Gathering recognizes 84th anniversary of Holocaust atrocities remembered as ‘The Night of Broken Glass’
This year is the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, also known as The Night of Broken Glass.
The Jewish Federation of the Desert and Mensch International Foundation are bringing speakers and Holocaust survivors together to share their stories at an event in Rancho Mirage.
If you'd like to attend, it is at 1:00 p.m. at The Jewish Federation of the Desert at 69-710 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage.
On the eve of November 9, 1938, Jews were assaulted and their property was destroyed throughout Germany and Austria. The word "Kristallnacht" which translated means night of broken glass, makes reference to shards of broken shop windows filling the streets.
Ruth Lindemann, who survived the Holocaust as a child, will be at the event. Her father was arrested in Vienna and deported to Dachau concentration camp during Kristallnacht.
"She was five years old," said Talia Lizemer-Hawley. "She lived in Austria, Vienna, and her father during Kristallnacht was taken as a prisoner to Dachau concentration camp. And they were reunited years and years later, he survived. Thankfully, they were reunited here in the United States. And she didn't recognize him because he didn't have any of his teeth left, because he was so brutally beaten up during his stay at the concentration camp."
On November 1, Riverside County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution declaring Riverside County’s condemnation of acts of antisemitism within the county.
"I heard from residents in the Fourth District that these are scary times," said Supervisor Manuel Perez, at the time of the November 1 meeting. He joined with Supervisor Karen Spiegel in bringing the resolution forward. "It's important to speak out, to say such acts will not be tolerated. We need to stand up for human rights and stop antisemitism."
Spiegel noted that the resolution's passage just about coincided with the 84th anniversary of a period collectively recognized by Jews throughout the world, Kristallnacht, for its trauma and inauguration of Holocaust atrocities. The two-day period in November 1938 was replete with looting, vandalism, assaults and the beginning of forced relocation of Jewish citizens of Germany to concentration camps.
"The timing of this marks the point of the real persecution of Jews in the Nazi era," she said. "People need to be wide-eyed. This is another way of raising awareness. People have to take a stand and say, 'It's not OK.'"
