Stolpersteine (“Stumbling Stones”) Commemorate Nazi Victims & Remind Us to “Never Forget”
I have been privileged to visit two different holocaust museums—the U.S. Holocaust Memorial in Washington, D. C., and Yad Vashem in Israel. Disturbing memories from both remain etched in my soul.
When we visited Germany, I learned about a much different type of memorial while walking with my niece in their neighborhood. She pointed out these four small brass plates, embedded in the sidewalk and explained they were called Stolpersteine, which in English translates to “stumbling stones.” These probably represent the lives of an entire family.
On a later walk in the downtown area of Wiesbaden, we saw other stones, and Ron was able to take a photo of this single one, which recently had been polished.
Throughout Europe, more than 45,000 Stolpersteine have been placed. Each memorializes one victim of the Holocaust at that person’s last known address. Each stone includes the victim’s name, date of birth, deportation date, plus death date and place if known.
Gunter Demnig, a German artist, created this project, as a way to remember names of millions of individuals—Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and political adversaries who were either killed by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945 or committed suicide as a result of Nazi persecution.
Oftentimes, current residents in a building where a victim once lived purchase the stone. Sometimes, one is purchased by a surviving family member, and at other times, random citizens who never want to forget the memory of those who suffered are the benefactors.
“Never forget" is a motto of Holocaust remembrance. We must never forget, I believe, the depravity to which humankind can sink and the potential for hatred and evil lurking within our own souls. As I write these words, I ask myself, “Where do I begin to make certain “I never forget?” Three thoughts emerge:
Look for the Imago Dei—God’s very image—in every person I meet.
Consider carefully where I must draw a line in the sand concerning my personal, political, and spiritual convictions and then figure out how to stand firmly with grace, mercy, and forgiveness, reflecting to the best of my ability the character of Jesus.
Study how Jesus—in the fullness of his deity and humanity—navigated the environment into which he was placed with its repressive political environment, broken population, and polluted religious system. As an “apprentice of Jesus” learn and practice doing likewise.
Blessings on our journeys to “never forget,”
