Eighty-five Years After Kristallnacht—Standing Up Against Antisemitism
It is with a deep sadness that we are watching so many displays of hatred against Jews in our country since the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7th, 2023. That was less than two months ago and it seems the world has completely changed.
The many anti-Israel protests and vile acts of intimidation of Jews seen in schools, along with the images of swastikas and anti-Israel slogans desecrating business places, and public events, are devastating and so terribly wrong.
I am asked, “Rabbi, what can we do about any of this?”
My answer is we cannot be bystanders to bigotry, bullying and hate. We must always persevere and take our responsibility to stand up against antisemitism. We must know our history and we must talk about it and write about it.
Ten years ago, I produced a video to explain the history and significance of Kristallnacht, the worst pogrom ever inflicted on the Jews. It took place on November 9-10, 1938, in Nazi Germany. The name Kristallnacht refers to the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after hundreds of Jewish-owned buildings, synagogues, and homes were smashed and destroyed in Nazi Germany. It is now eighty-five years since the horrors of Kristallnacht.
This dreadful pogrom marked a significant turning point in Nazi antisemitic policy, transitioning from discriminatory laws and regulations to outright violence and persecution.
Far more than glass was shattered during Kristallnacht. What was destroyed was hope. Hope we place in one another in times of need. The hope that we will stand together. The hope that we can learn and remember. The hope that we will find the courage to stand up to bigotry and hatred. That is where we place our hope. For us Kristallnacht and the Shoah are no mere acts of history. Kristallnacht is rather the story of the Jew as a prisoner of hope and we dare not forget that.
My intent, at the time that I made the video, was to tell the story to help young people understand that they must always stand up to bullying and hate.
How sad that the message is even more important today and is one that speaks to the responsibility each and every one of us has to not remain silent.
“Where there's hope, there's life.
It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”
— Anne Frank
I would like to thank my granddaughter, Emily Singer, for her beautiful reading of the words of Anne Frank at the end of the video.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Merle E. Singer