Remembrance

Two specters rose to remind Germans of events that took place a quarter century and more ago, but had still the power to evoke deep emotions.

A Building Revived. In West Berlin, the Reichstag once again became habitable. A huge, florid structure of Silesian sandstone--since 1894 the home of whatever democracy Germany knew from the days of Bismarck through the Weimar Republic--the building had bulked vacant and lifeless ever since it was gutted by fire on Feb. 27, 1933. The Nazis claimed the fire was kindled by Communists as the signal for a Red uprising, and a confused Dutch boy named Marinus Van der Lubbe was be headed for his alleged part in the crime. Since the Reichstag fire gave Hitler a pretext to gain complete control of Germany, most historians have concluded that the fire was set by the Nazis themselves, possibly even by Hermann Goering in person.

The Reichstag was further damaged by Allied bombers and by shellfire in the closing days of World War II. Though many Germans thought that it should remain in ruins--as a reminder of the past--slow reconstruction work was begun in 1958. By last week the south wing, containing 45 offices, seven conference rooms and a presidential suite, was formally reopened. It will take about four more years and an additional $12.5 million to completely restore the Reichstag. Unanswered, so far, is the question of who will occupy it and why. The Bundestag is unlikely to leave Bonn for Berlin for fear of bringing cries of "provocation" from Russia. Most likely, the reconstructed Reichstag will stand empty through the years, serving West Germany and West Berlin as a mute symbol of the hope of eventual reunification of the nation.

A Night Mourned. All over West Germany, ceremonies marked the 25th anniversary of Kristallnacht (Night of Crystal), when Hitler's Storm Troopers went on a nationwide rampage against the property, dignity and life of the 400,000 Jews who had not yet fled their German homeland. Synagogues were put to the torch. Thousands of Jewish stores were plundered and had their windows smashed (hence the night's bitter nickname). Thirty-six Jews were murdered and 25,000 arrested.

The pogrom had been inspired by the assassination of German Diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris by a 17-year-old stateless Jew named Hershel Grynszpan.* It was, Joseph Goebbels told Hitler, a propaganda opportunity equal to that of the Reichstag fire. Hitler agreed, and the Storm Troopers were released for their "spontaneous" action, while regular police turned their backs. Both German television networks last week filled their peak viewing hours with programs mercilessly reminding Germans of what they had allowed to happen. Leading newspapers devoted entire pages to recollecting in detail the horrors of Kristallnacht.

Said Chancellor Ludwig Erhard: "We mourn with the survivors and with Jew ry in the entire world. No man can make up for the injustice that was done." On tour in Africa, West Berlin's Mayor Willy Brandt sent greetings to a memorial service held at the rebuilt Jewish Community Center on Berlin's Fasanenstrasse. There, Heinz Galinski, the leader of the city's 6,000 remaining Jews (down from 160,500 in 1933), handed out awards to "Unsung Heroes of the Nazi Era," 44 Germans who had risked death to give shelter and protection to Jews.

* Ironically, it was discovered after his death that Diplomat vom Rath had been an active anti-Nazi. Young Grynszpan was found guilty of manslaughter by a French court and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was serving his term at Sante prison when the Nazis occupied all of France, and his ultimate fate is still unknown.

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