1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,808 Why is the Topf & Sons – Builders of the Auschwitz Ovens – Place of Remembrance important to you? 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:10,400 I think the reason the Topf & Sons Place of Remembrance is so important is that, 3 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:13,573 more than many other commemorative sites, 4 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,504 it shows the involvement of society as a whole 5 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:18,672 and its share in the responsibility for fascism. 6 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,213 And just as we’ve meanwhile learned that 7 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,960 it wasn’t just Hitler and the SS and the SA who were responsible, 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:31,180 but also the finance authorities, the railways, the German army, etc., 9 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,712 this place is an example of the fact that private enterprise – 10 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,448 down to the last engineer, with their technical knowhow – 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,667 also participated in that criminal system. 12 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:43,800 Many people were involved. 13 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:45,680 Many resisted, of course, 14 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,440 but ultimately this involvement of the German engineers 15 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,052 with their punctuality, cleanliness and orderliness 16 00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:55,860 supported a bad system. 17 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:58,407 That means that there is also the danger 18 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:04,633 that society will not take responsibility 19 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,544 and not stand up against new threats in the future. 20 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,436 Because once a system of this kind has been installed, 21 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:17,407 it’s something that is very hard to resist, 22 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,647 or only at the risk of one’s life. 23 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,796 It means that engineers, technicians, bureaucrats 24 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:26,612 have to take their share of the responsibility today, 25 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:28,013 the responsibility they’ve always had. 26 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:33,280 And your team shows this very clearly. 27 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:36,452 I find it extremely impressive, your dedication 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:41,868 to showing the responsibility for ensuring that 29 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,640 the society, the economy, the engineers do not back such developments in the future – 30 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,413 that comes through very clearly. 31 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,204 And I think it really makes a deep impression on our young people, 32 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:51,947 but also on the adults who come here, 33 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:59,693 and I hope it helps prevent bad times. 34 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:07,044 I come here often, perhaps not often enough, but relatively often. 35 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,064 And I’m always impressed with the projects carried out here. 36 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:15,068 It doesn’t stop with demonizing what was done 37 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:17,493 to the Sinti and Roma, or to the Jews, 38 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,520 but also looks at current topics, 39 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:22,000 for example the massacres in Africa. 40 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:29,808 This centre has undoubtedly helped sensitize Erfurt society to these issues. 41 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,420 And it has also contributed to showing that it wasn’t just the others, 42 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,680 but the people of Erfurt themselves who joined in. 43 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:38,413 That means that, in the future, 44 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,156 the people of Erfurt will also participate in what takes place in society. 45 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:46,292 And that’s why this centre is so terribly important for Erfurt, 46 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:48,413 and also for us, the Jewish community.