Most of us recognize Kristallnacht as the Night of Broken Glass. It is the name given to the
evening of November 9, 1938 when Adolph Hitler and the German government he headed began
the process leading to their intended complete elimination of the nation’s Jewish population.
This terrible pogrom carried out by the Nazi Party’s paramilitary units, the Brown Shirts or SA
and the soon to be infamous black shirted SS, looted, smashed and destroyed Jewish shops,
schools, synagogues, homes and citizens in every corner of Germany.
This attack on its own citizens was no mere “spontaneous event” as the government tried to
portray it, but was a well organized assault. In addition to the physical destruction, deaths and
thousands of injuries, twenty thousand Jews were arrested and shipped to concentration camps
such as Dachau.
Kristallnacht represents but one act of the absolute evil that was Nazi Germany. We
commemorate it in the hope that such events and the hatred behind them will never happen
again. Regardless of one’s political leanings, it should be self evident that the events of
Kristallnacht, as well as recent events of extreme hatred and intolerance in our own country,
cannot be ignored. Good citizens at all ends of the political spectrum must pay attention and
speak up.
Temple Beth Sholom in Hull is sponsoring a special program to commemorate
Kristallnacht. The program will be held on Thursday evening, November 9 at 7:00 PM in the Boyer
Auditorium, 600 Nantasket Avenue. Ms. Judith Tischler, a local Holocaust survivor and
lecturer, will lead a discussion of the events of Kristallnacht.
Please join us for this event and learning experience, appropriate for students in 7th through 12th grade, as we look to the memories of the past in order to build a better future.
For more information, contact the Temple office at 781-925-0091or templebethhull@comcast.net.
