Remembering, Praying for Peace, and Security

After the meeting with the staff of Netzwerk Israel, I got off the bus to take pictures of the Denkmal KZ (Konzentrationslager, concentration camp) Columbia. German Wikipedia has much more information than the English version. Columbia, or the Columbia house, was a former military prison when the Nazis turned it into one of the first concentration camp, right after they came to power. Many Jews and political opponents of the Nazi Party were held and tortured here, and some of the most notorious criminals of the regime worked here at the start of their 'careers'. The camp was used for only three years, in 1936 its remaining prisoners were moved to the new camp at Sachsenhausen.



Early in the evening, I had the privilege to attend the monthly Friedensgebet (prayer for peace) of the House of One. A rabbi, a Protestant minister, and a Muslim theologist (Kubra of the educational department, whom I met yesterday) prayed for peace in German, Arabic and Hebrew. It was a small and moving but very moving event, also because of the venue, the Memorial Hall of the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedaechtniskirche (Memorial Church). Afterwards, Kubra invited me to a very interesting meeting of a forum that discusses security issues faced by religious institutions in German. I was able to share some of my experiences from school (emergency drills etc.), though security threats at such institutions are more concrete here in Europe than in Israel. I am aware of the irony of writing this after Israel attacked a Catholic church in Gaza earlier today. I cannot express how wrong that is. Prayers - and actions - for peace are more necessary and needed than ever before. Layla Tov, Gute Nacht.








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