All day on the BBC news channel, I have heard that today marks the 60-year anniversary of the liberation, by British troops, of this concentration camp just 60 km north of Hannover. On Sunday there will be a commemoration service on site. Of the total number of 110-120,000 prisoners, Bergen-Belsen claimed the lives of about 50,000 prisoners of the concentration camp, and 20,000 prisoners of war in its 5-year history. Anne Frank died of typhes there in March 1945. In 1946, after the war, this Jewish memorial was unveiled.
It seemed appropriate to add this post after the Berlin Wall. Not all of my time here in Germany reminds me of the atrocities of the Holocaust, of course. But while Berlin is fresh on my mind and 60 is an important number for me right now, my thoughts have taken this route this week.
I make no apology for drawing attention to this part of our world history (it's not just Germany's history!) nor do I attempt to downplay it's importance.
No comments:
Post a Comment