Memorial to murdered Jehovah's Witnesses: How to remember victims who were also perpetrators?

A new sculpture in Germany honors Jehovah's Witnesses who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis. The artwork aims to symbolize their steadfastness, a core tenet of their faith.

However, the memorial's focus on steadfastness is particularly complex. This concept is central to the identity of Jehovah's Witnesses, often cited in their refusal to conform to societal norms or state authority, including military service. This very trait, while seen as a virtue by adherents, was also a reason for their persecution under the Nazi regime.

The memorial thus prompts a difficult reflection: how does one commemorate victims whose own beliefs and actions, viewed from a different perspective, also positioned them as perpetrators or at least as figures who were deeply complicit in a system that caused immense suffering? The artwork navigates this sensitive historical and theological terrain, acknowledging the victims while implicitly engaging with the controversial aspects of the group's history and ideology.