Shoah Memorial to be dedicated in Berlin

After years of debate and delay, Germany is to dedicate its national Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in central Berlin, a field of concrete slabs on a site only a stone throw away from Hitler's bunker. Political and Jewish leaders are to attend the opening ceremony at the sprawling monument near the Brandenburg Gate in the center of the city. The completed field already draws sightseers, kept out by a construction fence that will come down on Thursday, when the memorial opens to the public. People will then be able to walk into the field from any point, wandering among the tilting slabs and uneven ground intended to recall the disorientation of the Holocaust's victims. There is no statue, plaque, inscription or familiar symbol to tell people what to think or feel, but an underground documentation center will provide visitors with information.