Walking through a memorial

In December 2024 I visited Berlin. My walk through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe will stay with me for a long time. The memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust (there are memorials to other victims in the vicinity) consists of a 4.7 acre site covered with 2711 concrete slabs in a grid on a sloping field. The architect, Peter Eisenman has said there is no symbolic significance to the number of slabs or design of the monument.

The grey slabs begin at knee height, but as you walk through, they become taller, and I had the sense of them towering over me. You move through the grid system not knowing where you are going, or if you will meet anyone. Although it was a sunny day, it felt dark and disquieting. For me, it reminded me of how prejudice can begin in small ways (e.g. othering, propaganda), but how quickly it deepens to discrimination and violation of human rights, and eventually genocide. For me the walk through the slabs as they became increasingly bigger, and more overpowering was disturbing. The ground is also undulating, making one feel somewhat unsteady and uncertain. As I stood in the middle of the memorial, I had this strong sense I needed to get out or would be ‘consumed’. Reading interpretations of the memorial afterwards it seems this sense of foreboding is common.

The memorial is a stark reminder as we approach Holocaust Memorial Day (27th January) of the importance of not only remembrance but that we must do all we can to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief. The theme for HMD 2025 is ‘For a better future’. I believe that education about freedom of religion or belief is a vital for building better futures, and as part of this it is important to call out Holocaust or genocide denial or trivialisation, and to use authoritative sources to learn more about the Holocaust and genocides.

As we all mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2025, may we come together to ensure better futures for all in our communities.