Berlin: Luise Greger

    Today I was able to learn about Luise Greger. Luise was a female musician who gained a lot of attention for her incredible talent as a pianist and composer. She started piano lessons at the young age of six. She was even good enough to play for the Czar of Russiaa at only 10 years old. Talk about pressure! She began composing and eventually got married. To contribute to the family income, she taught, composed, and continued to perform. She even had 3 sons admits her career. She did eventually get divorced and had to solely rely on her musical talents to support herself. As she aged, she was eventually put in an "old folks" home where she was euthanized for no longer "contributing to society." 

    Luise Greger was a wonderful musician. She was a great example for women as she nurtured her talent and devoted herself to her music. She was able to perform for people and bring her compositions to life! She earned herself respect amongst her male counterparts which was no small feat during a time where gender bias was still very real. Unfortunately, she fell victim to the T4 program implemented by the Nazi regime. This program was put in place to kill off disabled or old individuals in order to leave a "perfect" race on earth and get rid of anyone who was not contributing to society.

    Sadly, I do not think she is commemorated well enough. I had never heard of her, so I don't think her name has reached global recognition...yet. I do think visiting the memorial for the T4 program taught me a lot! I had never heard of this program before and I do not think near enough awareness is spread about it. Learning about Luise allowed me to picture one individual who was personally affected and murdered by the Nazi's evil programs. Especially a woman so talented who did contribute her musical talents to society. I think she definitely deserves more recognition in Germany as well as globally. The more we learn the more power we have to make better choices. 



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