How can German towns memorialize the Holocaust and its victims? I believe my family’s hometown of Frechen has been exceptional in this regard.
It has restored the Jewish cemetery. One can find the door to the old synagogue in a prominent spot in the civic center.
I recently participated in the unveiling of a plaque documenting that my grandparents were proud and vital contributors to the life of Frechen until the Nazi regime disrupted and took their lives.
Given this record, I was dismayed to learn via the Internet that there were plans to commemorate 53 Jewish and other former citizens with stolpersteine. A stolperstein, literally “stumbling block,” is a plaque set into a sidewalk.
The idea of remembering these noble people is excellent and I am touched to hear that German citizens made many monetary contributions toward this effort.
However, while the stolperstein is popular in Europe, I do not find it to be a suitable or dignified form of remembrance. The image of these victims of the Holocaust symbolically being where they can be stepped on is upsetting.
I have written the city of Frechen urging that the plan be replaced with more fitting memorials such as the plaques marking the former Baruch and Levy homes.
Although I write as an individual, I can also state that every Jewish (and non-Jewish) person with whom I have discussed the stolperstein proposal is dismayed. I know our now deceased family friend and former resident of Frechen, Joseph Levy, emphatically opposed being remembered in this way.
Frechen has, to date, presented an outstanding model of meaningful Holocaust remembrance. I strongly urge the town not to mar this record by erecting stolpertsteine.
Steven Baruch
Glendale
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