Commemoration of the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht at Yad Vashem and the Knesset
On occasion of Kristallnacht, March of Life founders Jobst and Charlotte Bittner visited the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Afterwards, they were invited to the Israeli parliament for a meeting with Knesset members, which was reported on in detail by the Jerusalem Post.
On November 9 in 1938, more than 1,200 synagogues and Jewish houses of worship were destroyed. Kristallnacht was the door opener for the destruction and persecution of Jewish life. “Many Germans were responsible for this meticulously planned pogrom, and many more just stood by, indifferent, silent!” said Jobst Bittner, “These Germans were our fathers and mothers, our grandfathers and grandmothers.”
While commemorations around November 9 have become the social norm in Germany, antisemitism is more virulent than it has been in decades. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has come to light openly on the streets and on the internet, and as was the case 83 years ago, it is the responsibility of each individual to decide whether to remain indifferent in silence or to raise their voice publicly.
This is what March of Life calls for, not only on memorial days, but at any time everywhere.
