The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe reflects the brutal Holocaust caused by Nazi Germany. This meant that an individual human life could be commemorated by a single stone, slab, cross, or star. It doesn't go too much depth on the Holocaust, as there is a separate museum for that (The . The word "monument" comes from the Latin verb monere, meaning "to warn."The media coverage around the debate of whether or not the Confederate monuments in the US should be removed has highlighted something significant: what historians have argued as being the inherent politics ingrained in our monuments. makes you think that you are in an enormous maze of stone! Our cousins surprised us at the airport. The director of the foundation that oversees the memorial, which commemorates those killed by the Nazi regime under Adolf Hitler, says most of the 2,711 concrete slabs are damaged only five years after the monument opened. Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany. At the opening ceremony on May 10, 2005, Paul Spiegel, the head of Germany's Central Council of Jews, sharply criticized the new Holocaust memorial, saying that it was too abstract and that it failed to confront the issue of German guilt. The biographies of some of the victims were . In addition to the Holocaust memorial and other federal memorials to victims, visitors can find smaller monuments on almost every street in Berlin. Tragic past, rebirth in Berlin's Jewish community - Yahoo The epicenter of the Holocaust, the city where Hitler signed the death warrants of 6 million Jews, seems an unlikely candidate for the world's fastest growing Jewish community. The multiple pathways are labyrinthine. Henry Stern, a Philipstown resident and member of the Philipstown Reform Synagogue, spoke May 4, at the Marina Gallery. The Controversial Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman (Nati Shohat/Flash90/File) BERLIN — New Year's revelers shot fireworks and urinated in Germany's Holocaust memorial in Berlin. The experience can become claustrophobic, disorienting. Despite her protestations to the contrary, I decided that we would not touch all 2711 pillars. Ever since it opened, Berlin's Holocaust memorial has had problems with cracking concrete. By Alison Rooney. It's made up of 2,711 large rectangular stones, which are all different sizes. Less Is More | The Nation They initiated it, they built it, it is in their country -- it belongs to them. Here is a summary. This outdoor memorial is a tribute to the millions of Jews that died during World War II.