Waldkirch Unveils Memorial to the People Murdered in Lithuania
In 1941 Waldkirch resident SS officer Karl Jäger gave the order for the murder of 138,272 people in Lithuania. Last weekend a memorial to the victims, the vast majority of whom were Jews, was unveiled in Waldkirch.
The five basalt columns, representing the fifth commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” and two information plaques were unveiled by mayor Roman Götzmann and historian Wolfram Wette.
Two information panels describe the cruel events which took place.
The monument was created by the sculptor Thomas Friedrich. Two panels describe the historical events and wonder about the aftermath in the words of a poem by Eva Maria Berg:
Wo stehen wir
wo stehst du
was tust du fortan
du an deinem Platz
wenn Menschen aufgrund von
Aussehen Glauben Denken
in Frage gestellt werden
was tust du um entgegenzuwirken
mit deiner Kraft
da du gefragt bist du
[rough translation:
Where do we stand
where do you stand
what do you do now
you in your place
when people can be questioned
based on their
Appearance Faith Thought
what do you do to counteract
within your power
since you are asked, are you?]
For decades city residents have been trying to come to terms with these historical events in Lithuania in the years 1941 and 1942, when Waldkirch resident SS officer Karl Jäger issued the orders as the commanding officer. The inauguration was attended by the Lithuanian ambassador Deividas Matulionis and chairwoman of the Lithuanian Jewish Community Faina Kukliansky as well as representatives of the Association of Ghetto Survivors. They expressed their gratitude for the commitment from the Waldkirch in the Nazi Era idea workshop” and the city administration, the mayor, the city council and the Catholic pastoral care unit.
In their speeches minister of state Gernot Erler and mayor Götzmann both referred the current events in Germany concerning the Alternative for Germany right-wing party and [AfG party member] Björn Höcke’s statements about the Holocaust memorial in Berlin. They cautioned we must never forget. We must remember the victims of the Holocaust today and for future generations, they said.
Photos by Sylvia Sredniawa
Full story in German here.
