Chapter: Milestones / Headwind / Demolition Notice / Letters for Preservation

Voices of Preservation: A Choir for the Jerusalem Friedensmal and the Irreplaceable Boundary Stone 'Yerushalayim'

Here are letters published from the spring of 2014 from people who wanted to advocate for the preservation of the boundary stone with the inscription 'Yerushalayim' as an essential part of the Jerusalem Peace Monument. The email addresses of these people are known to us and can be verified. Without the boundary stone, without the benches around the monument for rest on the European hiking trail, and without information boards, the entire project would indeed be destroyed in its impact and persuasive power.

That there are also many opposing voices who cheer about the demolition order from the Bergstraße district is made public here: Link to the opposing voices on Facebook.
The demolition order was revoked in the fall of 2014.


Stefan Brunke
So many barracks in the country are named after generals who distinguished themselves by ordering mass murder. So many streets in this republic are named after politicians and military figures responsible for oppression and bloodshed. Against this backdrop, it doesn't quite fit the narrative that a small piece of land in a green landscape is creatively designed, dedicated to remembrance and peace, and invites people to rest and reflect.


Harold Richad Cosby
It seems that if this is a defacing or destructions of landscape, then every building, every road, everything man has constructed in Germany is a defacing or destruction of landscape and logically must be destroyed. May God be merciful to these unwise thinkers.


Jo Ross
Please do not destroy the Jerusalem Peace Memorial.It is very special and beautiful. The memorial is not just a comfort to those who lost families, but it also enhances Germany in it's beauty and meaning. It is a tribute to the lost and to Germany for erecting it.


Gabriele Sillah
I am in favor of preserving the memorial. We must ensure that this time is never forgotten.


Rainer Barth
It's incomprehensible what German bureaucrats come up with.

I can't understand how one can overlook the suffering of the people who have suffered here. What kind of time are we living in? I think we must remember to prevent such things from happening again. But some people don't want that and carry the flame of hatred within them! What about the Stasi prisons in the former East Germany, isn't that comparable? Remembering also means preventing it from happening again. One should question the person who issued this decree.


Andreas Koch
At first, I couldn't believe it. Is it really possible that a city wants to remove such an important and beautiful monument? It seems so, and now I am deeply shocked.
Germany incurred a huge debt many decades ago. Reminding ourselves of this debt in the hope that the horrors will not be repeated is our duty. The memory of the horrors of that time must be kept alive.
The reasons given for the demolition of the monument seem very far-fetched and only seem to be a pretext. Can it really be that our past is being dealt with so thoughtlessly?
If the monument is really torn down, it would be a victory for fascism and a severe defeat for democracy. That can't really be the intention.


Erich Blaich
What's going on? Who is bothered by this? What brown elements are at work here? Defend yourselves!


Dirk Wolfgang Schuster
Bensheim, Germany - Thus, the Peace Prize for Ms. Angela Merkel for her commitment to the human rights of the Jewish community in Berlin and the Media Prize for Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Nassau, and Orange have a bitter aftertaste. The Jerusalem Peace Memorial in Bensheim is to be torn down by order.


Naftoli Neugebauer
So, I posted. Can you give please a short summary why the memorial should be destroyed. What are the arguments of the local government…thx schalom from vienna.


Reni Aldente
I have never heard of this memorial until today. I hope it can stay where it is. It's beautiful.


Silviu-Aurel Fugata
Didn't I recently read something about this? That they don't want to preserve it anymore??


Martin Witlake
It's simply unbelievable that an important place of remembrance should be torn down. It's a place where people and school classes can linger, thus being encouraged to think and ask questions. How devoid of history is this time and are these politicians who order something like a demolition?


Uwe Brockmann
The monument must stay!!!


Marianne Glück
This is very concerning... where does the forgetting begin?


Peter Zenker
Why don't you just delete these disgusting, anti-Semitic comments? One should not give these inciters of hatred any space to spread their tirades. It's bad enough that fascists are being supported in the rewriting of German history through the demolition order.


Uwe Alfred Eric Rosenkranz
We support the preservation of the memorial in Bensheim: ArchBishop Uwe Alfred Eric Rosenkranz, ROSARY Ministries International (Confraternity of the Most Holy ROSARY, Vatican Law), in love, peace, and justice according to the UN statutes of the World Human Rights Council (WHRC).


Shirley Dyer
This is a stone that should be left to insure that it is always remembered, and the same horrible incident never happens again.


Karsten Thaifun Kugel
One cannot simply tear down history. Many forget that World War II claimed tens of millions of victims, and the Jewish population and the former Soviet Union had the most to mourn.


