Day one of Tours of Berlin:

Today was the first full day of our student program and it consisted of tours in Berlin. I had a very hard time keeping my emotions in while taking this tour because of the material that was covered. Many of the sights that we toured were related to the Holocaust, and what some did to prevent jews from being persecuted. In one case there was a factory that the owner who was getting his workers to make cleaning brushes and some of his workers were in fact jews. Due to this, whenever there was an SS patrol he would hide them in a space in the wall and place a big cabinet in front of the doorway. But there were two places that really made my heart bleed for those who were persecuted. The first, was the first mass grave that was set aside for the jews. It is just so unreal and appalling that something like this even existed I mean how can some one kill massive amounts of people and just basically sweep them under the rug. I mean the place does not look anything like it probably did but you could feel something in the air when you walked by it that would take you by storm. The second place that really opened my eyes was the Holocaust Memorial that is on display not too far from the Brandenburg Gate. The memorial itself may not look like much but just a bunch of big cement columns, but when trying to look at in the eyes of one of those that memorial commemorates, it blocks your vision to the other side. to me this makes me feel like those that were put into concentration camps. They could see no hope in reaching the other side and being free, and this is what that memorial meant to me. It is one experience that I will never forget. Many in the group want to tour a nearby concentration camp later in the week. And I only see fit for me to join them and pay my respects to those that were flat out murdered for no reason. It is funny, I never really knew how much of a struggle it was, because I have only been able to see the pictures and numbers, but seeing it has given me a new perspective on just how hard it was for the Jewish population in Germany as well as the rest of Europe