I was fascinated by this article in tomorrow’s Times on a relic from a former German P.O.W. camp in rural Charleston, South Carolina. Today the relic, a brick chimney, is located on land owned by a family with deep roots in South Carolina’s Jewish community. The chimney may soon be turned into a landmark, in which case, as the author of the article puts it, “Jews would be required to keep a Nazi-built relic on their property.” Incredible. Thought some of you might be as intrigued as I was.
I would love to see this chimney become a landmark. It has seen so much in its time and it means so many different things to many different people. It may have been built by Nazis however it is such a vital part of history. It should be seen as a reminder for all the tragedies that happened during the Nazi-reign that go beyond just the concentration camps.
Thanks for your response! I mostly agree with you, though I can also sympathize with those for whom the reminder of the Nazis, what they stood for and what they perpetrated is painful. That definitely complicates the case. I suppose we have to weigh the intrinsic long-term value of historical memory against the pain it causes in the medium term. Also, the historical memory in this case is less about the Third Reich and more about what the journalist refers to as the “brief, surreal period” of the P.O.W. camp. How much intrinsic value does that historical memory have? Enough to justify the landmark?