83 years after the destruction of synagogues and Jewish businesses and the death and imprisonment of thousands of Jews in Germany and Austria, we must continue to keep the memory of the Shoah alive.
November 9, 1938 marked a central turning point in German history. On the night of the pogrom, SA and SS thugs smashed Jewish stores and more than 1,400 synagogues were destroyed. Hundreds of Jews were murdered, thousands mistreated or arrested. The population looked on - or looked away. Few took part in the riots, but only a few helped their Jewish neighbors.
"Anyone who tries to escape history is bound to fail in the long run," historian Johannes Fried once said. Just how close we can come to such a failure in the 21st century is demonstrated by the mobbing, hatred and agitation of today. Every day there are reports that we are moving closer and closer to right-wing extremism or National Socialism. Organized and unorganized groups, at federal and state level, are attracting attention due to right-wing extremist developments.
Jewish life is still at risk and not everyone accepts it as a natural part of society. In addition to growing right-wing extremism and the ongoing threat from Islamists, the coronavirus crisis has also led to an increase in anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitic statements have also found their way into political discourse again and again in recent times. Be it in contributions and shouts at demonstrations or in the form of anti-Israeli rhetoric that cloaks anti-Semitism in the guise of "criticism of Israel". Not forgetting the accompanying conspiracy theories, which often have an anti-Semitic origin.
This shows that there is still a lot to do. The fight against anti-Semitism in its various forms remains a task for urban society and each and every one of us. Let us therefore take up this challenge and fight against all forms of anti-Semitism everywhere. Anti-Semitism is an attack on us all.
We therefore need a respect offensive in all areas of society, in schools, in sport, in culture and, of course, in politics. The current coronavirus crisis must not lead us to forget what misanthropy has already led to in German history.
We are keeping our distance from each other today because of corona, but we are not distancing ourselves from our history. It challenges us to help people who are threatened, insulted or persecuted. We want to work to ensure that everyone in our city can live well. Especially in times of crisis such as the current pandemic, the question of remembrance arises in a special way. We stand together here, together for the culture of remembrance.
We should remember and we want to remember. I hope that this remembrance will lead many people to reflect on where we stand today. How we behave towards our neighbors, the socially disadvantaged, the refugees in our country, those of other faiths, those who look different. The horrors of that time should not be suppressed. It should help us to master the challenges of today - to master them well.
Every generation must come to terms with this chapter of German history anew in order to learn from the past. In view of the dwindling number of contemporary witnesses, we need to keep the memory alive to help promote tolerance and the protection of minorities.
In order to offer young people in particular the opportunity to engage with the history of National Socialism, we need symbols and places that embody what we want to remember. Our remembrance should therefore not only revive the past, but also draw a line to the here and now and make us aware of where we stand today.
We need visible signs that we have not forgotten and opportunities for intensive discussion. In Aachen, we remember by laying stumbling blocks in our path to keep the memory alive even in the face of time.
What else can we do? Talking to each other, lecturing, teaching, learning, remembering with impressive events like this one, placing them in our everyday lives. Each of us should be a multiplier of this message: Never again war, never again National Socialism, never again inhuman politics, never again!
18.11.2022