While in Berlin, I have become more and more “aware” as some people call it, or more “cynical” as my former self would call it, of what is happening in Germany. My romanticized idea that all of Europe was like a super-sized amusement park with beautiful sites, delicious food and few problems, has since died.
I've found a great variety of people here representing just about any political party you could imagine. I'm not sure if I'm a big fan though, but that is why I am excited to go and live amongst the friendly coexisting disagreeing non-hostile people of America (this is something I have to come back to...keep posted).
In my German Politics class we discuss a lot about remorse and how much of Germany still feels the need to repent for what it did to the Jews. While, yes, this is the focus of the discussion in that one class, I was also introduced to this one Jewish woman who lives in Cologne. She felt that any sort of symbolic tributes or ceremonies in honor of the Jews who died in the Holocaust was a waste. Well, she didn't say it was a waste, but she mine as well have. NYU Berlin was in Cologne the weekend before the 20th anniversary of Mauerfall, but that day--November 9th, was also a day many Jews had died by the hands of the Nazis. So firstly, she not only criticized the people of Berlin for celebrating their wall falling and forgetting what happened to the Jews, but she also criticized the fact that the mayor was going to visit her synagogue (which is the main one in Cologne) in remembrance of what happened that day. Did I forget to mention that this woman also spoke in a tone against the German youth and implied through her talk that the majority of the German public was incompetent and lacking a moral understanding of the Holocaust? I feel badly for what has happened to the Jews, and of course I will never really understand what these people who have lost so many family members do, but I don't think I am incompetent by any means to understand what happened during the Holocaust. I also don't feel that I am incompetent because I think memorials and public remembrance is a good thing, despite its obvious flaws. And as a distant American student, I think I can say safely that many German students also are not incompetent in understanding their history. Of course there are a few radicals, but they are in all countries.
As a relatively free and open minded American I can sort of understand where this woman is coming from, but at the same time I must ask, as some of my German peers from Cologne did...What is enough? And if you don't like it, then what do you want? Others had asked if she would rather appreciate NOTHING be done! I must admit, I chuckled a bit because it was like a slap in the face. She couldn't seem to formulate a good response, besides turning red and raising her voice.
Another thing I was a bit skeptical to believe was all of the hatred that this woman had both experienced
or described, but I soon realized how serious the nature of what was happening to her really is. This is really a response to what I had written in my paper in my last post in case you are wondering... After hearing it over and over from more and more people I started to get (at least what I consider to be) a good understanding of what is still occurring in Germany. Anti-Semitism is still a very real thing. Yes, in the US I can watch my South Park make Jew jokes against Kyle, but here (in Berlin)...I think it would be entirely looked down upon, and I think people would
think you are completely insensitive or completely agree in a very serious way (I don't say this in a mocking way, just stating how I see it). The reason why people are very sensitive is because they know just how many people still harbor those dark thoughts against Jews. The very reason why Hitler's swastikas are illegal on the posters of Inglorious Bastards here.
There are apparently still many students who are taunted for being Jewish, and many young and old adults who are completely anti-Jewish. There are still violent crimes against Jewish people, and harassment occurring on the subway. The only image I can conjure is from the past, when Jews had to wear a yellow star on their jackets and get taunted in their own streets prior to WWII.
Perhaps in the future, as the young people of today are growing up and see all of these things they will realize the terror that occurred, but in Germany, I still am unsatisfied of the amount of anti-Semitism there is, and wish that the rest of the world would realize this about Germany as well. I wish there was more external pressure in this globalized world on Germany to fix the situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment