In many cities and communities there are events at the sites of former synagogues or at places where the crimes of the Nazis are remembered. Politicians, representatives of churches, religious communities, associations and trade unions commemorate the victims of Kristallnacht and remember the terrible events 85 years ago.
Diverse commemoration
In Essen, for example, people traditionally commemorate in the Old Synagogue, which was then the place of worship for the Jewish community. Today it is called the “House of Jewish Culture” and is a reminder of Jewish life in Germany.
Parties, unions and other companies also organize vigils or reminders in North Rhine-Westphalia. There are often concerts or readings. On November 9th, shortly before 10 p.m., the bells of the Christian churches in Mönchengladbach will ring to remind people of their shared responsibility and to raise their “voice” against anti-Semitism.
There are also commemorative events at many schools. The Episcopal Abbey High School in Duisburg is building a “wall against hate” in the foyer. The students stack a total of 120 boxes.
Commemoration in historical places
In Bad Honnef, a memorial begins at a house into which the city’s Jewish population had to move – forced to do so by the National Socialists. In Hilden there are memorial events at stumbling blocks, i.e. in places from which people of Jewish faith were abducted. Information about those abducted is given, poems are recited and roses and candles are laid down.
In Paderborn the names of the murdered Jews are read out. A projection of the virtually reconstructed Paderborn synagogue will then be shown. In addition to a theater performance, there will also be a projection like this in Dortmund.
Dortmund and Paderborn are two of 20 cities in which the World Jewish Congress, together with the Central Council of Jews in Germany, is virtually reconstructing destroyed or severely damaged synagogues.
Background: November pogroms in 1938
Old synagogue in Chemnitz, which was devastated and set on fire by the National Socialists during the pogrom night (November 9/10, 1938) | Image source: JudaicaSammlungRichter/picture alliance
The November pogroms 85 years ago were the start of the systematic persecution of Jews during the National Socialist era. More than 2,600 synagogues burned across Germany. Many thousands of people were deported to concentration camps. As a result, racism and anti-Semitism in Germany continued to increase and assumed ever more terrible proportions.
Commemoration this year in the shadow of new terror against Jews
This year, commemorative events in most cities and towns are not only commemorating the crimes of 85 years ago, but also very recent events. A month ago, terrorists from the radical Islamist Hamas committed terrible atrocities in Israel. Thousands of people were abducted, injured or killed.
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog said that never since the end of the Holocaust have so many Jews been murdered in a single day. This year, many speeches commemorating the Kristallnacht pogrom will also remember the victims of the current war between Israel and Hamas and send a signal of solidarity with Israel.
Solidarity events for Israel and Jewish people
Since Hamas’ major attack on Israel, people of Jewish faith in Germany have been living in constant fear of attacks. The federal government’s anti-Semitism commissioner presented the new “Civil Society Situation Report on Anti-Semitism” on Tuesday, which shows a dramatic increase in anti-Semitic incidents.
To commemorate the Kristallnacht pogrom, there are numerous additional events this week and next week against anti-Semitism. The Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, for example, is hosting a reading by Jewish authors in the foyer on November 9th. In addition, the German-Israeli Society Düsseldorf and the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation Düsseldorf are organizing a vigil in front of the synagogue next Friday, November 17th.
Churches show solidarity
The Protestant church in Wuppertal is setting a special example on Friday: the opening service for the synod, the church parliament of the church district, this year is participation in the synagogue service of the Jewish community in Wuppertal.
Already on the evening of November 8th there was a joint silence between the Protestant and Catholic churches in Cologne. A total of around 2,500 people came.
Our sources:
- German press agency
- Conversations with various church groups
- Discussions with various local associations of the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation
- Conversations with various city press offices
- “Civil society situation report on anti-Semitism”