As our group was going through our morning tour, we took a stop at The Empty Library Memorial in Bebelplatz, Berlin, which commemorates Nazi book burning that took place on May 10, 1933. Looking at the empty bookshelves in the below-ground installation, I had the realization that I may never know the knowledge contained in the burned pages. It made me wonder just how much one act could still have an impact decades later. Then, Mr. Leistler showed us a photo of Nazis actively burning those same books. My heart dropped to the floor, not just because of the Nazis putting fuel and matches on the pile of knowledge, but because of all the bystanders in the photo that could have done something. Throughout my little time in Germany, the main lesson I’ve learned is the main reason why Hitler gained so much power was because no one said anything. No one was strong enough to just say no. I think that is a hard pill to swallow.
As our group was leaving the site, an old Belgian man saw us, including me, asking questions. He then kindly pulled me over and took me to a plaque that said in German “First they’ll burn the books; soon (or “ultimately”) they’ll burn the people.” It was written in 1820 by the German-Jewish writer Heinrich Heine. Then the man turned and said to me, ” I’m too old to make a difference. It’s up to you and your generation now.” At that moment, I saw so many parallels between the Nazi regime and our country’s state and understood that something needs to be done sooner rather than later.
In the evening, we took a cooking class led by a French German chef and made spaetzle (a type of Mac and Cheese). I had so much fun talking and getting to know the group and the chefs, and I was able to make a real bond and connections. Besides the cooking, I think the highlight was Brandon dancing at the end with the every song that was playing. Overall, the cooking made me realize that as much as I like helping in the kitchen, I’d rather do ANYTHING ELSE than cook for a large group again (my hands started to hurt after turning large pounds of pasta).
