Heavy

It is raining here. Not really raining anymore, actually. The skies are dumping out water with too much force for it to be called rain. And the winds? Wow.

With fewer than ten exceptions, every day for the more than 180 days I have been here I have taken Aengus for a long walk through the countryside. Not today. I have freedom, free will, and the determination to use it today. Something tells me he would rather be snoozing as he is now on my bed than out in the current weather, anyway.

I am lucky to have a roof over my head, though, and to have that free will I spoke of. These people did not:

They were Albert and Sidonie Sander. In 1942 they were taken from their home, on Salzstrasse here in Muenster, and were brought to the Warsaw Ghetto, where they died. Albert was 73 at the time, and Sidonie, presumably his daughter, was 40. Muenster commissioned an artist to set these brass cobblestones into the streets in front of the homes from which Jews were taken, as a solemn reminder of the atrocities that occurred, and as a tribute to those who lost their lives.

There was never a large Jewish community in Muenster; before WWII there were only around 700 Jews. Of those, 247 were killed during the war. It's not exactly known what happened to all of the others, although 28 are known to have survived the deportations, and 264 successfully emigrated.

The community, while still not large, has revived itself. The synagogue that exists in the city today was rebuilt on the exact plot of land where the previous one had stood, before it was burned to the ground in 1938. Incidentally, (please note the irony - it's far more than incidental) the Jewish community had to pay for the gasoline that started the fire.

I know there are a few German readers here. The Holocaust and the war in general remain emotional topics, and it's not my intent to offend, stir the pot or place blame. I am fully aware that my own country has a history of performing and being complicit in devastating acts. Sadly, we continue to abuse our power and have not yet learned our lessons, as you have.

I only hope to share a little of the history and atmosphere of this place with the people back home who have not had the pleasure of being here.

Wow, miraculously, during the time it has taken me to write this, the storm has passed and the sun even peeked out from behind the clouds for a couple minutes. Maybe Aengus and I will get out after all.

Perhaps something a bit lighter for the next post?

Wishing you well...