I still distinctly remember the feeling of arriving at the Heathrow Airport in London. I was filled with a combination of fear, anticipation and excitement. After preparing for the past two years at William Jewell College, it was finally time for the pinnacle of my Oxbridge experience — a full year of study abroad at the University of Oxford. Even after living in Washington D.C. by myself in the summer, I still felt unprepared for the new challenges that awaited me in Oxford.

Settling into a new country was a completely foreign experience to me, and the first few days presented several challenges. First, I had to figure out how to use my cellphone, adjust to the currency changes and learn how to navigate the city. After overcoming these initial adjustments, my first term had arrived and I was thrust into a new educational system. At Oxford, there were three academic terms and each term I took two tutorials each term, which are individualized and intimate classes with one tutor and a few students. My educational experience at Oxford was much different from Jewell, where I only had one tutorial and a busy course load. As the year progressed, I came to appreciate the tutorial system, since my days were much more free for me to focus on my studies, explore the city and pursue extracurriculars. 

Most of my days were filled with studying in beautiful historic libraries asI only had class once or twice a week. My favorite library was the Radcliffe Camera, which is one of Oxford’s most iconic buildings. I also enjoyed exploring the coffee shops in Oxford, with Peloton Espresso being my favorite. Being an Oxford student has so many perks, including the amazing catalog of books and journals that are readily accessible to students and the lecture series offered by world-famous academics. I enjoyed the benefits that tutorials offered as I was able to receive more individualized instruction and also was able to take tutorials on topics that aren’t offered at Jewell, such as Development Economics, Feminist Theory, and Politics in China.

As a visiting student at Mansfield College in Oxford, I was able to find a vibrant and tight-knit community. During the year, I participated in rowing which was much harder than I anticipated, but gave me opportunities to meet other students and stay in shape. I also participated in academic extracurriculars since Oxford has a variety and multitude of student organizations and societies that encompass almost any interest you can imagine. I was able to continue my interest in student journalism through writing and editing for the Oxford Blue, the student newspaper. One of my favorite experiences was attending the Oxford Women in Business sustainable fashion show as a reporter and conducting an Instagram takeover for the event. I also was a committee member for the Oxford Society for International Development, which gave me amazing opportunities to meet speakers and academics in the field of sustainable development as well as like-minded students. Attending debates and speaker events at the Oxford Union, a historic and world-renowned student society that brings in public figures and academics to Oxford, was one of the most exciting aspects of being an Oxford student. I had the opportunity to hear Malala Yousafzai, a famous education activist, speak, which was phenomenal.

Socially, I found the culture at Oxford to be inviting and very student-oriented. Unlike the U.S. campus culture, there was more of an emphasis on formal events, which required black-tie attire. Mansfield held social events such as weekly formal dinners, which were four-course formal meals and also regularly hosted BOPs (big organized parties). One of my favorite events was Champagne and Chocolates, which was hosted for Mansfield students and featured drinks, chocolate and live jazz. In the summer, I attended the Oxford Union ball which was so much fun. It featured live music, an open bar, food trucks, carnival games and so many other features. Meeting a variety of students from across the world was one of the coolest aspects of studying abroad at Oxford, I was able to meet and form friendships with people who I never would’ve met.

Traveling around Europe was my favorite part about studying abroad. After spending Christmas break in the U.S. with my family, I went on a trip with one of my best friends from home to visit London, Paris, Cologne and Brussels. Some of my favorite memories from that trip are dining in Eiffel Tower, going to the Louvre, eating Belgian chocolate and watching “Les Miserables” in London. During spring break, my family came to visit me in Oxford and we also traveled around the UK in Ireland and Scotland. Edinburgh was one of my favorite cities with breathtaking architecture. I also loved the castles in Ireland and Scotland. After that, I went on a month-long vacation with friends I had made at Mansfield. We went to Italy, Croatia and the Netherlands. Some of the most memorable experiences were going to the Trevi fountain, the Vatican and the Pantheon in Italy. I also loved exploring the beautiful cities of Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia and the cool canals in Amsterdam.

