Anther busy day. We started the day by visiting the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Although the Olympic Stadium is not a formal holocaust location, it was interesting to see and learn more about the use of this stadium to spread Nazi propaganda.
The 11th Olympic Summer games officially began on August 1, 1936. 3,956 athletes took part in the competitions. Germany won, followed by the USA and Hungary.
During the games, the German capital did it’s best to presented itself in in the most attractive and sophisticated manner. The German SA were ordered to stop all attacks between June 30 and September 1, 1936. The goal was for all of the spectators to see Germany in a positive light.
After the Olympic Stadium we visited Wannsee Villa. I have studied the Wannsee conference for years, but nothing prepared me for what I found. The Wannsee Villa is located in Wannsee suburb of Berlin. On January 20, 1942, 15 high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered at the villa to discuss and coordinate the logistics of the “Final solution” for the Jewish people.
The “Final Solution” was the military code name for the systematic, deliberate, physical annihilation of the European Jews.
The Villa was located in the most picturesque location that I have ever seen. The villa is located on a lake, with sail boats in the distance. It was a destination for SS Officers who needed to recuperate. In attendance were all the infamous SS staff and others to include, General Reinhardt Heydrich, Major General Heinrich Muller, Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann, Colonel Eberhard Schonegarth, S Major Rudolf Lange, Major Rudolf Lange, Major General Otto Hofmann, State Secretary Roland Freiseler, Ministerial Director Wilhelm Kritzinger, State Secretary Alfred Meyer, Ministerial Director Georg Leifbradt, Undersecretary of State Martin Luther, State Secretary Wilhelm stuckard, State Secretary Erich Naumann, State Secretary Josef Buhler and Ministerial Director Gerhard Klopfer.
I am naming these individuals on purpose. Much of the history of Nazi Germany is a reminder that no one acts alone. Hitler required many equally unbalanced individuals to accomplish his objectives. They were all here at one time.
The Wannsee Conference was convened for two purposes:
· Decide how to deal with mixed descent as defined by the Nurenberg laws
· To secure support from government ministries and other agencies relevant to the final solution
General Heydrich indicated that approximately 11,000,000 Jews in Europe would fall under the provisions of the final solution. At the time, 2 million Jews had already been murdered throughout Europe.
All of the attendants of the meeting were given copies of the minute meetings and directed to destroy them, however one did not. As a result, we have a detailed record of the decisions that were made there. Copies of all of the letters, as well as an incredible exhibit all exist in the building where the conference was held. These documents were used extensively during the Eichmann trial in 1962.
I found it very difficult to leave this location. The exhibits were so detailed, so descriptive and so compelling. I purchased the book that has a description of the exhibit because I did not feel that I had time to view it all. If you find yourself on a similar tour or simply in this region of Germany, your visit will not be complete without a visit to the Wansee Villa.
Following the Wansee Villa we stopped at Track 17 Memorial at Grunewald Railway Station.
Deutsche Bahn AG (the German railway system) erected a central memorial to commemorate the deportation of Jewish citizens during the Nazi era. The deportation of the European Jews to the extermination camps would not have been possible without the extensive collaboration of Deutsche Reinchsbahn.
The memorial is extremely powerful. The location of the memorial (far away from the public areas) is a reminder that the deportation of German Jews was something that was done away from the public eye. The memorial is comprised of 186 cast steel rows arranged in chronological order and set in the ballast next to the platform edge. On each row is a date or transport, number of individuals transported, the destination and point of departure. The striking part is that vegetation has been allowed to grow in between the rails. This is to symbolize that no more trains will ever depart from this platform.
From there we arrived at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. There was tremendous controversy surrounding the development of a memorial as well as picking the memorial. I was torn the entire time I was there as to how appropriate and effective it was. It is certainly striking. I can say that the museum that is located directly beneath the memorial was stunning and like nothing else I had seen to date. In addition to the beginning, that offered a detailed description of events leading up to 1945, the exhibit chose to focus on a small number of personal experiences and personal diaries to educate. I was deeply moved as I walked through the exhibit and pictures the individuals being described. Any one of the stories could have been about my family, or someone that I knew. In particular, the use of personal diaries was heart wrenching and left me feeling broken. I feel that the memorial achieved much of what it intended to. This is discussion that I will go into in more detail…at a different time.
Tomorrow we visit Ravens Bruch and Sachsenhausen. Although we have only been traveling together for one week, our group has become extremely close – I imagine crying together can do that. The time that we have during meals and on the busses and trains offers the opportunity for connection. I am continuously amazed at how much knowledge and experience our group has and how much I am learning from them. I am extremely honored to be part of this journey. Liyla Tov and gute Nacht.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
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