Last weekend, my litter sister, Kelly, flew to DC and completely surprised me for my birthday. She and Dan had been in cahoots. I am amazed by how many people were able to keep it a surprise. I came out of my building after work on Friday expecting to see Dan and was shocked by the gorgeous tall woman standing next to him, who I soon realized was my little sis. Friday night we grabbed appetizers in Dupont and then Kelly went off to surprise another one of her friends at Georgetown University.
Saturday, we walked through Eastern Market and joined my friends for dinner in Georgetown followed by a piano bar in Barracks Row. Sunday we walked the Mall a bit, saw the Capitol and the Washington Monument and went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum — allowing Dan and I to check yet another place off our DC tourist map. I found the museum to be more of a memorial than a museum, and it didn’t teach me much I didn’t already know — though as Dan pointed out, I was a history major, so maybe most people don’t have the same knowledge of the time period. I was searching for a greater understanding of “how” — how an entire population, an entire world, could know what was happening and do very little to stop it, how a people can allow themselves to be interned. I know about the horrors, but I understand less about how. Maybe Rwanada and Darfur help explain how. The museum is powerful as a memorial, and an important one. One of my friends commented on the shoes — an exhibit showing rows and rows of shoes piled on top of one another — shoes that were abandoned outside a gas chamber. And though I am aware of differences, my mind flashed back to what another friend, who was living in NYC at the time, had said about 9/11 — “it was the shoes, the shoes outside the buildings.”
Kelly and I finished our weekend with a movie at home on Sunday night. It was wonderful to get to see her and catch up on some of that sister stuff that is sometimes tough to share over 2,000 miles.
In somewhat related news, Dan, who has a genuine gift for such writing, has updated his Yelp profile to include reviews of some of the restaurants we have visited in DC, funny and insightful. If you are looking for a place to eat in DC, or just want to know more about what we have been eating since we got here, check out the reviews.
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Erin Miller 
Hey Erin,
Just read your message about the Holocaust Museum in DC…since I am basically on vacation right now and have tons of free time (which is really new for me).
When I visited the museum with Benedict, Subroto and Tommy in fall 08 I felt kind of the same way about it like you. Didn’t teach me more than I already knew…but as I have been the searching for the answer to the question “How” for pretty much all my life so far (as lots of Germans do) I came to the conclusion that there will never be a real answer to it. That type of bewilderment will always be the same…if we look at the Holocaust or any other recent homicide.
When I was a teenager I used to read about the Holocaust more than I do now and slowly realized how big the impact of the Weimarer Republic and circumstances in Germany at that time were for the process which lead to WWII. I guess in that case the answer to “How” can be found mostly in the understanding of the psychology of mass movements and the deep impact of propaganda.
I used to hate my ancestors for their blindness and I still do but it is good to know that there were also people who strongly fought against what happened back then.
History has deeply shaped the country of my origin and I hope the majority will always be able to ask for an answer to “How” as it is the only way to stay critical and aware.
Looking forward to good conversations on a roof in NY…see you soon,
Anna
Anna!
Hooray for you having some free time to leave some awesome comments on my blog. You are probably right and the bewilderment will always be the same, but it is a good exercise to think about it. It seemed like the museum tried to suggest that circumstances in Germany and propaganda had a lot to do with the mass movement. But I did learn that the German economy recovered for a bit in the mid 1920s, before declining again. Also, it is probably difficult for me to fully understand the impact of propaganda now that information is available from an infinite number of sources right at my fingertips. But I am also not just wondering about “how” Germans let it happen — people in the United States knew what was happening too, and we were still hesitant to allow Jewish people to emigrate and we didn’t bomb the gas chambers.
It is good to know that there were some people who fought against it — both inside and outside the camps.
Definitely looking forward to some great conversations on a roof. I will keep in touch about a good weekend.
Hi Erin,
You mention a good point there: Not only Germans should be asked “How” but all the involved countries-after all it turned into a World War where it became silly to ask who was most responsible for what had started. People like to blame single characters because its easier not to admit that they all knew what went on. Putting all the blame on a guy like Hitler is like picking the blackest sheep of all but they forget that there is all whole herd behind it!
War always supports the economy of some countries in one way or another if not during the process of war then afterwards. Germany and the US have been economically connected for a long time and as much as the US tried to focus on fighting against Nazi Germany they continued to stick to their economic relationships with Germany. Just to mention Ford and IBM here- two companies which basically strongly served Nazi Germany.
Asking “how” in those cases and also in the case of restrictive immigration laws makes it impossible to just blame one black sheep.
Sometimes I wonder what is worse: the fact that Nazi Germany existed or the fact that companies which have been strongly involved in supporting such a regime still continue to prosper.
Looking forward to more conversations as well!
Anna