the attempts as a self finding process of the German bourgeoisie and a "hidden conclusion" () of the . While, according to Naumann, after 1871 the leading class in the German Empire manifested their historical views in raising retrospective monuments like the Hermannsdenkmal and Völkerschlachtdenkmal and joined in a controversial debate about the planned reconstruction of Heidelberg Castle, the Berlin Republic would use the debates around the Holocaust Monument and the reconstruction of Berliner Stadtschloss for a similar purpose with Lea Rosh being a leading figure in both cases. According to , beyond a (lit. self-therapeutic life's work) Rosh's monumental work resulted in a symbol of national identity of her generation as well the Berlin capital. Instead of reflection and insecurity in the face of (especially around Berlin) decaying authentic memorial sites, Rosh's initiative initiated a higher self-consciousness and pride of the "Commemorative World Champion" () involved. Rosh's attempts however result in a possibly exclusive stance against Germans with a migration background which do not share the same history. Controversies When at the Holocaust monument's dedication on 10 May 2005, Rosh held up a molar tooth which she had retrieved from Belzec concentration camp in 1988, promising to place it in a column at the memorial, the act outraged several prominent German Jewish leaders, notably Paul Spiegel, the then chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, who described the idea as "irreverent". Rosh withdrew her plan and returned the molar to Belzec concentration camp shortly after. In 2003, Rosh was elected "most embarrassing Berlin woman of the year" (peinlichste Berlinerin) by the readers of Berlin city magazine Tip. Claus Leggewie criticized her very strongly for "running over" () any resistance against "her" monument and for leaving all those who put forward "professionally, pedagogically and aesthetically sound arguments" against her monumental project bereft of nerves, voice, reputation and good faith. The sociologist Y. Michal Bodemann has criticized Rosh as an example of "professional pseudo Jews", that is non-Jews "who over-identify with Judaism." References External links Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Förderkreis Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas e.V. 1936 births Living people German television journalists German women television journalists 20th-century German journalists 21st-century German journalists Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin German atheists Radio Bremen people