Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism – located between the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany – filmed in 2013.
The monument is dedicated to the memory of the estimated 500,000 European Roma and Sinti that were murdered during the Holocaust – called Porajmos or Pharrajimos in the Romani language (“the Devouring” or “Destruction”) – the genocide of the European Sinti and Roma peoples by the German Nazis and their fascist allies ( http://www.romasintigenocide.eu/en/home ).
The memorial by the Israeli artist Dani Karavan consists of a circular pool of water with a triangular stone in the center upon which a fresh flower is placed daily.
At the site you hear the sound, a note of a lonely violin from a composition/sound installation titled “Mare Manuschenge” / “Our People” by Romeo Franz, a Sinto musician, composer and politician in Germany.
Karavan : „dem Klang einer einsamen Geige allein geblieben von der gemordeten Melodie, schwebend im Schmerz“
Romeo Franz:
Romani Rose, the chairman of the Central Council of the Sinti and Roma, called me in 2012 and said he was looking for a violinist who could play just one single note at the ceremony. I tried, but at some point I couldn’t stand this note any longer. Instead I imitated a whistle that Sinti often use to call their children. It’s a sound that each of us recognise, it’s a bit like a mark of identification, a signal. Then I transposed it onto the gypsy minor scale. Shortly before the memorial was completed, I met with Dani Caravan, the Israeli architect who designed the memorial, at the construction site, and he said, “That’s it!” For me, it was possibly the most significant thing I’ve ever achieved in my life.
From : The Handreader’s Tale via https://www.kulturstiftung-des-bundes.de/en/magazine/magazine_26-1/the_handreaders_tale.html
Note
Yesterday – August 4, 2019 – a more subjective short film impression of the memorial was posted see ‘Porajmos Memorial Sinti Roma Europe’ ~ https://settela.com/2019/08/04/porajmos-memorial-sinti-roma-europe/ More information on this memorial also in that 20190804 post.
Film: Mare Manuschenge | Music Roma Memorial Berlin | 20190805 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com – CC BY 4.0
Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism, filmed in 2013 in the Tiergarten (close to other Holocaust memorials) in Berlin – between the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate, in Germany.
The monument is dedicated to the memory of the estimated 500,000 European Roma and Sinti that were murdered during the Holocaust – called Porajmos or Pharrajimos in the Romani language (“the Devouring” or “Destruction”) – the genocide of the European Sinti and Roma peoples by the German Nazis and their fascist allies ( http://www.romasintigenocide.eu/en/home ).
August 2 is European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day commemorating this genocide of Roma people during World War II. Declared by the European Parliament in 2015 (Resolution 2015/2615), the day marks the anniversary of the extermination of around 3,000 Roma at Auschwitz-Birkenau during the night of 2 August 1944. The so-called Gypsy Camp in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp was dissolved – or “liquidated,” as the SS called it.
Settela Steinbach (9) was one of those murdered early August 1944, now 75 years ago.
The memorial (by the Israeli artist Dani Karavan) consists of a circular pool of water with a triangular stone in the center (not shown in this film) upon which a fresh flower is placed daily.
Film: Porajmos Memorial Sinti Roma Europe | 20190804 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com – CC BY 4.0
Poem “Auschwitz” by Santino Spinelli
In a ring around the pond in English and German – and in two Romani dialects on a stone – are the words of the poem “Auschwitz” by Santino Spinelli (artist name Alexian), a Rom from the Abruzzi region of Italy – a musician, poet, teacher, composer and essayist.
Auschwitz (Original)
Muj šukkó, kjá kalé vušt šurde; kwit. Jilo čindó bi dox, bi lav, nikt ruvbé.
Auschwitz (Deutsch)
Eingefallenes Gesicht, erloschene Augen, kalte Lippen. Stille. Ein zerrissenes Herz, ohne Atem, ohne Worte, keine Tränen.
Auschwitz (English)
Pallid face, dead eyes, cold lips. Silence. A broken heart without breath, without words, no tears.
Music “Mare Manuschenge” by Romeo Franz
At the site you faintly hear the sound, a note of a lonely violin from a composition/sound installation titled “Mare Manuschenge” / “Our People” by Romeo Franz, a Sinto musician, composer and politician in Germany.
The sound in this film I posted is mixed from several video recordings there, with the emphasis on the sound from one video of one of the loudspeakers in the surrounding trees.
Aftermovie of that swinging Saturday night June 22th 2019 when Woody Allen invites the Brussels Jazzman – holocaust survivor – Simon Gronowski to play with him and The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band in the Bozar theater in front of some 2200 people in Brussels, Belgium.
Simon Gronowski was only 11 years old when he jumped from the XXth death train to Auschwitz , and an orphan after the war … jazz helped Simon find his way – watch Simon’s story in the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – online here http://bit.ly/1fqFdOb
Many thanks to Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band | Simon Gronowski | Sarah Ehrlich | BOZAR | Greenhouse Talent. Film JAZZMAN (20190715) Michel van der Burg | Miracles.Media
Swinging Saturday night June 22th when Woody Allen invites the Brussels Jazzman – and a holocaust survivor – Simon Gronowski to play with Woody and his band in Brussels Bozar theater in front of some 2200 people … after playing “Ole Miss” here Sim once again now with “Struttin with some Barbeque”.
