Last week on MJL, Brigitte Sion offered her analysis of four national Holocaust memorials, and in so doing, noted that Germany’s memorial is often treated more like a park than a reminder of genocide.
Because of its extreme simplicity and the absence of markers specific to the Holocaust, the memorial can easily be mistaken for an outdoors artwork for public enjoyment. Children regularly play and shout as they run between the high concrete slabs…
Surprisingly, visitors to the German memorial are usually more moved and disturbed by the visual exhibit below–with its traditional display panels–rather than the cutting-edge design of the monument above. They remain quiet and respectful downstairs, but often eat and laugh upstairs.
Well, it seems eating and laughing is the least of the problems. Today, Ynet reported on a German finding that the memorial is often used as a public urinal.