To anyone that is considering studying abroad, I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Besides the amazing travel opportunities, living abroad teaches you life lessons on problem-solving and adapting to change. I also think that it teaches valuable lessons on how to live independently and cultivate relationships with people who are different from you. To those who are nervously anticipating their study abroad year, don’t stress yourself out too much since it’ll all work out and the hard adjustment period is worth the life-changing experiences you’ll have. I would also advise you to remain open-minded to the experiences you’ll have and not be afraid to try things that are out of your comfort zone.

German prosecutors recently charged both a 95 year-old woman and a 100 year-old man with crimes connected to the Holocaust. 

The woman, who allegedly worked as a secretary at the Stutthoff concentration camp, has been charged with 10,000 counts of accessory to murder and complicity in attempted murders.

Meanwhile, prosecutors contend that the centenarian man had worked as an SS guard at the Sachsenhausen camp and charged him with assisting in 3,518 murders. In both cases, regional courts must now decide on whether to try each individual. 

These cases, more than 70 years after the end of World War II, demonstrate the evolution of Germany’s attempts to reckon with the Nazi regime as well as shifts in German jurisprudence. 

After World War II, West Germany set up the Central Office for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes in order to prosecute former Nazis. However, as Cold War tensions began to rise and domestic political sentiment in the 1960s opposed continued prosecution, the Central Office’s task began facing a backlash. 

The German high court dealt the Central a further blow when it held in 1969 that working at a concentration camp was not, in itself, a justifiable reason for prosecution. Prosecutions plunged as a result of this new legal ruling. 

This legal situation largely remained the status quo for decades. Only in 2007 did the Central Office reemerge into the spotlight after a case where the German courts held that Mounir el Motassadeq, who wired money to a 9/11 hijacker, could be charged an accessory to the murder of people who had died on the planes altered the legal landscape. Based on the reasoning in that case, the Central Office began recommending the prosecutions of people who had worked at the concentration camps as accessories to murder. 

Following the Motassadeq ruling, prosecutors brought forward a case against John Demjanjuk, who worked as a guard at the Sobibor camp. Demjanjuk was convicted with a Munich court ruling that to work at the camps was to have been involved in the murders that took place there. Demjanjuk died while appealing the conviction before the high court could weigh in.  

Since then, Germany has been grappling with a series of questions related to the prosecution of nonagenarians and centenarians for crimes committed more than seventy years previously. Prosecutors have had to decide whether to proceed with trials where there is a substantial risk the defendant will die before the entire judicial process finishes. 

Additionally, recent cases have raised questions about how to treat defendants who were minors when they committed their alleged crimes. The nonagenarian secretary at Stutthof was below the age of 21 when she allegedly committed the crimes she is being charged with. Therefore, it is likely that if the prosecutors decide to bring the case to trial, she will face charges in a juvenile court, which usually carries less severe penalties if found guilty. 

Looming over the Central Office is an inexorable deadline. There is no German statute of limitation for assisted murder or murder, but even the youngest alleged criminals from the World War II period are of advanced age, and the judicial process protracted.

“God expected too much of me. Now, I need to find my own path.”

Netflix recently released a four-part series based on Deborah Feldman’s debut memoir “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots.” The series follows Esther or “Esty” Shapiro – played by Shira Haas – as she leaves her home in the Satmar community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for Berlin, Germany.

When the viewers are first introduced to Shapiro she is 19, pregnant and attempting to leave her husband, Yakov “Yanky” Shapiro – played by Amit Rahav – and the community in which she grew up. Shapiro has citizenship in Germany due to her estranged mother, Leah Mandelbaum – played by Alex Reid – a somewhat elusive and unknown figure in the beginning. 

While Shapiro encounters an unknown world and meets a group of musicians who befriend her, Shapiro’s disappearance creates a scandal in the Williamsburg community. When Shapiro’s family discovers where she has fled to, the bewildered Yanky is accompanied by his cousin MoisheLefkovitch – played by Jeff Wilbusch – to search and bring her back.

 While Shapiro’s escape and pilgrimage of self-discovery is a fascinating narrative all on its own, the slow answer to why Shapiro fled and what she left behind is intensely captivating and impossible to look away from. Through flashbacks to Shapiro’s past, the viewer learns of her challenging childhood, arranged engagement, her jubilant wedding celebration and the difficult and confining expectations she faces in married life.