Simon Gronowski was only 11 years old when he jumped from the XXth death train to Auschwitz were his mother and sister were murdered. After the war, an orphan, Jazz helped Sim (his artist name from early postwar times) find his way – watch his story in the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – full film online here http://bit.ly/1fqFdOb
Another clip from Sim the Jazzman and Woody last week in ‘Simon & Woody’s Swing’ , here https://youtu.be/qGAs2YRxK-o , and yesterday this one https://youtu.be/oslTbWAEZN0
Note please , that I had not planned at all to record an entire song during the show – just some seconds sometime at the start , the end or whenever possible of Simon with Woody, just a scene together with applause perhaps , for use in the non-profit educational documentary ‘Miracles’ on Simon’s life that I am making – so , that’s why the camera wasn’t always pointing to the performance, and I had to edit and cut away lengthy applause (sorry) – but these are magical moments I like to share all rightaway. I initially had even thought of just using an iphone – keeping a low profile – luckily I used that excellent small camera , the Sony a7s2 , with a small external mic that worked OK except with that loud applause ;)
Here the whole song for Simon, his family, Woody, the Eddy Davis Band and fans. Wow , what a flow!
Woody Allen , Simon Gronowski & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, Saturday night June 22, 2019 at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels , Belgium.
Many thanks to Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band | BOZAR | Greenhouse Talent. Film Sim’s BBQ (20190630) Michel van der Burg | Miracles.Media
Saturday night fever June 22th when Woody Allen invites the Brussels Jazzman and holocaust survivor Simon Gronowski to play with Woody and his band in Brussels Bozar theater in front of some 2200 people … here Woody wathing Sim’s ‘solo’ – well…not really solo..with great help by the band ;)
Simon Gronowski was only 11 years old when he jumped from the XXth death train to Auschwitz were his mother and sister were murdered. After the war, an orphan, Jazz helped him find his way – watch his story in the documentary film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” – full film online here http://bit.ly/1fqFdOb
Another clip from Sim the Jazzman and Woody last week in ‘Simon & Woody’s Swing’ , here https://youtu.be/qGAs2YRxK-o
Simon Gronowski & Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, Saturday night June 22, 2019 at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels , Belgium.
Many thanks to Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band | BOZAR | Greenhouse Talent.
Film Sim’s solo (20190629) Michel van der Burg | Miracles.Media
More soon…
Simon Gronowski & Woody Allen & The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, Saturday night June 22, 2019 at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels , Belgium. Film 20190623 Michel van der Burg | Miracles.Media
As discussed with the presentation of the full unedited Westerbork Film recently (Ref. 1), the collection of the film footage was started in 1946 by the ‘RIOD’ Rijksinstituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie (National Institute for War Documentation).
According to the inventory of the RIOD from 1958 – when the film reels were handed over to the Nederlands Filmmuseum (Dutch Film Museum) – the Westerbork Film (https://youtu.be/8E-IWGjbGZM ) basically consisted of 9 film reels ; and that inventory also mentioned a 10th reel (‘reel 9a’) with scenes of a ‘church service’ and ‘disassembly workshop for motors’. That reel was never again mentioned after 1958, had disappeared, but was rediscovered in the Film Museum with catalog number F1015 during research in the 1990s (Ref. 2). That story and the footage F1015 ( https://youtu.be/-SmYdFLG5N8 ) was posted yesterday (Ref. 3).
That catalog of the Dutch Film Museum also mentioned a 2nd film reel (F1014) with hitherto unknown footage, described as in dutch ‘Restmateriaal, bevattende (o.a.) animatie met voetbal, voorstelling met muziek, het trekken van kiepwagens op rails met paarden. Afvalmateriaal, vermoedelijk origineel uitschot.’ – which translates to ‘Residual material, including (among other things) animation with football, performance with music, pulling tippers on rails with horses. Waste material, presumably original waste.’
Actually very interesting footage demonstrating that Rudolf Breslauer was filming the animation and intertitles (title cards) as listed in the film scenario (pore on that later in another post). Here that unedited (upscaled) footage of F1014.
References
1. Westerbork Film | Full version RVD 1986 | 20190605 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com – CC BY 4.0 ; (accessed 2019 Jun 15). Short-link https://wp.me/p91enH-1x
2. ‘Kamp Westerbork gefilmd’ by Koert Broersma and Gerard Rossing (editors Dirk Mulder and Ben Prinsen); ISBN 9023232658
3. Forgotten Westerbork Film Reel…F1015 | 20190615 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com – CC BY 4.0 ; (accessed 2019 Jun 16). Short-link https://wp.me/p91enH-2a
Credit
EN – Unknown Westerbork Film Reel…F1014. Scaled, cropped, otherwise unedited footage F1014.
Source Beeld en Geluid (2-1167 | former cat.nr. F1014) , accessed at US Holocaust Memorial Museum (copy Film ID 2242 RG-60.2105 – License Free – Public Domain) , courtesy of Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid. Footage filmed by Rudolf Breslauer in 1944.
Unknown Westerbork Film Reel…F1014 | 20190616 | Michel van der Burg | Settela•Com – CC BY 4.0
Updates
20220604 – Format changes credit line , references
