Looking back. Looking ahead. 2020-2025

DESCENDANTS | SPEECHES   151 The content of this ceremony, today, is different from that of last year. I am not a victim. Yet, this history has become a part of me.   I have sought a way to connect the past and the present.   What was done to Antoon 80 years ago has now received acknowledgement. I have sought a way to connect the broader story to my family’s history. Antoon’s name was taken from him in Chemnitz by the system; in Chemnitz, I gave it back to him. Flossenbürg has left deep, lasting marks on my grandfather’s life. I have seen how close-knit the community in Flossenbürg is today, the family it has become. That same community has asked me to tell you about my grandfather Toon, here, in   Flossenbürg. I am grateful that I can finally close this chapter for him, for Antoon.