose will be explained. The unique Jewish Museum, built by Daniel Libeskind, follows a fractured pattern similar to the Star of David that Jews were forced to wear during the Nazi regime.

Berlin synagogues, once desecrated by the Nazis are now restored and open their doors to Berlin's growing Jewish population, composed mostly of emigrants from the former Soviet Union. Guarded by German police and high security, these synagogues symbolize the fact that Hitler was unable to destroy an entire race.

Embedded and bronzed into the streets of Berlin are stumble stones (brass cobblestones) bearing the names, birth and death dates of Jews who had once lived at that address, and the names of the concentration camps where they perished. These small reminders are in fact large memorials. As hundreds walk by the cobblestones each day, they are also reminded.

Each memorial in Berlin and other German cities shows Germany's willingness to come to terms with its past. Germany does have a special responsibility to ensure the Holocaust never happens again. Therefore, Germany and the rest of the world must use the Holocaust era as a source of courage and conscience that we will never repeat the same mistakes.

It's painful to think what my people went through as European Jews during the Holocaust. I know I will always honor them; and as I walked the streets of Berlin, I was proud to be a Jew in a Germany that is no longer enveloped by darkness, but by symbols of hope and courage.

Germany Today and in the Future

Today, Berlin pulsates with history. The cultural movement is still filled with energy; the rise and downfall of the Nazi era is a permanent shadow; and the armed borders of the Berlin Wall and its fall resulted in the lifting of the iron curtain that had draped over Europe. Berlin, the capital of a united Germany, is a city of strength that has slowly come to terms with its past and Germany as a whole is moving towards a new understanding of its place in this global society.

Berlin is also considered by many as the cultural capital of Central and Eastern Europe. Berlin boasts three opera houses, over 150 theatres and playhouses, over 170 museums and collections and over 200 private galleries. Berlin also occupies a special place in Europe as a liberal and socially progressive city, placed in the heart of the continent, where East meets West.

Today, Germany is a strong world player that faces the challenges of the future with optimism. Germany is Israel's second-largest trade partner, after the U.S., and since the two nations formed diplomatic relations in 1965, Germany has paid $39.4 billion to Holocaust survivors in Israel. According to the U.S. Department of State, the United States is Germany's second-largest trading partner, and U.S.-German trade has continued to be strong. Two-way trade in goods totaled $144 billion in 2007. U.S. exports to Germany were $49.6 billion, while U.S. imports from Germany were more than $94.4 billion.

Concluding Thoughts

The Holocaust (haShoah) will always be a constant reminder of what can happen when hatred and inhumanity prevail. Germany has come to terms with its tainted and poisoned past. The country has created the blueprints, setting the stage for its important role in the world today and down the road. German society is fueled with newfound hope and courage to create stronger solidarity and national purpose.

"... in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again." - Anne Frank