Berlin Thoughts

by Rich Hall

As I walk these streets for the first time after almost 40 years, I am reminded of why this place and space feel so much like coming home. The hustle and bustle of a city of almost 4 million – the quick pace of those rushing to catch the next U-Bahn or S-Bahn – the quick rate of speech that marks typical “Berlinisch” – it all contrasts so beautifully and meaningfully with the laid-back feeling in the restaurants and Kneipen, where one gets a sense of the meaning of that German word “Gemütlichkeit” even if the translation of “coziness” just doesn’t quite say it all. It is a city of contrasts – capital of Germany with the many embassies and political buildings, a center of culture and philosophy, a place of great history (founded in 1237), and at the same time a conglomeration of several little villages (Zehlendorf, Wilmersdorf, Heinersdorf, Biesdorf), each with its unique character and history.

This week, we have remembered the history of the Shoah (Holocaust). We have considered the legacy of that same tragedy and the cost to humanity on so many levels. Perhaps, for me as a student of German language, culture, and literature, one of those legacies is the promise to the Jewish people, but also to the people of the entire earth, never to forget the atrocities. At every turn throughout our trip thus far, we have been reminded that the people of this great city and great nation have acknowledged their collective history and not hidden from the ugly truths. Our German friends continue the hard work of turning tragedy into a hope for a better today and tomorrow by never forgetting how slippery the slope can be from national identity into nationalism.

Tomorrow, our last day in Berlin, we will worship in the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church; the ruins of the original building sit just next door as a monument to the destructive nature of war and human evil. In this contrast of the old and the new, we will remember the foundations of our faith. Just as Jesus reminded us, we will celebrate the love for God and for one another. Even as we board the trains for our next stops in Poland, we say a heartfelt “Danke” to our Berlin and German hosts and join them in the promise never to forget.