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Commemoration on Platform 17: Steinmeier and Herzog remember deportations
On May 12, 2025, the deportations of Jews will be remembered in Berlin. Commemorations, new reports and current events characterize the day.
Commemoration on Platform 17: Steinmeier and Herzog remember deportations
On May 12, 2025, the deportations of Jews during the Second World War will be remembered in Berlin. At a memorial event on platform 17 of Grunewald train station, which will be led by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Israel's President Isaac Herzog, the more than 50,000 Jews who were deported from there to the concentration camps will be remembered. These deportations took place in cattle cars without the people realizing that for many it would be a journey of no return. The first transports started on October 18, 1941 towards Litzmannstadt, Warsaw, Riga, Theresienstadt and Auschwitz, like Gazette Berlin reported.
The memorial on platform 17, which was inaugurated 20 years ago, consists of 186 cast steel plates, each of which represents a deportation train. The date of departure, the number of deportees and the destinations are recorded on these plates. The removed platform was restored over a length of around 160 meters in order to adequately honor the terrible events.
Current developments in Berlin
On the same day, the new Berlin family report will be published, which will be handed over to the Senator for Education, Youth and Family after three years of work. In addition, a petition for International Nursing Day will be handed over to the Federal Ministry of Health on this day of remembrance. Another important point in today's discussion is flood protection on the Oder, which will be more expensive than originally planned.
Another current topic is the dispute over the Hohenzollern legacy, which has now been resolved. An agreement was reached between the House of Hohenzollern, the federal government and the states of Berlin and Brandenburg. The DFB Cup has also found its way to Berlin, which is causing great joy among football fans.
Social events
In addition, a book of condolence was opened to commemorate the deceased. Unfortunately, there are also worrying reports: football fans apparently attacked a group of people at a rest stop, leaving ten people affected. This casts a shadow over the sporting events and highlights of the day.
Overall, today in Berlin shows both the confrontation with the past and the current social situation. The focus is on remembering the deportations and continuing important social discussions.