Submitted by Jessica Prucha on the 2016 fall semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…
I went to Berlin over the weekend and visited the East Side Gallery. A section of the Berlin Wall is decorated with murals as a memorial, some of the art is relatively recent! Berlin was filled with memories of World War II so it was interesting to be able to see the history I have learned about during school in person. With the current political happenings in the United States, it was a powerful moment to see the Berlin Wall in person. A wall that caused a lot of hurt and did more harm than good. The East Side Gallery can be an important reminder to be open, accepting and to love your neighbors. Berlin has mostly rebuilt since the years after the war, but there are many reminders of the oppression and suffering caused. I leave you with a powerful quote I saw at the Jewish Memorial – “It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say.” – Primo Levi, an Auschwitz survivor.