Dear TWIG Readers,
The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. As that date approaches, we will look back at a number of historic events that occurred in the months prior to the end of the war.
This past Tuesday, for example, was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27, 1945. Auschwitz was the Nazi's largest camp, so its liberation is of particular importance, and that date is now recognized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In honor of this anniversary, German government ministers and parliamentarians gathered at the Bundestag on Tuesday for an hour of remembrance. Later that day, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also opened a commemorative concert given by the Berlin Philharmonic. Called "Violins of Hope", the concert was given using instruments that once belonged to Jewish victims of the Nazi regime who were either killed or exiled. Israeli violin marker Amnon Weinstein had spent many decades gathering and restoring the instruments.
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"When my violins are on stage, six million people are standing behind them," Amnon once said, as quoted by Steinmeier at the concert.
The year 2015, however, also marks an anniversary that showcases how far Germany has come - 50 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel.
"We can be proud of what we have achieved in the past 50 years, as the closer ties between Israel and Germany are more than a project for the elites. These ties would be completely unthinkable without the broad commitment to reconciliation among many people in both societies," Steinmeier said in a recent speech.
"In 2015, the focus will be on this amazing success story – a bridge that stretches from the past to the future."
Nicole Glass
Editor, The Week in Germany
Web Team, Germany.info
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Steinmeier's speech on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
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