Berlin, Germany: “Train of Commemoration” stops in Berlin Ostbahnhof
April 13, 2008
The “Train of Commemoration” (“Zug der Erinnerung”) arrived in Berlin on April 13. The train is a traveling memorial to the Jews deported and killed in the Third Reich. The Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s state-owned rail operator, refused to allow the train to halt in the Hauptbahnhof, the capital’s central station. Finally, after protests by German politicians such as Berlin’s mayor Klaus Wowereit and by the Central Council of Jews in Germany and the International Auschwitz Committee, the Deutsche Bahn offered instead to allow the Train to halt at Ostbahnhof, located in eastern Berlin.
The company argued that a stop at Hauptbahnhof would have caused traffic chaos during the stay.
Later, the Deutsche Bahn offered to donate €100,000 to a Jewish organization in recompense for charging a fee for the Train’s use of the station. Stephan Kramer, secretary general of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said, "That seems likes selling indulgences." He criticized Deutsche Bahn for using "antisemitic clichés" in its effort to silence Jewish voices by paying money.
Sources: dw-world.de, 03-11-2008; Frankfurt Rundschau, 04-13-2008; ABC News, 04-14-2008; berlinonline.de, 04-14-2008
