On the night of November 9, 1938, violent anti-Jewish demonstrations broke out across Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Violent mobs, spurred by antisemitic exhortations from Nazi officials, destroyed hundreds of synagogues, burning, or desecrating Jewish religious artifacts along the way. Acting on orders from Gestapo headquarters, police officers and firefighters did nothing to prevent the destruction.
All told, approximately 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses, homes, and schools were plundered, and 91 Jews were murdered. An additional 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

The Nazis came to call the event Kristallnacht (“Crystal Night” or “The Night of Broken Glass”), referring to the thousands of shattered windows that littered the streets afterward. Kristallnacht marked a turning point toward a more violent and repressive treatment of Jews by the Nazis, leading to the “Final Solution” implementation.

Below you will find local organizations commemorating Kristallnacht.

Family and Fortitude: Surviving the November Pogrom and the Holocaust
Chhange at Brookdale Community College
Date: Monday, November 9, 2020
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Platform: Zoom
To register: Email contact@chhange.org
Join Chhange and their First Executive Director Dale Daniels for Family and Fortitude: Surviving the November Pogrom and the Holocaust. Through archival items and video testimony, Dale will share the personal histories of Erica Tichauer Rosenthal and Manfred (Manny) Rosenthal, two local survivors, and dear friends of Chhange. Erica and Manny were children during the November Pogrom in 1938 – an event that forever changed their lives. Dale will weave together their respective life experiences and their journey to our New Jersey community.

The 82nd Anniversary of Kristallnacht
Highland Park Conservative Temple – Congregation Anshe Emeth
Date: Monday, November 9, 2020
Time: 8:00 PM
Platform: Zoom
To register click here
Featured Speaker: A member of the U.N. German Console
Subject: Education of German Students about the Holocaust

The March of the Living also invites you to join the "LET THERE BE LIGHT" campaign which asks you to join communities worldwide and keep the lights on in synagogues, Jewish institutions, and private. You can learn more here.