I Migrated To The Country That Ethnically Cleansed My Ancestors

Shortly after our family trip to Berlin, my parents learned about Article 116 of Germany’s Basic Law, which states that Germans who were forced to flee Germany during the Nazi regime, can claim German citizenship – and so can their descendants. This law is part of Germany’s reconciliation efforts with Holocaust victims. These efforts include other measures, such as reparations payments and the building of prominently located memorials in German cities, but it is Article 116 that has had the most impact on my life, and on the lives of many others. Since the start of the century, about 50,000 people were approved German citizenship based on Article 116, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office.