2015-01-26 Nuremberg
Never Again.
The seeds of National Socialism were sown into law in Nuremberg. After the war the tree trunks of that evil were axed to the ground in a trial in the same city.
On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz, we stand here in the Nuremberg snow, contemplating the roots of that hatred.
Nations, whose destinies are locked together by the Death Marches after the liberation, will never be free to forgive and forget.
Peter Reuter explains the moment in the freezing courtyard away from the warmth of the cinema:
‘Nie wieder – Erinnerungstag im deutschen Fusball’ –Never Again – memorial day in German Football – that’s the name of the organization that came up with the idea for the trip. And there are indeed compelling reasons to cultivate this memory again and again.’
The intimate circles of faces lite by the flicker of memorial candles need no reminder of the terrible events of those years during the War. The landmark location of the screening of Liga Terezin is invoked in Reuter’s voice.
‘Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the KZ Auschwitz – Birkenau where this policy reached its peak. Step by step, the Holocaust became visible: millions of people were murdered by the dictatorship: Europe had been covered densely with concentration camps. The grief and the rage about what has bee done to them is still present in the victims ‘ families.
Oded’s spontaneous acknowledgement : ‘ this moment for me is the most emotion moment that I ever had on this day. Standing with you in the snow, with the candles. I must tell you that I am very grateful for your participation in this small and humble ceremony. For me it’s a memorial day for my grandmother and grandfather that went from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz and on the same day they were sent to the gas chambers. So thank you for sharing the moment with us, I am very grateful.’
Never Again in January 2015 means a difference. To ‘create an environment we wish to live in where respect isn’t just a phrase- a word, where no-one has to be afraid of being different. Where diversity is a pleasure.’