As the leaves continue to turn and fall to the ground, the air gets more brisk and the smells of winter begin to peek through. Mild amounts of precipitation this summer lead experts to believe we would have a limited amount of time with the leaves and fall colors - we are happy this was not the case.

Friday brought forth an interesting and special day. The 9th of November is anniversary to many events in history. In 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II was dethroned by Max von Baden which started a 12 year fight for government control ultimately leading to Nazi Germany. In 1922 Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize for physics for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. In 1923 the Beer Hall Putsch took place in Munich. This was where Hitler declared himself leader of Bavaria as he and his supporters marched on Munich. He would be found guilty during an internationally publicized trial and sentenced to 5 years in Landsberg Prison, where he wrote *Mein Kampf.* In 1923 Crown Prince Wilhelm III chose the 5th anniversary of his father’s abdication to return to Germany from exile in the Netherlands causing further unrest. Robert Blum, noted author, revolutionist, and opposition leader for the ethnocentric movement was executed on this day in 1848; crushing the German revolution. While there are many events leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 9th is the first time Eastern residents crossed over without being executed.

November 9th is not the celebrated anniversary for the collapse of the Berlin Wall, as you might remember from our coverage of Reunification Day on October 3rd; and there’s a really good reason for that. November 9th is maybe best remembered for the events of 1938 known as Kristallnacht [Crystal Night] AKA: Night of Broken Glass. The 9th was the largest pogrom to date and demonstrated that the Nazi party’s antisemitic stance was more than just rhetoric. During the night, mobs of German citizens destroyed 267 synagogues & 7,000 jewish businesses, raped & beat countless women and young girls, and arrested over 30,000 jewish men who would be some of the first to be placed in concentration camps. As historian Darryl Cooper put it; “Imagine running to get help from the police, desperately trying to protect your business, home and family. Only to be beaten half to death as you watched them rape your wife lying helplessly on the ground.” Many of these horrific events happed in our neighbourhood. It’s the reason the “stumbling stones” are all over the streets - to remember the innocent that were merdered and driven from their homes. Different from other societies Germans doesn’t try to brush off the darkest chapters of their history. They put monuments and tokens of remembrance in plain view so that the slippery path to tyranny remains flagged and untraveled.

What happened during the night 80 years ago has not gone unforgotten. On Friday evening, as many slept, a different group formed. Average citizens quietly emerged to pay their respects as they polished the stumbling stones, laid flowers, and lit candles as remembrance. As we walked to the grocery store on Saturday morning we were reminded just how fragile our society is - how the kindness of many is all it takes to quite the loud bigotry of the few. The 9th is remembered not because it’s easy but because forgetting means repeating. As we pay our respects to American veterans this Sunday, it’s worth remembering their sacrifice allows us to reflect on these events as aposed to living through them.

Friday wasn’t only about remembering the darkness it was also about celebrating the light. Young children in Prussia grow up celebrating Laternelaufen a festival that remembers St. Martin, friend of the children and patron saint of the poor. All week Logan was learning about St. Martin with songs and crafts eventually resulting in an evening parade through the streets of Berlin. The entire school walked the streets with their handmade lanterns singing the songs they learned.

Logan’s View

After the parade everyone gathered for drinks and snacks and were surprised by a fire breathing show put on by the headmaster of the school.

The remainder of the week has been restful and enjoyable.

With another great week behind us we leave you with another instalment of Logan’s view.

Until Next Time,

The McNeills