Berlin’s Center: Land Stolen From Jews
Berlin’s central Mitte district is synonymous with a massive construction site. Near the TV tower and the Rotes Rathaus, or Red City Hall, one scaffold meets another. Most people don’t realize that most of the property in this area was once Jewish-owned. Today, profits are being made without involving those who once owned the land. It’s the topic of a provocative Berlin exhibition. Of the 1,200 buildings in Berlin’s city center, at least 225 belonged to German Jews before 1933. After Hitler’s appointment as chancellor, Jews were systematically excluded from the “national community.” As a result, discriminatory laws were adapted that required Jews to register their property, which was later confiscated.
