Speech by the head of Hennickendorf, Monika Döppner-Smyczek, on the occasion of Remembrance Day on 19 November 2023
Violence, violence again and again,
since time immemorial ... violence.
It robs me of the air I breathe.
[...]
And dear guests, who could have guessed in the slightest that the shock caused by the invasion of Ukraine could become even greater?
I welcome you to our memorial site today on National Day of Mourning 2023, 78 years after the end of the Second World War with the oath "Never again!" uttered at the time. An oath that not only commemorated the end of the war, but also the memory of all the victims of the war and, above all, the end of the Holocaust, the organised extermination of the Jewish population in Europe. The few survivors built up the state of Israel in the hope of being able to live there peacefully and in safety and to fulfil their faith with life.
I have seen many pictures from Israel and the Gaza Strip in the last few days and read many opinions and statements. Most people agree on one thing: the current Hamas terror was and is the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust and should therefore be condemned in the strongest possible terms and it should be understood that Israel wants to dismantle the Hamas structures. And yet men, women and children have died and continue to die in Israel and the Gaza Strip. A dilemma could not be bigger and worse!
And this conflict is not just a conflict in the Middle East, it is also being fought out on German and European streets. And not only in a peaceful form, but also with radical voices against the Jewish population. For some time now, I have been noticing with increasing annoyance, even anger, that Nazi symbols are being openly smeared everywhere in German and Brandenburg schools, that the Hitler salute is being openly shown, even greeted with it, and that teachers are even being insulted and attacked! How much longer do we want to tolerate this without consequences? Has the oath and the associated promise "Never again!" been erased from our minds? Certainly not in the minds of those of us standing here and remembering! But we are becoming fewer and fewer! Who will continue to fulfil the legacy given to us by those whose names are inscribed on these memorial stones?
Do we really have to tolerate everything for the sake of democracy and tolerance? I think so: No! Tolerance also has limits that must not be exceeded. Civil courage is called for, standing up to it, talking to each other and not insulting and attacking each other. This is a social task, but also an educational task for parents, daycare centres and schools. We need people who take on this task, who are role models, who have knowledge and are able and willing to pass it on. A peaceful culture of debate is more important than ever. Also in our everyday lives.
It is unacceptable for the headmaster of a Jewish school in Germany to "precautionarily" remind his pupils of the usual safety measures: as always, he advises them not to wear Jewish symbols in public on public transport and not to speak Hebrew. Images from the past are reflected in my mind and the oath: Never again! It is also unacceptable that Muslims in Germany who openly speak out against the terror of Hamas can only move around on German streets with personal protection. That and so many other things often keep me awake. How safe can we feel? I often think back to the hopeful years after the Helsinki Conference, which resulted in peaceful coexistence. That is once again a goal worth striving for: the peaceful coexistence of all countries - a lasting peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict. Because only in peace can we live, develop, laugh, love and have fun.
In my opinion, this is contradicted by the sentence of our Minister of Defence: "We must be ready for war". Some people replace "capable of war" with "capable of defence". It frightens me to put it this way or a little differently. What does that amount to? "Never again?"
Wasn't the word "disarmament" the word of hope for all people in Europe and the world? How far away are we from that today? And how much more important is a day like today - a day of remembrance, but also a day that reminds us again and again: Only when the great enemies of peace - greed, envy, anger, intolerance, misunderstood pride and political calculation - have been driven out, only then can there be peace. The implementation of the rule of law is also an elementary prerequisite for peaceful coexistence. And we must work towards this every day, not just on Remembrance Day. Only in this way can we fulfil the vow "Never again!" and ensure that the younger generation knows why we stand here year after year and pass on our responsibility of "not forgetting". "The deaths of past and current wars show us how fragile European and world peace is and how important it is to actively work together for peace, to break down prejudices and to fight for free and humane living conditions where they do not exist and to defend them where they are under attack." (Wolfgang Schneiderhan)
Then the wish will also be fulfilled: "If only there were peace."