Stolperstein

While wandering around Berlin this weekend I literally stumbled across a Stolperstein. I had heard about these little memorials, which literally translated means "stumbling stone" or "obstacle", and yet had never seen one in person. A creation of German artist Gunter Demnig, these small plaques are placed at the doorstep of  houses and apartments across Germany where a victim of the Holocaust once lived. The inscription simply bears the individual's name, their birthday, date of deportation and place of death. They are quite simple and unassuming, yet I find them to be quite poignant. The Stolpersteine above are from the entrance to Humboldt University and state that Max Bayer and Alice Markiewic studied there before being deported and murdered in Auschwitz. Today Berlin is a vibrant, beautiful city and yet these small memorials serve as an enduring reminder of the city's dark past. Demnig's work is a beautiful acknowledgment of those who once walked these very streets and whose lives were cruelly turned upside down. Therefore, every time I come across one of these miniature memorials, I like to take a minute to recognize the individual and acknowledge their loss.