Germany
Recent Articles
Todesmarsch, April 1945
While visiting Sachsenhausen, Marty and I came upon this memorial marker with one word that required no translation: Todesmarsch — Death March. The map beneath it traces the route taken by prisoners during the final days of the concentration camp in April 1945. It marks a chapter of the Sachsenhausen story that did not take […]
The Speicherstadt
When I first stood on this bridge, my eyes were drawn down the long, quiet canal framed by rows of towering brick buildings. The water was perfectly still, reflecting the warehouses that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. Even on a misty day, there was something captivating about the scene. It felt less like […]
Jewish Cemetery of Altona
One of the most memorable stops on Erin’s and my Jewish heritage tour of Hamburg was a visit to the historic Jewish Cemetery of Altona. It is not a place that most visitors ever see. Access is carefully controlled to protect this remarkable site, and through the special arrangements of our guide, we were able […]
The Star Club
While traveling through Hamburg, Germany, Erin and I made a point of visiting one of the most famous addresses in rock-and-roll history. Today, there is little to suggest what once stood here, but this plaque marks the location of the legendary Star-Club, one of the most influential music venues of the twentieth century. The Star-Club […]
The Names Beneath Our Feet
One of the most moving experiences while walking through Berlin is discovering the small brass plaques embedded in the sidewalks. It would be easy to miss them if you weren’t looking down, but that is exactly the point. These Stolpersteine, or “stumbling stones,” ask us to pause, not because we physically stumble over them, but because […]
The Holstentor
While traveling through northern Germany, Marty and I visited the historic city of Lübeck, where one building immediately captures every visitor’s attention: the Holstentor. With its twin towers, red brick construction, and distinctive silhouette, it has become the enduring symbol of the city. Construction of the Holstentor began in 1464 and was completed in 1478 […]
S.P.Q.L. – The Senate and People of Lübeck
While standing beneath the Holstentor in Lübeck, one detail caught my attention. Above the entrance are the letters S.P.Q.L., an inscription modeled after the famous Roman initials S.P.Q.R., meaning “The Senate and People of Rome.” In Lübeck, the letters stand for Senatus Populusque Lubecensis—”The Senate and People of Lübeck.” The inscription reflects the city’s pride in its long […]
A Hidden Courtyard
While exploring Berlin on a Jewish history tour, we walked into what appeared to be an ordinary courtyard tucked behind the busy streets of the city. Today it is filled with cafés, shops, and visitors, making it difficult to imagine that this quiet space once became the setting for acts of extraordinary courage during the […]
Otto Weidt’s Workshop
While on a Jewish history tour in Berlin, we visited the former workshop of Otto Weidt. Unlike many Holocaust museums that focus on persecution, this small workshop tells the story of a man who chose to help others despite the personal risk. Otto Weidt owned a brush and broom workshop that employed blind and deaf […]
Behind the Wardrobe
At first glance, the cabinet appears unremarkable. Yet during the Second World War, it concealed the entrance to a tiny, windowless room where the Horn family—Chaim, Machla, and their children Max and Ruth—hid for nine months in 1943. The wardrobe functioned as a secret door. Behind it was just enough space for a family to […]
A Piece of the Berlin Wall
During our travels in Germany, I stopped for a photograph beside one of the surviving sections of the Berlin Wall. For nearly twenty-eight years, from 1961 until 1989, the Wall divided East and West Berlin and became one of the most powerful symbols of the Cold War. Families, friends, and neighbors were separated overnight, and […]
Reichstag
There may be no more impressive building in Berlin than the Reichstag. Standing before its massive facade, illuminated against the evening sky, it is impossible not to feel the weight of the history that has unfolded here. More than just a government building, the Reichstag has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, the turmoil of war, […]
