What America Can Learn From Germany From a Jew's Perspective

Germany. As a Jew, Germany has a heavy connotation. No matter how much time has passed, it is hard to hear the word “Germany” without your mind going to the country’s horrible past. From a young age, no matter your religion, we are all taught to never forget the Holocaust. We are taught that by remembering this dark past we will prevent this type of hate from emerging again. By remembering, we help to build compassion in hopes of creating a better world moving forward.

Before arriving in Germany this past July I thought I would be uncomfortable. I felt like it would be hard to walk around without thinking about what might have taken place on the same streets years ago.

I was right, I was reminded. However, I felt far from uncomfortable. Throughout my time in Berlin, I could feel myself coming to terms with the country’s own horrible history. Throughout my time I couldn’t help but wish the U.S. could come to terms with its past in the same way.

[Alexanderplatz tower - Berlin]

Maya Angelou once said:

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

In the wake of Charlotesville and the hate that has emerged since from all corners of the country, the US could show a little more courage in order to make sure this hate doesn’t engulf our nation.

Germany has accepted a large sense of collective guilt for its past. You can’t walk ten feet throughout Berlin alone without being reminded of the Holocaust. Visitors literally stumble over “stumbling blocks” (Stolperstein) which are brass cubes inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. Besides the “stumbling blocks” the country has several other memorials to remember those that faced persecution throughout the Nazi reign. Germany confronts the horrors of its past head-on, unflinchingly. The country memorializes the victims and not the Nazi leaders. In fact, it is illegal to use the swastika or perform the Hitler salute. Germany takes hate speech very seriously. The country doesn’t do this to try and hide its past but rather to demonstrate how the country as a whole has learned from it in order to form a more unified country moving forward. The U.S. could really learn a thing or two from Germany and how it has confronted its past.

[Holocaust Memorial - Berlin, Germany]

In contrast, the United States has pushed down its own horrible past for too long and is now wrestling with a divided nation. The country is still littered with over 1,500 monuments that honor confederate soldiers. Soldiers whose claim to fame centers around the fact that they fought in opposition of the government of the United States because they wanted to defend slavery. President Trump even tweeted that he’s “Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments.” There is nothing beautiful about statues that are symbols of hate and bigotry. While we memorialize the statues of men that fought in support of hate, we do little to remember those that were violently oppressed because of the color of their skin during this dark time of American history.

America can do better.

After World War II the United States worked to help Germany prohibit any symbols that were intended to revive or commemorate the Nazi Party. Due to these actions, Germany has in many ways come to terms with its past. The country doesn’t want us to forget what happened but rather wants to honor those that were oppressed in order to be a role model for the rest of the world to take a stance against hate and bigotry.

I never thought Germany would be one of my favorite places I have ever visited. As Jews many of us feel like we have to hold a personal grudge against the country because it oppressed people with our shared religion and background. However, the way in which the country as a whole works to remember those that were oppressed and lost their lives due to hate is something that gives me faith that love can in fact conquer hate.

We will never be able to erase the fact that 6 million jews were killed because of the Nazi regime. We can’t erase the fact that slavery and racism took the lives of millions and is part of American history. What we can do is remember the past and honor these victims. As Americans we can do better to honor these victims by not memorializing their oppressors. That’s how we move on. That’s how love conquers hate. The feelings I experienced and lessons on love I learned while in Germany are imprinted on me forever. I hope other Jews can travel to Germany in order to feel and learn the same things I had the ability to. The country and its people of the past, present, and future will always be in my heart.

We all need to do better honoring those that we have oppressed.

King, Alexandra. “Zakaria: US Could Learn from How Germany Reckoned with History.”CNN, Cable News Network, 20 Aug. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/08/20/us/fareed-zakaria-germany-history-cnntv/index.html.

Komska, Yuliya. “What to Do with Confederate Monuments: Seven Lessons from Germany.”The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Aug. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/08/17/what-to-do-with-confederate-monuments-seven-lessons-from-germany/?utm_term=.a96eadd85394.