Why We Must Never Forget...

'It happened, therefore it can happen again. This is the core of what we have to say' - Primo Levi

I've always been fascinated by World War history, particularly the Holocaust. So it was a huge tick off my checklist when I finally had the chance to visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany.

The memorial consists of 2711 blocks of concrete slabs of varying heights spread across a 19,000 square metres. The blocks start off so low that they are embedded into the ground and can easily be walked over. But as you wander through the uneven land towards the centre of the memorial, you find the blocks suddenly tower over you, blocking out much of the skyline and creating a claustrophobic and eerie sensation.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews

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The Memorial to the Murdered Jews

Like any work of art, the meaning of the memorial is open to interpretation by the observer. Some people compare it to a huge cemetery, whilst others say it represents the rise and fall of the Third Reich. For me, it represents the escalation of prejudice that led to one of the largest genocides of the 20th century.

When we think of WW2, our minds automatically hold the maniac Adolf Hitler responsible for the Holocaust. But Hitler didn't single-handedly murder 6 million Jews. The segregation and systematic murder of the Jews was carried out by thousands of ordinary people like me and you. These people led normal lives, had their own families, and had lived side by side with Jews for years. So how did this atrocity end up happening?

It didn't happen overnight that's for sure. It started quietly, with resentful remarks and racist comments about the Jews behind closed doors. As the Nazi regime spread their poisonous ideology, more and more people began to think that Jewish people were a real menace to society. This slowly led to acts of public humiliation as Jews had to wear arm bands to visually segregate them others. It then escalated to physically moving them out of society into overcrowded ghettos. Eventually they were forced to work in concentration camps and then finally they were murdered through gas chambers and mass shootings.

We look back on history and think that humans in this day and age would never do such evil things again. But the truth is, at any time, we are never that far away from repeating our mistakes. The human mind is a very malleable thing. Fed specific information in a certain way over time can cause even the kindest of people to commit cruel acts without a drop of remorse. The murder of 6 million Jews started with humble beginnings. Just like a single match can burn down an entire forest, even the smallest acts of discrimination can eventually lead to atrocities on a mass scale. All it takes is a few certain people and situations to rile us up, divide us and turn us against each other.

This is why it is so important that we continuously stay vigilant and speak out against even the smallest acts of injustice. It's imperative that we question what we are fed by the media and we teach our children kindness through leading by example. We must always choose love over fear and connection over division.

When the problem is small, we can control it as individuals. Just like the smallest blocks of the memorial, we can step on it and stop it from escalating. But every time we turn a blind eye to injustice in the world and walk on, we allow it to grow just that bit more. Just like the tallest blocks of the memorial, it will suddenly escalate into something so ugly and uncontrollable that we will be powerless to stop it as individuals anymore. We can't risk making the same mistakes again.

If you haven't had the chance to yet, I urge you to visit this memorial and museum underneath it. It's not an enjoyable experience, but it's so important to see. If anything, remembering the dark side of human nature will spur us on to keep spreading more light and love.

Miri x