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Today we visited Otto Weidt's workshop for the blind. Weidt's employees included Jews, blind, and deaf German citizens who Weidt employed in hopes of keeping them out of concentration camps. This is a postcard from one of Weidt's employees who was taken to a concentration camp. Weidt's former employee uses code on the postcard to let Weidt know of the hunger he faces in the concentration camp.

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I absolutely loved meeting Sanaz and Mohammad and hearing about their journey to Germany from Afghanistan. It was extremely powerful and moving to see how well they spoke German after just one year. Also, it was amazing to hear about how much responsibility they have now since they have to help their parents adjust to the new language and culture.

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Broken Stained Glass Window from Synagogue

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Broken Stained Glass Window from Synagogue

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Today as we were walking around the synagogue I noticed that the stained glass windows were not fully finished. These are scars left after Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. This made me think why would they not replace and finish the windows instead of leaving them in this state. But these serve as a remembrance of that night and remind everyone that comes to see the synagogue of what happened.

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Today, while visiting the memorial for the wives of Jewish husbands, we were able to see the minimal remains of the original old synagogue in Rosentrasse. Olaf was discussing how these remains, even when more prominent, were undiscoverable on a map, as the streets had been changed. I think it is so cool that so many years later the basic brick frame is still present today, although a small reminder of such an important building. The small plaque adjacent to the frame explained about the extensive history of the old synagogue, although I'm sure it is a very passed-by historical sight.

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Altar ruins from the destroyed synagogue

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Altar ruins from the destroyed synagogue

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This piece below represents the altar that Rabbi's once stood behind preaching to their people. Notice how the some pieces seem to fit together, while others remain missing. This once beautiful synagogue was now displayed in ruins at a museum; however, the these pieces resonate the fact that there is evidence of complete destruction even to those who did not deserve it.

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This painting, displayed in the New Synagogue in Berlin, immediately caught my eye due to its interpretive nature. It's obvious that the people below are suffering, but who are they? And who is the overpowering figure above them? As I interpret this painting, I see a depiction of Kristallnacht in the background and a group of Jews running away from the destruction. None of them have facial hair because the Nazis cut off their beards as another form of dehumanizing them and disrespecting their culture. However, the large, overpowering figure in the center has a beard which may represent refuge, since he was not changed into something he was not. I feel as though the large figure is supposed to parallel the idea of Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt and represent the idea that their religion will eventually bring them refuge as long as they do not fail to follow it and uphold their beliefs and Jewish law.

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As we were in the synagogue we came to a destination and Olaf asked if there was something different about the poster above this picture. I hadn't realize anything different until he started to explain that this women was the first and only rabbi. This was a shock to me as Olaf started telling us that there were no documents stating a male had to be a rabbi. I never really thought of it until he pointed it out. Furthermore, he began to discuss that the synagogue started to have both men and women sit together. This is interesting to me as it shows how the transition from a traditional to a new synagogue is much more different. It also shows how women in the Jewish community started to have an equal status as men.

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The Garden of Exile was the only perfect square on the bottom most level of the Jewish History Museum. The garden reprenented the year that Israel was created which 1948. There was one extra that I am unaware of the meaning of. The ground of the garden was uneven emphasizing that the road to total Exile and complete escape was never easy and hardly in a straightforward path.

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Today, we visted the New Synagogue in Berlin. Bima was one of the synagogues that survived during Kristallnacht but unfortunately bombed and destroyed during World War II. It was later reconstruced and turned into a museum. This image shows the the remains of the platform in the Synagogue of Bima where all the readings of the Torah stood on. All the preaches of many jews and uncontrolling of the Torah were taken place on this platform.
- Colin Angelitud

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Today we visited Otto Weidt's Museum For The Blind. Otto Weidt was a German small factory owner who employed deaf and blind Jews during World War II. Contrasting most of the German population, Otto Weidt opposed Nazi Socialism and did what he could to make life easier for the persecuted Jews. In this picture, it shows a postcard sent to Otto Weidt from one of his employees, Alice Licht, who was then a prisoner in the Theresienstadt Ghetto. Alice used code to communicate to Otto, writing "Alice Licht, née Worry".

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Today we went to the Jewish cemetery and saw where Moses Mendelssohn, who began the Jewish Enlightentment, is buried. We led that though he was an Orthodox Jew, his ideas led to a reformed Judaism because of how he encouraged the Jewish community to accept the situation of the Diaspora and assimilate into the largely Christian European society, rather than focusing on a return to the promised land. This encouraged German Jews to identify more as German than as Jewish, contrasting the unassimilated Jewish Quarters that existed in other countries, such as Poland. I found it interesting how the Jewish identity has changed throughout history and at times been uncertain, but when the Nazi persecution decided who was Jewish based on race, it caused many people who had felt fully assimilated into German society to question their identities

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Today we visited Rosentrasse memorial for women that pleaded for their husbands lives and freedom. The memorial is placed here because behind the statue was the building that once held these men.

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Today we visited Rosentrasse memorial for women that pleaded for their husbands lives and freedom. The memorial is placed here because behind the statue was the building that once held these men.