The German authorities were preparing for criticism from the Jewish community after it was revealed that a Holocaust memorial in Berlin was being used as a public bathroom by tourists and by neo-Nazi sympathizers.
The revelation in a Berlin newspaper is likely to trigger a new debate about how the Holocaust should be remembered in Germany.
One argument against building the monument, which consists of 2,700 concrete slabs resembling Jewish gravestones, was that it would become a target of anti-Semitic vandals. The managers of the memorial, which attracts 3.5 million visitors a year, have tried to play down the scandal.
“This just belongs to the teething problems of any new monument,” Uwe Neumaerker, of the Memorial Foundation, said.
The German government has been aware of the problem since the monument was completed in May 2005 but has tried to maintain a silence for fear of encouraging more vandalism.
The defacing of Jewish memorial areas in Germany by right-wing hard-liners has become a widespread problem that is acknowledged rarely.
On the eve of Holocaust Day at the weekend a group of youths set fire to a restored railway carriage – symbolizing the deportation of the Jews – in Lower Saxony. In the eastern German port of Stralsund, concrete was poured over a memorial for a Jewish family.
A court in Frankfurt an der Oder, on the Polish border, sentenced three youths to between nine and 14 months jail this month for urinating on a Jewish memorial.
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9 Responses
I don’t think there should be a holocust monument in GERMANY it only ignites anti-semitisim.
We have YAD V’SHEM in ERETZ YISROEL. Many world leaders visited there to pay respect. i don’t see any reason to make a memorial in GERMANY there’s barly any JEWS there today, the people that live there – next to the memorial hate us. Why flare up their hatred ?
(let’s keep a low profile)
I totally disagree!!! we shouldnt be intimidated by these people. Let them live up to what they did and make any memorial or contribution to their horrific past just like they pay holocaust survivors reparation money. THEY are the ones who WANT to keep alow profile for their shame. WE SHOULDNT LET THEM!!!!!
It seems to me that, of all the varieties of anti-semitism, the type that persists in Germany is the most vile. If, chas vechalilah, my country systematically imprisoned, starved, defiled, tortured, and devastated/ murdered millions of innocent people, I would MOVE as soon as I had the chance. How these post-holocaust Germans can BEAR the thought of what their relatives did is beyond comprehension! They should be bowing and krechtzing “mea culpas” their whole lives, trying to fill in the black hole of their recent history with maasim tovim. And to think some of them still carry the nazi spirit on their hearts…!!! Ashrei …haholchim beToras Hashem.
does anyone really think that they hate us less the monument is only pr and he anything it gives them pride about what they did not even one shred of regret they’re only upset that they lost
there is a book out named hitlers willing executioners wish shows how what what supposedly an advanced culture in germany – how all regular citizens acted as vicious nazis at every chance to destroy jews – when given the chance………….
Someone told me that on a recent business trip to Germany, he met a non Jew and they started to discuss the holocaust. The non Jew made a very disturbing comment. He said that after 60 years its high time that Jews FORGIVE the Germans for what they did!
Without batting an eyelash the Jew replied, ‘How dare you, for over 2000 years you have been harassing us for the death of J, AND WE DIDNT EVEN KILL HIM…now after only 60 years you expect us to forgive these murderous nazis for willingly exterminating our families and millions of others???’
The Geman conceded and apologized.
I think with all the serious acts of anti0-Semitism going on in Germany and around the world, this is the least of our worries. The size of this memorial makes vandalizm easy to do.
Forget about it.
Fief un is right; The best memorial is learning Torah.
When I think about the hundreds of millions of dollars spent all over the world for Holocaust museums and memorials I get sick.
Sheryl– Re: “We have YAD V’SHEM in ERETZ YISROEL. Many world leaders visited there to pay respect. i don’t see any reason to make a memorial in GERMANY there’s barly any JEWS there today, the people that live there – next to the memorial hate us.”
You are 100% wrong. I know for a fact that Germany is the fastest growing Jewish community in the world (especially for people coming from the FSU (Former Soviet Union) and there are many Jews (frum and otherwise) who live in Germany and especially in Berlin. I have been to Germany and to this memorial and it is very important that it is there so that people, especially young Germans and young Europeans, do not forget about what happened.
Feif Un – Your dear Grandmother is 100% correct!.
I once worked with a elderly woman from Germany – she came into my office to tell me -you think you Jews had it so bad – let me tell you – we had it bad also. if we wanted to eat a potato, we had to fry it in shoe grease (whatever that is). I told her 2 things 1) first you killed my people and took their potato 2) leave my office and never step foot in it again.