"Kaiserlautern honors 20 new Remember-the-Victims commemorations for Nazi casualties"
In the heart of Kaiserslautern, Germany, a poignant ceremony took place recently, as the torn Stumbling Stones were replaced. These small, cobblestone-like memorials serve as a powerful reminder of the Jewish citizens who lost their lives during the Nazi era.
The Stumbling Stone initiative, which began in 1992, has seen over 90,000 of these memorials laid across Germany, with over 200 in Kaiserslautern alone. One such Stumbling Stone, dedicated to Alfred Bruck, a Jewish citizen forced into labour in the 1940s, was among those recently replaced.
Alfred Bruck, born in 1923, was deported shortly before the end of World War II and ended up in the Theresienstadt concentration camp. After being liberated by the US Army, he emigrated to the USA in 1951, where he died in 2001 in the state of Illinois.
The initiative's research in Kaiserslautern has also shed light on the fates of other Jewish families, such as the Löwenstein family. The discovery of descendants of these victims has led some to attend the ceremonies, paying tribute to their family history.
The research process, however, is not without its challenges. Georg Emme, a member of the Lauterer Stumbling Stone initiative, finds it particularly difficult to research Jewish citizens in Kaiserslautern.
The recent replacement of the Stumbling Stones in Kaiserslautern has drawn attention not only within the city limits but also beyond. This was evident when a family traveled from Britain to attend the ceremony.
The over 90-year-old witness, who could remember Alfred Bruck, recalled his deportation. The members of the Stumbling Stone initiative visited a farm to research Alfred Bruck's life and found this witness there.
Unfortunately, in May, four Stumbling Stones in the Kaiserslautern city centre were torn out of the ground by unknown perpetrators. This act of vandalism has not deterred the Stumbling Stone initiative, which continues its vital work in remembering the victims of the Holocaust.
Moreover, the initiative's work has prompted some families to delve deeper into their own family history. As the Stumbling Stone initiative researches the fates of at least 20 people in Kaiserslautern, it serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving and honouring the memory of those who suffered during the Nazi era.
Hans Häcker, the initiator of the Häckersteine project in Germany, would be proud to see the impact his idea has had on remembering the victims of the Holocaust. The Stumbling Stones stand as a testament to their lives, and their replacement in Kaiserslautern serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of remembering and learning from history.
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