Swiss parliament approves memorial for Nazi victims

Two parliamentarian motions were submitted a year ago asking the Confederation to create a national memorial for the victims of the Nazi era. After the Ständerat (upper chamber) had unanimously approved the motion by Alfred Heer on 1 March, the parliamentarian process was successfully concluded today by the adoption of the motion by parliamentarian Daniel Jositsch in the Nationalrat (lower chamber). The SIG is highly gratified by this outcome.

No official or national memorial to date

There are around 60 locations in Switzerland that, based on private initiatives, commemorate the Shoah and other victims of the Nazi crimes. Thousands of people seeking protection were repelled at the Swiss borders during the Second World War because, apparently, the “boat was full”. Some were evicted. And there were also Swiss Nazi victims. They were persecuted, interned or deported. But there were also courageous Swiss men and women, for example Paul Grüninger and the couple Carl and Gertrud Lutz-Fankhauser, who under considerable personal risk made use of loopholes to protect Jewish refugees. They stand out as role models, also for future generations, in matters of moral courage. Yet so far no official or national memorial has been created for the victims and for those who were willing to protect them. This will now change thanks to the Swiss parliament’s decision. In its statement on the motions, the Swiss Federal Council had already expressed its support for the creation of such a memorial.

Remember, convey and connect – innovative concept for Swiss memorial

A complete concept for such a memorial was submitted to the Federal Council in May 2021. It had been created by a project group on the initiative of the Organisation of Swiss Abroad (ASO). Input was provided by the SIG, the Council of Christians and Jews (cja), the Archives of Contemporary History (AfZ) at ETH Zurich and the Centre of Jewish Studies at the University of Basel. The concept is built around three key focal points: ‘remember – convey – connect’. As a place of remembrance in public space, the memorial is to be dedicated to the victims. As a place of conveyance, it is to provide information on Nazi persecution and the challenges this presents for a democratic Switzerland. And finally, the memorial is to be a place for virtual connection, with links to other memorial sites, a victim data base, and a number of educational tools. This combination of remembrance and outreach is currently unique for Switzerland.

SIG convinced of the memorial’s necessity

The SIG contributed to the project from the start, convinced that such a memorial is necessary. The victims of the Nazi era and the Shoah may not be forgotten. They and the crimes of the Nazi regime are etched deeply in the Jews’ collective consciousness, also here in Switzerland. Remembering, in turn, leads to lessons for the present and the future. The memorial’s educational means should help raise the awareness of the next generation in particular, and to sharpen their critical thinking about issues such as prejudice and exclusion.