Our lively tour guide took us to some wonderful Jewish life locations today. Well, what remains of those locations. Not only were many of the rich Jewish life examples lost to bombing during WWII, some were blatantly disregarded by the city of Berlin and not preserved.
However, our tour guide started us at the site of St. Mary’s church and walked us through the life and impact of Moses Mendelssohn who was a prominent member of the Jewish Enlightenment. While his home is no longer standing, there is a wonderful information plaque and art installation to inform the public. Next, we went to my personal favorite stop of the day, the memorial to the German women who successfully protested to free their Jewish husbands from detainment. The Rosenstrasse Protest was an incredible story of how protests can work, even though they may start out small and unorganized.
Through these and the other incredible stops on the walking tour, our group absorbed the information about the rise and fall of the Jewish Golden Age in Berlin. We learned how education and passion can rally us behind our causes to make a difference in the world. It’s an excellent reminder of why we are here with Classrooms without Borders.
