Today we visited the Otto Weidt museum, located in the building where this courageous factory owner employed deaf and blind Jews during World War II. Himself of limited eyesight, Weidt bribed local Nazi officials and convinced them that his factory's products--brushes and brooms--were essential to the war effort because soldiers' shoes and uniforms needed to be kept clean. Despite his efforts to win over local authorities, Weidt prepared for the inevitable raids on his business. The building had a number of hiding places, including a secret room accessed only by moving a heavy bureau.
When several of Weidt's employees were captured and sent to a Nazi camp, he managed to send them food and supplies; the prisoners communicated their needs to him through codes embedded in postcard addresses. For example, if prisoners needed bread they would send a postcard to Weidt's street address in the name of a fictitious baker.
Weidt died of natural causes soon after the war; some who knew him claimed he died of a broken heart at not being able to save more Jews. He is known as the Oscar Schindler of Berlin.
After visiting the museum we took a neighborhood walking tour, and learned about the "stumbling stones," small commemorative plaques that have been placed in locations around Europe where Jews were captured and murdered. The idea is that the slightly-raised plaques will cause pedestrians to stumble and never forget the past.
We finished the tour in the local Jewish cemetery, where a Holocaust statue stands near the entrance. Instead of flowers there are stones at the statues' feet, symbolizing eternal remembrance.
I appreciated the intimate nature of this museum, and the compelling personal stories of courage and inventiveness in the face of unspeakable cruelty and destruction.
Machine for making brushes, adapted for blind workers.
Prisoners communicated with Weidt using codes hidden in postcards.
Holocaust statue, with stones in place of flowers.
One of thousands of commemorative stumbling stones.
