Today we got up to make an hour trip out to Brandenberg, a small town outside Berlin of about 80,000 people and a fair number of Russian Jews living here. It's actually very beautiful with much of the architecture which survived both world wars which was impressive.
Brandenberg's significance for this trip was that it used to house a mental hospital and it was where T4 cell was developed by the Nazis. It was primarily active in late 1930's and 1940 and many people did not know what was going on inside because records were very hidden. The doctors would write letters of sympathy to families and friends of the victims that their procedure or whatever didn't work out and the medical staff failed to save them. The mental patients came from all different backgrounds- children and adults, and Jews and gentiles.
First, we visited the Museum which a Russian gave us a tour explaining the history of Brandenberg from the Prussian empire. He was really nice. Second, we took the bus out to the former site of the mental hospital. We saw the barracks that used to house the SS and the spaces where the hospital used to be. The T4 cells still stood- the walls only reached about a foot off the ground as to give the perimeter of the site. Otherwise, there was nothing, no evidence. Archaeological digs had been conducted and they found lots and lots of human bones that were buried underground. Even the files were destroyed and the government and historians have had to construct what happened from eyewitness testimonies and archaeological excavations.
Personally, I was more struck by the town's charm than the site itself. If anything, it didn't impact me as much. If this was supposed to be comparable to Terezin, then I'd say that Terezin had stronger effect because really, no one lives in Terezin and it was truly taken over by the Nazis. People still live in Brandenberg and well, you just know that life goes on and trying to rebuild the community.
We had a bagel lunch and listened to our Brandenberg guide who was German and not Jewish give a talk in German while Jasper translated. Again, we found ourselves in "lost-in-translation" position and lost concentration. So I never really learned much about the Russian community.
Before we left Brandenberg, we visited the old Jewish cemetery. The first thing I noticed was that the ground was flat with a bunch of dirt mounts which obviously meant burial sites. The Nazis razed the cemetery and converted the area into a soccer field! So after they left, the Jewish cemetery was restored through a building of a wall that listed all the buried and it's really beautiful. Along one side was a fence that was supposed to resemble an old Jewish town with cut-outs of houses and shops. We recited the kaddish and put stones on the wall. The cemetery dated back to mid-1850s... so it was pretty old.
Once we arrived back in Berlin, I made most of the short time I had to visit the Dom (Cathedral). It was just stunning! Compared to the cathedrals that I visited in Spain, I felt much more welcomed. Maybe it was the choir singing when I walked in. Or it's just that the Protestant church never really kicked out the Jews as harshly as the Catholic church during the Inquisition. Anyway, it's mostly beautiful wood and marble inside. The Dom took on the Gothic look. I sat there to listen for a bit and then climbed up to the gallery. After that, I saw some people coming down from some stairs so curiosity took over. I found myself climbing a total of 277 steps from the first floor all the way up to the dome that took visitors outside!!! So I had the most spectacular view of Berlin at twilight. I could see the clock tower, the ferris wheel, various buildings lighting up....
I climbed back down and tried to get out. Apparently, you couldn't get out in the same way you came in so I jokingly told myself that the Christians were trying to trap the Jews for religious reasons. Anyhow, I found the exit but it took a long, long time. The path took me to a very interesting room: the gravesite. I sighed when I saw it because I figured it had to be all priests and bishops, right? Then I saw two royal crowns on a coffin each and wondered if maybe a king was here.... So I stopped and started reading the plaques. I found Frederick Wheilhem II!!! That was SO cool to see parts of the royal family there.
I quickly made my way back- I realized how I was actually getting to know my way around Berlin. I know some people might think it's strange that I'd go out by myself but why let anything hold me back?
For Shabbat, some of us went to the New Synagogue for services and it was just okay. We had a bit of hard time following the services even though it was all in Hebrew (except for some sermon on Jacob in German). We managed to meet a couple of people afterwards to find out what was like to live as a Jew in Germany. One man was born in Germany to American parents who came because of music. A woman was there from Haifa, Israel who moved to Berlin over 30 years ago. She still spoke with a very, very heavy Israeli accent. Hila, one of the girls in my group, spoke in Hebrew with her to find out her story. Her husband found a job in music in Berlin and moved and she followed. They have their children in Israel. She said that the community's very close knit that many Jews feel comfortable being in Germany.
For dinner, we went to a delicious Israeli restaurant with falafels! And the best eggplant "parm" I've ever had. We did the Shabbat rituals in the restaurant (I think we pretty much had the place to ourselves) so that was enough even though the wine was unforgivable awful. I spent a lot of time making conversations with Jonah about being Jewish, relationship to Israel, and growing up on upper West Side in NYC. It was then that I found out that Second Avenue deli would be re-opening! I was so excited!
Half the people went out. I was just beyond exhaustion and I just wanted to get up in the morning to explore my last day in Berlin.... not enough hours in the way to see this amazing city!
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