Düdelsheim commemorates Jewish victim: stumbling blocks shine again!

Düdelsheim commemorates Jewish victim: stumbling blocks shine again!

Hauptstraße 16, 63654 Düdelsheim, Deutschland - in Düdelsheim, a moving sign of memory: The alliance Düdelsheim for democracy cleaned the stumbling blocks for Jewish fellow citizens on November 9, the anniversary of the Pogrom Night. This campaign took place in front of the former Hess and May homes and reminded of the terrible events of 1938 when the Nazis moved through the streets and brutally persecuted Jewish citizens. The members of the alliance that have been active since April are committed to keeping the memory of the victims awake and the stumbling blocks that have been forgotten over the years to make visible.

The pogrom night, a dark chapter of history, left a trace of terror in Düdelsheim. On the evening of November 9, 1938, SA troops devastated the apartments of Jewish families, destroyed belongings and drove the residents in fear and terror. "Shattered dishes, fabrics and laundry thrown out of the windows," said contemporary witnesses. These atrocities are recorded in the chronicle "1 200 years of Düdelsheim" and illustrate the brutality of the time. The stumbling blocks, which were laid by artists Gunter Demnig, are a memorial for the eleven Düdelsheim victims who were persecuted and murdered during the Nazi era.

an appeal for vigilance

Katrin Bolz from the alliance emphasized the importance of keeping the memory of the Jewish community and the horrors of the pogrom night alive. "We have to stay vigilant," she called, while the members cleaned the stumbling blocks. These commemorative stones are not only memories of the past, but also a call to act against current social tendencies such as deportation and shift to the right. "We have to work to preserve a strong democratic society," continued Bolz.

The stumbling blocks in Düdelsheim are part of a larger project that includes over 104,000 such plaques worldwide. They are the largest decentralized memorial in the world and stand for the message that no one should be forgotten as long as his name is known. The cleaning campaign was an urgent appeal not to forget the story and to campaign for the values of democracy.