Kristallnacht remembered in Sydney and Melbourne
More than 250 members of the Sydney community heard Holocaust survivor Richard Wolf recall the events of that fateful night in Germany in 1938 which heralded the beginning of one of the blackest periods in Jewish history.
Richard Wolf Watches Cami Hirsch light a candle
The silenced audience, which included the German Consul-General and the Polich Consul, saw six year six students from Sydney’s Mount Sinai College light candles in memory of the six million who perished in the subsequent seven years following Kristallnacht.
Three young musicians played soulful music as slides were shown of the tragic events of that 1938 November day in Europe.
The chairman of the Shoah Remembrance Committee, Michael Jaku told J-Wire: “As the years go on, the number of those wanting to show their respect and commemorate the memory of those who lost their lives through the Holocaust does not diminish. There is not a spare seat in the room.”
Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chair of the Community Relations Commission, also addressed the meeting along with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff.
Richard Wolf asked the question: “Is it possible to forget the past?’ His answer – “Never”.
In Melbourne, despite stormy weather conditions, a few hundred people attended a function at Glen Eira Arts Centre, Caulfield, last night to remember Kristallnacht. A very moving reading about Kristallnacht was presented, written by Cedric Gould, produced and directed by Esther Gross. Three organisations arranged the evening: B’nai B’rith Victoria; the Jewish Holocaust Centre; and the National Council of Jewish Women.
“Kauft nicht bei Juden” was the slogan then…but just because today this same slogan is repeated in english by those who attack Jewish shops (like Brenner) doesn’t mean that the motivation and aim have changed: Plus ca change, plus ca reste la même chose 🙁