On 25 January the Stumbling Blocks' laying ceremony took place, starting from Campo del Ghetto, as part of the 2021 Holocaust Memorial Day celebrations. A stumbling block is a concrete cube placed into the pavement and bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. Fifteen stumbling blocks were laid, in addition to the 90 already placed since 2014. 75000 stones recall the victims of the Shoah in thousands of places and over thirty European countries. This makes the project, initiated by German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992, the largest decentralized Memorial to the Shoah in the world.
Taking part in the commemoration were the President of the City Council, Ermelinda Damiano, Paolo Navarro Dina of the Jewish Community, Giovanni Sbordone, director of the Venetian Institute for Resistance History and Contemporary Society, professor Shaul Bassi representing the Beit association, Marita Liebermann, director of the German Centre for Venetian Studies, Marco Borghi, president of the Municipality of Venice-Murano-Burano and Council of Europe Director, Luisella Pavan-Woolfe. She highlighted how "Stumbling Blocks do not have the monumentality of many Shoah memorial. They constitute a more intimate monument, focussed on each individual whom they commemorate and their stories of deportation, internment and death. More often than not one does not plan a visit but stumble over the cobblestones, which directly and unexpectedly challenge our conscience".
The full video of the event is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFba4mJSBcA
