FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

Volkstrauertag (Satis Shroff) Wreaths for the fallen soldiers, Speeches for those who didn’t return To their mothers, wives and children. Germans show gratitude and humanity, A welcome culture for refugees; Others ignite asylum homes. Every year on Volkstrauertag (Memorial Day) we go to the graveyard in Germany, and we think and pray together for the victims of World War I and World War II, and about the misery, sadness and holocaust. We think about the victims of persecution from the past and present. And dwell upon how valuable freedom and peace are to the well-being of all people in this world. In a town like Freiburg we still dig up bombs that didn’t detonate, bombs that were dropped by the USAF and the Royal Air Force. Freiburg was razed to the ground in those days. Civilians were killed or burnt in the very bunkers they sought refuge in. In this context, we also have to think of the damage done to London and other cities around Europe by the Luft...

ART FROM THE CONCENTRATION CAMP GURS (Satis Shroff) Julius C. Turner: Männer im Morgenrot vor dem Stacheldrahtzaun. Julius C. Turner: Warten auf die Abendsuppe, 1941. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte ETH Zürich/Elsbeth-Kasser-Stiftung Kurt Löw & Carl Bodek: Französischer Gendarm, der einen Internierten tritt. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte ETH Zürich/Elsbeth-Kasser-Stiftung 'Ceux de Gurs' : art by Max Lingner The place was the Mecklenburg Hall of the Sparkasse in Freiburg. On exhibit were 40 sketches, portraits, water-colour paintings, landscape drawings and greeting cards. The art work was done by the Jewish prisoners of  concentration camp in Gurs (France).  I was so moved by the artistic works of the prisoners that I couldn’t resist the temptation of writing my thoughts in the visitor’s book. What did the prisoners do during the day? They were forced to do nothing. Did they suffer from hunger, cold, fear? How did the emaciated mothers and...