Rabbi Menachem Margolin, President of the European Jewish Association (EJA), has proposed the construction of a center to combat hate propaganda at the former villa of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. In a letter to Berlin’s Finance Senator Stefan Evers (CDU), Margolin suggests that turning the villa, once owned by one of history’s worst architects of genocidal propaganda, into a center for political psychology, communications, and the fight against hate speech would be a significant moral victory. The EJA expresses readiness to explore the possibility of creating this center in collaboration with the Berlin government, emphasizing the importance of preserving the Goebbels villa as a reminder of the dangers of hate speech in today’s environment of hatred and violence.
The area where Goebbels had a country house built, approximately 17 hectares in size, has been left unused since 2000 and has deteriorated. Discussions have been ongoing about potential uses for the site, which belongs to the state of Berlin. While there are considerations of demolishing the buildings and returning the areas to a natural state due to the high costs of security and maintenance, Finance Senator Evers has suggested that the state would be willing to relinquish the deteriorating area. The idea of transforming the former Goebbels villa into a center to combat hate propaganda has sparked debates and discussions about the future of the site, urging serious consideration and thoughtful decision-making.
The European Jewish Association believes that turning this site into a center for political psychology, communications, and fighting against hate speech would be an important step towards combating hatred in today’s world. The organization is willing to collaborate with Berlin government officials to make this happen. As Margolin stated in his letter to Senator Evers: “We believe that it is essential that we remember what happened during World War II so that we can prevent it from happening again.” Turning this site into a center dedicated to combatting hate speech would serve as an important reminder for generations to come.