Chancellor Merkel to visit Dachau

http://www.timesofisrael.com/merkel-to-become-first-german-leader-to-visit-dachau/


Dave

 

I find it very surprising that she is the first German PM to visit Dachau. Have others visited other camps ? Germany has had some great leaders in the post war era and I felt sure visits would be common,
I have a good friend that lives in Lower Saxony and he took his children there who near teens in ages and wrote me a most poignant letter about it. Of course to his children it was an entirely another world but he said they were visibly moved and ask how it could have happened .

I took American students to Europe on studies abroad programs to study architecture and design and I always invited them to visit Dachau or Theresienstadt,( It was several spellings) invited because I felt it was not a part of the program but a very important experience. Many of our faculty did not, that it was too dark a place in human history. I feel that if it could happen in a country as accomplished and educated as Germany it could happen anywhere, including ours under similar circumstances. Usually about half choose to go, the rest spent the day in Munich or Prague.

I am glad she is doing this. I first learned about the Holocaust at about 12-13 in a truly meaningful way and 60 years later am not closer to understanding how human beings can do this.

 

Well better late than never and the gesture is appreciated.

 

Well plain old politics is alive and well:

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/20/20103618-merkel-criticized-over-visit-to-nazi-death-camp-during-election-campaign?lite=

I totally agree with Skipper, and think her visit is a good thing regardless of what her opposition says !