Transatlantic Council Scouts in Berlin Honor Holocaust Victims Through Annual Pogromnacht Service Project

Each November, Scouts from the Transatlantic Council of Scouting America serving in Berlin, Germany, gather for Troop 46’s annual Pogromnacht Memorial Service Project. This meaningful tradition combines community service, historical education, and remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.

This year, 25 participants representing Troop 46, Pack 152, the consolidated 802 Units, adult leadership, and parents came together to clean and care for Berlin’s Stolpersteine (stumbling stones), paying tribute to the individuals and families whose lives were destroyed by Nazi persecution.

Remembering Pogromnacht

On November 9–10, 1938, known as Pogromnacht, the Nazi regime unleashed a wave of violence against Jewish communities throughout Germany. Synagogues were burned, Jewish businesses and homes were destroyed, and thousands of Jewish citizens were attacked and arrested.

For Scouts living in Berlin, this history is especially meaningful. These events happened in the very neighborhoods where they live and serve today.

Stolpersteine: Remembering Individual Lives

The focus of the service project is the Stolpersteine, or “stumbling stones.” Created by German artist Gunter Demnig, these small brass-plated memorial stones are installed in sidewalks, usually outside the last freely chosen residences of people persecuted by the Nazi regime.

Each stone bears the name of an individual, along with details such as their birth date, deportation, and fate. The project began in Berlin in 1996 and has since expanded across Germany and many other European countries.

The power of the Stolpersteine lies in their personal message. Rather than remembering the Holocaust only through statistics, each stone reminds us of an individual who had a home, a family, and a life before Nazi persecution took it away.

During the project, Scouts carefully cleaned each Stolperstein they visited, restoring the brass plaques so the names and inscriptions could once again be clearly seen. Just as importantly, participants shared stories about the individuals commemorated by the stones, learning about their lives and remembering them as people rather than simply names in history books. These moments of reflection made the service especially personal and meaningful.

Scouting Values in Action

This year’s participation of 25 members of the Transatlantic Council’s Scouting community demonstrated the importance of coming together across units and generations.

By participating in this project, our Scouts put the values of Scouting into action: service to others, responsible citizenship, respect, and compassion. They also learn that remembering history is not simply about looking backward; it is about understanding our responsibility to build a community where hatred and intolerance have no place.