Berlin, Germany!

Berlin was the first stop on our trip to Europe this summer.

It is a young vibrant diverse city which has changed incredibly since the fall of Communism and the reunification of East and West Berlin. Most of the interesting sites, museums and historic locations are in what was formally East Berlin.

Our first outing once settled into Berlin was a visit to the official Berlin Holocaust Memorial, a stone's throw away from th Brandenburg Gate. This is one of the stops on the Hop On Hop Off bus tour of the city.

The memorial is a massive site of concrete blocks spread out over a very large area with no names, dates, or explanations. It does convey the vastness of the destruction. For a more detailed understanding however, an "information" center underground makes the memorial more personal by focusing in on specific individuals and families. Although called an information center it is really a mini museum dedicated to those killed in the Holocaust.

The next day we took a walking tour of Jewish Berlin, or what was Jewish Berlin before the war. This is where the synagogue was, this is where most Jews llived, this is where they were rounded up to and confined to.

The grave of Moses Mendelson was one of the very few left, at what was once the Jewish cemetery. No other gravestones remained...they were totally destroyed and rolled over by the Nazis.

Yet, as part of our tour, in the midst of what was once the heart of Jewish Berlin, we heard music from a building next to the old cemetery. It was a Jewish Day School completeing its last day of school for the year!

Walking in this fascinating city, one could not help but wonder that only a few decades ago, this was hell for all Jews. Yet, today Germany is a staunch ally and good friend of Israel. Many Russian Jews have made their home here. The German government since the fall of Communism has taken responsibilty for the atrocities perpetrated during the Holocaust with reminders throughout the city in many different ways.

Many still feel ambivalent about Germany or still feel anger and hatred. A vist to Berlin today might not change one's feelings, but it does help to realize the positive changes that have taken place and the steps that the country has taken to accept full responsibility for its inhumanity during the second World War.