They were us

Did you know that the first stumbling blocks were placed in Denmark in 2019, and that Stumbling Blocks Denmark has so far placed 135 stumbling blocks throughout the country?

The Danish Jewish Museum is pleased to announce the publication of the book “They Were Us” by Henriette Harris by Alpha Publishing House. It tells the story of the fates behind the names of 8 of the stumbling blocks that have been placed in Denmark since 2019.

Many may have heard of Stumbling Blocks or noticed them in the street scene, but few know the artist and the story behind the artwork. The Stumbling Blocks are a memorial to victims of Nazism and, with its 116.000 stones in 31 European countries, are the world's largest decentralized memorial.

Henriette Harris tells the story of the fates hidden behind the names of eight of the stumbling blocks that have been placed in Denmark since 2019. These include the elderly Jewish couple Salomon and Blume Becker, the young Jewish refugee Alex Eisenberg and the resistance fighter Tage Fox Maule. The stories are based on surviving sources and interviews with the closest relatives.

The book also contains an exciting introduction to Gunter Demnig, the artist behind the memorial, which millions of Europeans encounter every day on their way. Demnig's work lies like an unfinished puzzle across Europe, but few people know his name. Finally, there will be three chapters where the reader will be given guided tours of the stumbling blocks in the three European cities of Oslo, Berlin and Milan.

HENRIETTE HARRIS

(b. 1971) lives in Frederiksberg. She has a cand.mag. with studies at the University of Copenhagen and Università di Napoli L'Orientale. From 2004 to 2023 she lived in Berlin, where she worked as a journalist for Danish and German media, including Information, Weekendavisen and taz. She has made TV, is the author of three books and the mother of two adult daughters. In 2018 she co-founded Snublesten Danmark