Shelly Zion
I would say that it's impossible to accept the destruction of the Jerusalem Peace Memorial...... It';s too aggressive and evil to do so, it reminds and period of the Nazi regime.


Lorelai Lorelai
Can't believe I'm actually having to remove comments and block German neo-Nazis and haters from my FB world because of my support and advocacy of the Jerusalem Peace Memorial. 
Shocked and horrified at the anti-Semitic remarks being posted on the Jerusalem Peace Memorial's FB page by evil trolls. The word "Jerusalem" itself evokes so much antisemitism and vitriol, it's hard to believe people don't have better things to do than to go out of their way to be hateful.

The irony here is that the Jerusalem Peace Memorial is an outdoor landscape art open-air installation in Germany, built by a non-Jewish German artist/engineer with only a few benches, two signposts, the Jerusalem Stone and the "Tree of Life" marble sculpture - all designed to encourage people to use the natural surroundings to let go of the hatred, fear, prejudice and ignorance that created the conditions that made a phenomenon like Nazi Germany possible. Evil trolls are blasting the JPM's FB page with antisemitic hate-talk, demonstrating how the tiniest reminder of the idea of Jewishness (the word "Jerusalem" certainly evokes that idea in the haters!) makes people go crazy.


Doris Jaffe 
So sad. Humankind is still so inhumane. It's hard to fathom how cruel people can be. Doesn't anyone learn from history? Unfortunately jealousy, greed, and the love of power rule people's hearts and the mindless souls just follow along blindly. Of course, once again all the ills of the world are being blamed on the Jews and Israel. May the R"S"O protect us.

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Please do not destroy this memorial  I am not Jewish. I live in England, not in Germany. But I am a human being and can't even begin to understand the traumas that Jews and other people went through during World War II. 

Incredible Insult  In my eyes, there can never be enough memorials for such atrocities. Please do not destroy this memorial; it would be an incredible insult to those who have suffered.
We all need to learn about what happened to people back then, and it frightens me, as it should. Please do not destroy such a beautiful and thoughtful place that was built with so much good intention.  Mariel Bergin, England 


To Those Responsible The Jerusalem Friedensmal is such a beautiful place. This place is nothing but a site for meditation and prayer, and it is built in such a beautiful way.
Please let it live. Thank you very much.  Shifra Bader, Safed, Israel  To All Concerned I recently found the 'Jerusalem Friedensmal' on the internet and found it touching and breathtaking. I got in touch with my son, who lives in Germany, and encouraged him to take a look; he told me it was breathtaking.
Why on earth would you want to dismantle this emotional and carefully chosen memorial? The reasons given on the website seem vague to me and, quite honestly, they would hardly stand up in court.
The Holocaust ended 70 years ago; this quiet memorial does more to heal these wounds than all the noisy words spoken in the world. Tear down the memorial? Destroy the soul's work of this man? No. Please, no. Thank you."
Jo Randazzo, Warren, MI, USA

To the Honored Authorities  Please reconsider and revoke the order that would destroy the Jerusalem Friedensmal.
History cannot be undone. The war happened. Atrocities occurred. This Jerusalem Friedensmal serves as a tribute to remember those who perished and as a bridge for future generations who should never experience such suffering again.
It is time for kind-hearted people to correct the horrors of the past. This beautiful memorial offers peace to the minds and hearts of those who have the privilege to visit this sacred place.
Please do not destroy this hallowed site. I thank you sincerely.
Respectfully,  Doris Jaffe

Objection Dear responsible local politicians,
I would like to express my horror that it is actually being considered to tear down the memorial stone at the Peace and Reconciliation Monument in Bensheim. It is bad enough that the civilian population in our country closed their eyes and hearts back then!
We do not solve problems by suppressing them. It takes a courageous look at the events of the Holocaust so that healing and reconciliation can occur through pain and shame. We have a responsibility as Germans—against forgetting!
I wish you much wisdom in your decision.
Kind regards, Jutta Siegel

To the responsible authorities:
tearing down this memorial, especially in these times, is the most wrong step imaginable!
What really prompted you to approve this absurd action? What is really behind it?
Today, we urgently need impulses that encourage us to love and compassion!
Please immediately reverse this step...
thank you+best regards,
Jan Frankl
Son of Adolf Frankl, former inmate of Auschwitz 
 

web: www.frankldesign.de


I am sending this to whom it may concern. As a peace loving person, I, along with millions of other peace loving persons, demand you rescind you order to destroy the Jerusalem Peace Memorial! Only someone interested in showing hatred for others would do such a thing!  Barbara Folds

