In the students' own words

From Matthew: “Walking through the memorials to all those murdered by the National Socialist regime is something that cannot be described in the written word, only experienced firsthand. Every stone, every angle, there for the purpose of remembering both the killed and the responsibility of those living now to never allow something like that to happen again. Each one does this in its own way, but all make sure to impart that this is not a memorial to something to be celebrated, but instead something that must never be forgotten.” 

From Eli: “You know, it kind of rubs me the wrong way that some groups of people were seen to not have been “valid” victims in the years immediately after the war – particularly Roma/Sinti people and gay men. Having a hierarchy in place implies that some people’s suffering was less than others, even though regardless of magnitude, all of these groups – Jews, Sinti and Roma, gay men, individuals with disabilities, prisoners of war, enemies of the state, etc. – had been subjected to persecution by members of the Nazi regime. And yes, I understand the fact that perception and legal categorization of “legitimate” suffering was likely in line with existing socially normal beliefs and sentiments at the time. Nonetheless, those historical views were still arguably anti-human, and those types of biases were prerequisites for what led to the Holocaust in the first place. I wonder how many other victims besides Gunther Eggeling, Otto Rosenberg, and Kur Gudell were either rejected any compensation whatsoever, or ended up attempting to apply for compensation as members of other persecuted groups – which was a risk in and of itself. I wonder if any other Roma or queer victims eventually managed to have their suffering legally recognized for the sake of receiving compensation, or if they died before ever having the chance to.”