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Barney Ronay’s article resonated with me very strongly (“On a trip through Germany, the horror of the past lurks close to the surface”, Sport, 22 June). He speaks with clarity about how the horror of the past resonated in his encounters with places and spaces in everyday Germany, from mundane buildings to the seemingly innocent forest glade. I am also from a “sufficiently Jewish” family that emigrated from Nazi Germany. Our family has these seemingly incredible stories of survival, and sometimes I wonder if I was ever meant to exist.
The Gestapo’s knocking on the door cast a long shadow, and throughout my “amazing” life it made me wonder how this terror came about. I wonder what his harbingers are so that we don’t do such terror again. But we are witnessing it right now. We can all see it rearing its grotesquely mundane yet human head, with larger-than-life characters who encourage us to devalue and demean those who are different.
So I ask your readers, can you learn the lessons of history? Will you have the courage not to stand aside and thus make yourself dangerously different?
Jennifer Lewin Kerr
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Every time I return to my homeland and walk through London’s parks and squares, lavishly endowed with statues and monuments to Britain’s glorious imperial past, I think how fortunate Britain is that the millions of colonial subjects who were slaughtered in the building of the country empire perished in distant places, not in the railway tracks, village squares and forests of the green and pleasant land of England.
However, the horror of this bloodied past inevitably lurks close to the surface, especially since, unlike Germany’s past, it is still largely glossed over – and even celebrated. So, despite Barney Roney’s disquiet when he sees Germany’s neatly parked bicycles, its staircases, corridors, suitcases and shoes, discarded or not, I am glad to be back in my home country.
Stephen Richards
Frankfurt, Germany
On my first visit to Germany 14 years ago, my experience echoed that of Barney Rone. But living here part of the year has taught me that these perceptions reflect what I brought with me from England.
Redemption is not possible, but a careful dedication to ensure that the past does not repeat itself prevails. Human rights are enshrined in the constitution. Every year, successive generations of teenagers clean up “stumbling blocks” to make the names of the victims of fascism shine more clearly. Our city recently updated a book about the local victims of the Shoah. When their descendants give notice of planned visits, they are invited to be guests of the city and are treated with honor, respect and humility.
Yes, there is a turn to the right and, yes, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has strength, but in recent months thousands have demonstrated against it in many cities. The right is on the rise in Britain too, but with fewer protests. Modern Germany is flawed, going through hard times. But perhaps his past makes him try harder to stay away from the extremes that threaten the West.
Rebecca Bilkau
Wolfenbüttel, Germany
I have lived and worked in Germany for nearly 30 years and Barney Ronay is right: some parts are thought provoking – dark forests and railway tracks, for example. It is these reminders that ensure that the concept of Nie wieder (“never again”) is firmly embedded in the national psyche. The AfD is currently under intense scrutiny from both the media and the parts of the state tasked with ensuring that Nie wieder is more than words. You can also see this in the streets: Germans of all faiths, including Muslims and Jews, standing side by side under the flag of Nie wieder ist jetzt – “never again is now”.
Tony Webb
Berlin, Germany
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