87 years after Kristallnacht: Remembrance mobilized in Meißen!

87 years after Kristallnacht: Remembrance mobilized in Meißen!

November 9, 1938 stands as a symbolic date in German history, not only because of the bloody events that occurred on that day, but also as a turning point in the anti-Semitic violence of Nazism. In about two weeks the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht will take place. It was the night that synagogues were set on fire, Jewish shops were destroyed and people were murdered. These riots mark the terrible transition from discrimination to the systematic persecution and extermination of the Jewish population by the Nazi regime. According to the Saxony Not only were the material existences of many people destroyed, but countless lives were also destroyed.

The pogroms, staged by Nazi officials and supported by a broad section of the population, became known as “Reichskristallnacht”. Historians such as Michael Wildt emphasize that the violence did not stop after the riots on November 9th and 10th, but continued over several days. An estimated 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps, while at least 600 were murdered. The destruction was massive: over 1,000 to 1,500 synagogues and around 7,500 shops were demolished. Few survived the hell of that night, which brought not only direct physical violence but also mass arrests and humiliation. The Federal Agency for Civic Education emphasizes that these riots were not only tolerated by the law enforcement officers, but were actively organized.

Remembrance and commemoration in Meißen

In the city of Meißen, the victims of Kristallnacht are commemorated with various events. The Buntes Meißen association is organizing several events to commemorate the occasion. There will be an author reading with Matthias Brandis in the cathedral house on November 7th at 7:00 p.m. The topic of the reading “My Grandfather's Violin - The Fate of the Hamburg Jewish Families Wohlwill and Dehn” sheds light on the fate of two Hamburg Jewish families over 200 years. It shows how the family structures were torn apart from 1933 onwards and many fled, but only a few survived the prevailing conditions. Five members of the family were deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, although only one of them survived and died in 1948, as shown on Saxony is to be read.

Two special commemorative events are planned for November 9th itself: a Stolperstein memorial trail starts at 3:00 p.m., followed by a concert by the Aufwind ensemble in the Frauenkirche at 5:00 p.m. The Yiddish songs and klesmer music written by the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Organized in the parish of St. Afra, the aim is to provide space for pause and remembrance. Tickets are available at the box office and invite you to come to terms with the past.

The consequences of the pogrom night

The events of Kristallnacht were not only a massive act of violence, but also a harbinger of the even worse atrocities that were to follow during the Holocaust. The Nazi state set in motion the final extermination of the Jewish population, supported by broad social acceptance fueled by reporting and propaganda. The Federal Archives documents the events and points to the deep-seated anti-Semitic ideas that were deeply rooted in Germany. The pogroms represented a tragic climax in the long history of anti-Semitic violence in Germany and illustrate the frightening turn from discrimination to the most brutal violence.

Commemorating these terrible events is not only a duty to the victims, but also a reminder for the present and future to ensure that such injustice is never repeated.