Here you feel a lightness as you move up the stairs to learn about the journey of Jewish people and their immigration to Germany over a thousand years ago. Through a vast range of mediums you gain insights into how their culture has changed through time, and most interestingly for me how Jewish people have been persecuted since the Christian Crusades. This anti-semitism was nothing something constructed by Hitler ... he wasn't just one bad guy, the atrocities were a reflection of a society's beliefs.
Initially this historical journey is a nice counter-balance from the heavy and almost overwhelming experience of the Holocaust Tower. However as you move closer towards WW2 in the timeline you start to get that sinking feeling again. You leave deeply moved and broken-hearted. How could people be so cruel? They say its impossible to understand irrational behaviour. It does show you just how destructive fear and hatred can be.
Walking down the street afterwards I found myself really consciously looking at the people walking around me and not judging them by their ethnicity or appearance, just focusing on our sameness.
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