The story of her previous life is a compellingly intimate look into the world of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community and their strict observance of the Torah. This series has been praised by critics for its attentiveness to details of Hasidic Jewish customs. While the viewer is given Shapiro’s perspective and may recognize the series as a critique of the treatment and limited options available for women in the Hasidic culture, there is also clear effort to respect the rituals and show both sides of a story. It is this attention to detail that keeps Shapiro’s Hasidic community away from the one-dimensionality of antagonists. 

The story moves at deliberate and moderate pace, but each of the four portions held my undivided attention, and I couldn’t help but watch the entire show in one sitting. I had been looking for a distraction from the paper I did not want to write and found an excellent one in this show. This series – foundationally – is a story is of self-discovery. “Unorthodox” brings an enrapturing and thought-provoking narrative that somehow manages to find a universality in such an intimate and unknown context.

In the last five years, Germany has seen a substantial rise in immigrants and refugees, welcoming 1.5 million Arab refugees since 2015. At the same time as this influx of people, Germany has seen an increase in supporters of the far-right movement. 

Tensions came to a head Feb. 18 when one man went on a shooting rampage, killing nine people and injuring six more in Hanau, Germany, just outside of Frankfurt. 

The shooting began at Midnight Shisha Bar, a hookah bar just past 10 p.m. It then moved to the nearby Arena Bar and Cafe. Both bars were popular with young people of foreign descent, especially Turkish and Middle Eastern immigrants. 

Later the shooter was found dead in his home with his 72-year-old mother, who also died. Both had severe gunshot wounds. 

Though German privacy laws do not allow for the gunman’s name to be released, many reports, including an official gun license, point to Tobias Rathjen. 

Despite the fact that he passed the background check and mental fitness requirements for gun ownership, Rathjen’s internet history points to a dangerous belief system. 

He posted several videos in which he wished for a “rough cleaning” to decrease the global population by half. He cited 12, predominately Muslim, countries which he felt needed to be “exterminated”. 

“We now have ethnic groups, races or cultures in our midst that are destructive in every respect,” the 43-year-old domestic terrorist said. 

In his video he also spoke directly to Americans, urging them to “fight now.”

Many of those who died in the attack were German citizens, the children of Turkish and Kurdish workers who immigrated in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Turkish officials said that five of the victims were Turkish citizens. 

Since the attack last week German authorities have been outspoken in condemning Rathjen’s actions. Chancellor Angela Merkle said the shooter had “right-wing extremists, racist motives” and called racism a “poison.” 

Claus Kaminsky, mayor of Hanau, said it was “the hardest day in our history” and spoke about the usual peaceful nature of the city. 

The far-right attack points to a sobering reality in Germany and in many places around the world – far-right ideology is gaining momentum. Hanau is known for being a diverse and tolerant city, and yet extreme violence still took place. 

Prior to this incident many people assumed that the far-right movement was isolated to the eastern part of the country, which has been hit the hardest by unemployment. This attack proves that the racist ideology has spread. 

In the last city elections the far right group Alternatives for Germany (AfD), won 10 percent of the vote. In the national elections in 2017 the group won 89 seats, making it the third largest political party. 

The AfD has never publicly endorsed violence, but their rise in popularity has coincided in a sharp increase in neo-Nazi attacks in a country that has spend the last seven decades trying to repair the damage committed under Hitler’s regime. Racism-fueled violence increased from 1,200 attacks to 1,664 attacks in 2017. 

“Islam does not belong to Germany,” said their manifesto, which was published in 2017.  

Frauke Petry, leader of the AfD, also called for police to shoot immigrants trying to cross the German border in 2016. 

2019 saw multiple far-right attacks throughout Germany. In June, Walter Lübcke, a politician from Merkle’s own party, was assassinated for his pro-migrant beliefs – the first far-right assassination since World War II. 

In October, one far-right man live-streamed himself storming a synagogue and killing two people on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day. He was allegedly inspired by the shooter in the deadly attack in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Angela Merkle’s successor as chair of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, resigned recently after a scandal in the party involving party officials coordinating with the AfD in order to support a centrist candidate for governor of Thuringia. 

This broke a longstanding tradition of the government not cooperating with the far-right party. With Merkel’s time as Chancellor over in the fall of 2021, and her natural successor out of the running, many in Germany worry the AfD might gain control and shift the country closer to its pre-war days.