Hello, I would like the memorial to be preserved.....best thanks,
Black 

As I am so ashamed of the way that our country has treated our dear friends of Israel, I find this another affront to the Jewish people. Please fight to have this beautiful memorial preserved.  Thank you, Jude Eggert, USA

Dear Sir or Madam,
It is important to preserve the Jerusalem Friedensmal. Please revoke the order to demolish the memorial stone. It is simply ahistorical to tear down the monument near the concentration camp.
Many people come to reflect upon what happened in Germany when they see and linger there.
Please reconsider your decision.
Kind regards, Martin Witlake

Dear Sir or Madam,
I would like to ask you to revoke the decision to demolish the monument. It is very important that such a monument remains so that what happened back then is never forgotten. There are fewer and fewer eyewitnesses. That's why it's important. Our children and grandchildren must also be able to remember so that this never happens again.
Kind regards, Gabriele Sillah

Dear Sir or Madam,
It may be that some regulations, applications, etc. were not complied with—I ask you, however, to act according to common sense here. It's a shame that war is still being waged here after 70 years.
How do you justify this approach? All of Germany is experiencing the blunders at Berlin Airport...
Kind regards,
G. Zanzen

I hereby demand the reversal of the order to demolish the memorial for former concentration camp sub-camps. Germany needs, to counter increasing right-wing radicalism and racism, a comprehensive increase in memorials at all old and new commemorative sites.  Christiane Pathan Friedewald

Tearing down this memorial is immoral and reprehensible. I protest against this project.  Dr. Elvira Grözinger, Berlin

To Whom it may concern,  Please cancel the destruction of the Peace Memorial!  Sincerely, Amy Lopez  I love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars

This memorial is the most peaceful and most thoughtful possible response to the bad behavior of the German Nazi party actions. How can anybody consider its destruction?  Milo Friesen


I am writing from the United States to urge you to not destroy this beautiful memorial to the Jewish people. It is a constant reminder to the world of how precious human life is, and how important it is that we find answers to our differences for everyone's sake.  Thank you for your time,  Frederick Taylor Mukilteo, Washington, United States

Leave the Memorial Alone! I am a U.S.citizen, my mother is 100%born and raised in Germany. My Uncle still and will always live there. Please don't behave like scum. Have some respect! And be respected! Leave the Memorial be! PLEASE!! I AM PROUD TO BE GERMAN. I DON'T WANT TO BE ASHAMED   Connie Wilcox

Please cancel the destruction of the peace memorial.


Have the building authorities gone completely mad now? No more remembrance, no respect for concentration camp victims, no more peaceful mindset but only ever more Putinism?!!!
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Widmar Puhl
SWR2 Aktuelle Kultur


Ursula Freihöfer-Sicking
By destroying this monument, you are destroying the culture of the Federal Republic of Germany! At the moment, fascists are marching in Aachen! We are proud of our liberal, democratic basic order and consider these memorials to be the most valuable culture, which can only be a stumbling block for fascists!
U. F-S


jbrolee
To Whom It May Concern:

I ask that in honor of the individuals who suffered and died at this sub camp that you spare this memorial out of respect for their long forgotten lives and the tragedy that befell them at this camp.  Please rethink your plans - please!


Dear Sir/Madam,

I admire the courage and commitment of Thomas Zieringer and wish there were more people like him who advocate for truth and peace in this way, especially in Germany with its past. It saddens me that the supposed progress in coming to terms with the past has apparently not really changed the thinking of the German people; otherwise, such an atrocity as the planned demolition of essential parts of the monument would not even come to mind, let alone be put into action.

Guilt does not expire, nor does it diminish if it is covered up. Guilt can only be overcome through enlightenment, exposure, confession, and repentance. Bensheim would do well to face its past and work through it; perhaps there would still be a chance for the Eternal to have mercy on this city and on Germany!

In short: I advocate for the withdrawal of the planned demolition decision for parts of the Jerusalem Memorial.

Rivka Abir from Jerusalem

רבקה ריטה אביר


Dear Decision-Makers, please sleep on it and reconsider your decision. Every memorial serves as a prevention against repetition! Thank you very much.
Elke Fritzen

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Garden of Freedom
Gepostet von Thomas Zieringer · 6. März 2014 · Bensheim, Hessen ·
Decree of German authority (2014) for demolishing because of "landscape protection". The Jerusalem Stone was put on our memorial site, because an unresolved past became public: just 1.5 km below in the valley a KZ sub-camp was located. One side of the Jerusalem Stone faces this valley. The other side faces the Land of Israel, 3000 kilometers away. It is one stone with two sides that together tells a story of how bondage became a springboard to freedom, as symbolized by Israel and the Jewish People.