What an amazing day! We left Nuremberg this morning and took a three-hour train ride to Berlin. Each city we have traveled to has its own character. Berlin is definitely unique. Massive buildings, graffiti art everywhere, and music blasting wherever you go fill the city.
Our first stop was at the location where the massive book burnings took place by the Nazis. They focused primarily on Jewish authors and used this as propaganda. There’s a marker in the middle of the square here marking this part of history and a clear glass window looking down into an empty white room with empty bookshelves. I couldn’t help but think of our modern book banning in the United States now. How different is what happened then from what is happening now?
We then traveled to one of the most challenging parts of Germany’s history, when the country was split into two. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, but its impact continues to ripple to this day. Part of the wall has been preserved as a memorial, and we all got to touch it. I couldn’t believe the lives that were impacted by this division and how healing is still ongoing today.
We saw our first Stolpersteins (stumbling blocks) tonight. These markers show where the victims of the Nazis were taken from their homes. These three markers showed where the Wolf family was taken and murdered. A somber reminder of what happened here.
Our final stop in Berlin was the most special. We got to have Shabbat service at the Fraenkelufer Synagogue. The part of the synagogue we met in was the only part that was not destroyed in the war. A majority of the synagogue was destroyed. We found out while we were there that they have received $25 million to rebuild it. Construction should start next year. This portion of the synagogue was the first place in Germany to hold a service after the war. A photographer from Life Magazine captured photos of the service, which are displayed on the walls. The entire synagogue was packed, and the service was lovely. We had an amazing meal and enjoyed getting to know everyone there. I hated to see the bulletproof glass on all of the synagogue’s windows and the police hired to be outside to make sure we were safe. Will hate ever end?
I’m excited to see what else we will learn in Berlin and the connections we will make. Classrooms Without Borders is really helping to heal the world. I’m so glad to be on this journey with teachers who are ready to make a difference.
