Writing these lines is very difficult for me. There is no way to fully represent the pain, persecution, and murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. The Holocaust memorial in the heart of Berlin is a symbolic structure composed of blocks designed to evoke various emotions and sensations.
The monument designed by architect Peter Eisenman consists of a series of concrete blocks of various dimensions and heights. Arranged geometrically on a large esplanade with some variations in height, these blocks are aligned with each other, creating compressed spaces for passage.
As one enters this "maze," the feeling of disorientation, oppression, and confinement becomes increasingly intense. Walking among these "walls" generates insecurity and anxiety about finding the "way out." This gray and lifeless space, embodying human hatred and indifference, stands in the midst of the city, contrasting with the vitality of life reflected in the blue sky above, illuminating the passages of darkness.
As Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Auschwitz extermination camp, Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1986, said:
"I will never forget that night, the first night in the camp, which turned my life into one long night, seven times sealed.
I will never forget that smoke. I will never forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into spirals of smoke beneath a silent sky.
I will never forget those flames that consumed my faith forever. I will never forget that nocturnal silence that deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live.
I will never forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul, and turned my dreams into ashes.
I will never forget those things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself.
Excerpt from "Night."
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