Reflections on Humanity, Memory, and Genocide
By Dr. Anna Biela 25.03.2025 Berlin
Visiting the Berlin Bunker Story Museum left me shaken. Seeing the images and reading the stories of how Hitler came to power and orchestrated mass genocide made me reflect deeply on the way history is remembered. The Holocaust claimed the lives of 12 million people—6 million of whom were Jewish. But what about the other 6 million? Poles, Russians, Romani, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals—why do their stories seem to fade into the background? Aren’t all human lives of equal value?
It makes me question why, when we speak of the Holocaust, we predominantly remember Jewish victims while so many others remain unspoken. The Holocaust was a crime against humanity, not just against one people. Every victim deserves to be remembered, every story deserves to be told.
This reflection extends beyond history into the present. When I think about genocide, I cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza today. The irony is painful—the people who once suffered so greatly are now inflicting suffering on others. Starvation, bombings, displacement—these are not just headlines, they are lived realities for men, women, and children. Human life should never be devalued, no matter who the victims or the aggressors are.
History has shown us the darkest depths of what we are capable of as a species. If we do not acknowledge all victims of past genocides, we risk repeating the same horrors. We cannot pick and choose whose suffering is worth remembering and whose is not.
Today, I take a moment of silence for all who have been killed—past and present. May we learn, may we do better, may we never turn away from the truth.
