Footage from the 9th November 1989 makes me tear up every time to this day!
I was 6 years old when the wall came down. I remember my parents‘ great relief that my siblings and I wouldn’t have to go through all the marginalisation at school that our faith would have brought upon us.
I remember one evening around that time when the town square was packed with people. Some men climbed into the town hall offices through the windows, presumably to get their passports stamped for traveling to West Germany.
I also remember my parents taking us to West Germany for the first time. I recall the slight feeling of disappointment when crossing the border and realising that the surrounding (trees, meadows, ..) looked just the same (Not sure what I was expecting!). But soon the differences became obvious: smarter cars, automatic doors at supermarkets (what fun!), a coconut we bought (and which took us ages to work out how to open at home), and a plastic display stand for tic-tac mints we rescued from being thrown away and played with for years.
For East Germany, the years after the reunification went far from smoothly. Even though they gained freedom from an oppressive system, East Germans experienced much trauma: they were made to feel devalued, patronised, and robbed of their identity, community, and work. The region’s current worrying rise of right-wing ideologies is at least in part due to the politics post-reunification.
However, I do feel that this does not diminish the beauty, symbolism, and hope of the fall of the Berlin wall! I keep on thinking about the Jewish tradition of retelling the Exodus story, especially when times seem hopeless. Maybe remembering the events of 1989 Germany can be for us now a way to hold on to hope and God’s goodness in times like these, despite bombs on Ukraine and Lebanon, this week’s election results in the US, and much more. All this makes me feel anxious and helpless, but re-watching and re-telling the 9th November 1989 does give me hope.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!For His mercy endures forever.
From Psalm 136
To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;
And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever;
With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever;
Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;
Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.