20 years after the tsunami: commemorate in Berlin for the victims!

20 years after the tsunami: commemorate in Berlin for the victims!

On December 26, 2024, several dozen people gathered in Berlin for a moving memorial service to remind you of the devastating tsunami disaster in 2004. This natural disaster demanded over 230,000 human lives, including 43 from Berlin and Brandenburg. The parish of Alt-Tempelhof and emergency pastoral care organized the ceremony in the village church of Alt-Tempelhof, led by the deputy superintendent Martina Steffen-Elis, who herself was in action as an emergency pastor. "It is important that the names of the victims will not be forgotten, because it also remains the suffering of the people," said Steffen-Elis.

The service encompassed touching moments, such as singing together "Hallelujah" and reading biblical texts, such as the Psalm 22: "My God, I call you at day, but you don't give an answer." After the ceremony, wreaths were laid down and candles were inflamed on the symbolic memorial stone in the cemetery, which was built in 2005. These solemn gestures should donate the surviving consolation and keep the memory of the deceased alive, such as rbb24 reported.

an unexpected revenue of terror

Martina Steffen-Elis dared to look back on the terrible events of 20 years ago and told about the unforgettable experiences she had had in supporting the relatives. At that time, the joy of Christmas was suddenly overlaid by the hell of the tsunamis. "People who wanted to travel to relax experienced an incredible catastrophe," recalls Steffen-Elis. In an interview with Domradio.de she continued how unprepared most were on the disaster and that many only later asked the why. "Nobody knew what a tsunami was and how he announces himself," said the emergency pastor. The event not only served the memory, but also to give the victims a voice and keep their stories alive.