On Wednesday, a commemorative plaque with the name “Grünfeld-Ecke” was unveiled at the corner of Kudamm and Joachimsthaler Straße Photo: Charles Yunck
By Oliver Ohmann
A prominent corner of Kudamm now bears the name of Heinrich Grünfeld. Henry who? Grünfeld is the answer. A Jewish department store pioneer who once gave the boulevard splendor.
His life’s work was destroyed by the Nazis. The family left Germany, saving their lives. The name was forgotten.
On Wednesday I met Grünfeld’s granddaughter. She is 92, was born in Berlin and came from Israel. She speaks of her grandfather with love and pride. Her parents were able to save little when they fled in 1939. But they took the culture with them, Miriam told me, the music, the literature, the language.
We chatted comfortably on the corner – and there were two dozen police officers around us. It had to be that way because a Jewish Berliner was being honored and there were fears of anti-Semitic actions.
I could explode with anger and sink into the ground with shame. A consolation: the name Grünfeld has been rescued from oblivion and is alive.