Essay On Reaction

The memorial for the ‘murdered Jews of Europe’ located in Berlin cost 25 million euros at its inaugural during the year 2005. Well-researched and documented history points three groups that endured suffering during the pre-Nazi, Hitler’s reign, and post Nazi regimes in Germany and Europe at large. These groups are the Jews, the Roma/Sinti, and the Gay and Lesbians. Unfortunately, more attention is directed towards the persecution of Jews. For instance, the two recently erected monuments in Berlin for the Roma/Sinti and the gays and lesbians persecuted during the Nazi reign were put up on a modest scale. I completely object the idea of having different memorials for different groups because they all suffered under the same regime. Furthermore, this goes against the spirit of equality because the plight of other groups such as the blacks has completely been ignored.
In addition, the idea of having the ort der information, which is an underground place of information housing the list of Jewish Holocaust victims, is unwelcomed. The designer of the memorial, Peter Eisenman, should have placed the victim names in the open for all to see.
Furthermore, the chosen title, which is ‘memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe’ is misleading. Some historians deny the holocaust and argue that most victims died in ghettos because of sickness, malnutrition, and old age. It seems some higher powers are campaigning for the plight of Jews only. In the contrary, the truth is we cannot run from our history. We continue to ignore the plight of blacks who worked as slaves, and the native Red Indians killed through genocide by the first white settlers in America. There is no single monument in Washington that represents these oppressed groups.
Lastly, Emmaly Reed’s self-proclamation as a holocaust survivor cannot be substantiated clearly. She claims to remember scenes at the concentration camps when she was just 2 – 3 years old. It is impossible for individuals to have survived in the camps for long if truly her testimony is the truth of what was taking place in the camps.