By Ben Kepes on J-Wire…
My father had a lifelong enmity for Germany.
While unfortunate, having his own father murdered by the Nazis in 1945 led him to forever connect Naziism with Germanism and to think suspiciously of every German.
Indeed, when I visited Bergen Belsen for the first time in 1993, I couldn’t help but look sideways at the Germans I passed by as I walked through the nearest town, Celle.
Revisiting Germany recently, I was struck by the “niceness” of the northern German towns and villages and how it exudes an almost Scandinavian-like sensibility. I wondered to myself how I would feel visiting Bergen Belsen once again. So I did.
Interestingly, as we entered the commemorative building, I told the staff at the reception desk of my connection to the place – both with the death of my grandfather but also the fact that my mother, aunt and grandmother had survived.
The receptionist was very excited and quickly phoned the (non-Jewish and very German) resident historian, who came down and spent the afternoon talking to us before gifting us a pile of books from the bookshop and suggesting a few more places we visit…
Read the full article on J-Wire here.
Ben Kepe is the spokesperson for the New Zealand Jewish Council.
