Holocaust Survivors on Display

"Wir merken, dass Überlebende bei den Veranstaltungen wie Zootiere vorgeführt werden, manchmal schmückt man sich gar mit ihnen", sagte Wagner

"We note that survivors will be presented at the events as zoo animals."

The intent wasn't malicious.  Nobody consciously planned events that used survivors as props or spoke way over their heads about German intellectual history.  It's just that the event planners didn't consciously plan events with survivors directly in mind, either.

It is critical to understand that the cost of flying survivors and caregivers to Germany, putting them up in hotels and such isn't cheap.  Those who put up the cash are clearly going to want some time to shine themselves in return.

Especially here, though, it's important to remember why these events are continually held in the first place.  

Commemorations aren't about the funders.  They're certainly about the survivors.

When that culture of remembrance gets lost in a culture of self-adoration, we have a problem.