

8 May in different perspectives – part 6
8 May 2020 is a one-time official holiday for the State of Berlin. In memory of the end of the World War 75 years ago, a “Festival of Encounters” was supposed to take place. In other federal states, the day has been an official Day of Remembrance for some time.
8 May is not a national holiday, however. The question whether and how the day should be commemorated is still being grappled with. The ambivalent evaluations play a major role here: interpretations ranging between defeat and liberation are also a result of the East and West German division in the past. Recently, there have been more and more voices calling for this. In social media, we have found some articles whose authors argue for the introduction as a holiday.
Reiner Hoffmann, Chairman of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB): “8 May should become a public holiday – as a day against racism, exclusion and discrimination of any kind.” (Instagram, 29.01.2020)
Peggy Parnass, Holocaust survivor: “This way perhaps even the last German person will accept that 8 May 1945 is not a day of defeat but a day of a great victory.” (Instagram, 21.04.2020)
Esther Berajano, Holocaust survivor: “8 May must become a holiday! A day on which the liberation of humanity from the Nazi regime can be celebrated. This has been overdue for seven decades.” (Instagram, 28.01.2020)