For most Americans, World War II is nothing but a distant history lesson. As the people who lived through it slowly die out, it doesn’t really seem to exist outside of textbooks, tombstones, and the occasional war movie.
But for Germans, memories of the war are a daily reality and cannot be escaped.
Square of the Deported Jews – your daily reminder that the Holocaust happened. This is located near Dammtor Station in Hamburg, where thousands of Jews were packed into trains and were sent to camps which almost inevitably lead to their deaths.
Last week, me and 18 other students took a “vacation” from Berlin. The trip was an optional program offered and planned by IES. We were there with two of the IES staff.