56 new stumbling blocks in Munich: a strong sign of memory!

56 new stumbling blocks in Munich: a strong sign of memory!

Goethestraße 23, 80336 München, Deutschland - Last Sunday it was time again: 56 new stumbling blocks were laid in Munich. These small but significant cuboids are reminiscent of Jewish people who lived during National Socialism in those places where they often suffered unspeakable suffering. The new stumbling blocks are embedded in front of the building with number 23 in Goethestrasse, which served as a "refuge", and it is the greatest laying of this kind so far in the history of the association. Terry Swartzberg, Board of the Stumbling Stones initiative for Munich, explains that the house belonged to a Jewish family in the 1930s. Even after it was sold to the Niedermaier family in 1939, many Jews were looking for protection there.

Around 60 participants were present at the ceremony, in which the stumbling blocks were set. Inez Rattan, also on the board of the association, pointed out that during the Nazi era the Jewish fellow citizen: "no more names" were given inside-they became numbers. The stumbling blocks should change exactly that: give the victims their names and thus also their dignity. There are currently 423 stumbling blocks in Munich; It should be 500 by the end of summer, which shows that this project is very well received.

controversial commemoration

Nevertheless, the stumbling blocks are controversial, even within the Jewish community. Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Israelite Culture Community (IKG) in Munich, has publicly criticized and describes the stumbling blocks as disrespectful towards the victims. She argues that the stones could be dirty and the names of the victims would be traced with feet. Despite these resistances, the initiative has found a way to lay stumbling blocks on private ground, since the city council decided in 2004 that stumbling blocks are not allowed on urban soil. Terry Swartzberg emphasizes that many Jewish citizens see the stumbling blocks as a worthy form of memory.

The Stumbling Stone Initiative belongs to a global network that has now installed 70,000 such stones. The Berlin artist Gunter Demnig is the inventor of this concept and started laying the first stone in Cologne 27 years ago. Each stumbling block is provided with a brass table that contains information about the respective victim in five lines - from names to date of birth to deportation date and the cause of death. This decentralized approach is supposed to bring the memory of the victims into the city centers and often stands in front of the former residential buildings of the persecuted

social response

The reactions to the stumbling blocks are diverse. While many appreciate the memory in this form, there is also resistance, especially people who have aranized houses. Initiatives that take care of the laying of the stones feel the social importance and the associated responsibility. Often it is school classes that research the stories of the victims, which makes memory individualized and makes it accessible to younger generations.

Although the discussion about the stumbling blocks boils again and again, it becomes clear that these stones are an important part of the culture of memory in Munich and beyond. However, the debate also shows that questions about perpetrators, profiteers and passives of history represent lasting challenges for society and that dealing with the Nazi past is still necessary.

Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that the stumbling blocks are lived in the places where the victims lived. This gives the memory an immediate presence. However, the question of respect and memorial culture remains a steady companion in the discussion. The initiative has to struggle with legal hurdles, since the city itself does not allow any new stumbling blocks on a public reason, as the taz

Overall, this form of memory in Munich and many other cities in Germany and beyond has also produced a large number of supporters and reviews. But one thing is certain: the proud, small memorial stones help to bring the stories of the victims into the awareness of society, even if there are still questions about the way of commemoration. Deutschlandfunk emphasizes that stumbling blocks also represent a motivation for young people to deal with this dark past.