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The anniversary of Kristallnacht is a sober time to recall the horrors that began on the night of Nov. 9, 1938.
Recognized by many as the beginning of the Holocaust, Kristallnacht saw Jewish synagogues, businesses and homes terrorized by a radicalized German state and its annexed territories.
Hundreds of synagogues were burned to the ground, while thousands of Jewish shops were vandalized by Nazi and civilian forces. Some 30,000 men were arrested and eventually sent to concentration camps.
These barbaric assaults against the Jewish community earned it the nickname “Night of Broken Glass” due to the streets across Germany littered with shards of broken glass from the shops that had just been terrorized and destroyed.
This event was a long time in the making, as then-Chancellor Adolf Hitler had been spreading anti-Semitic propaganda for years.
With the assassination in Paris of a German diplomat by a young Jewish man in retaliation for the suffering Germany had incurred on its Jewish population, Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels had what he needed to carry out the nefarious event.
Using his state-controlled media network, Goebbels manipulated the assassination event to not just stir up anti-Semitic sentiment among the German populace but transform it into a raging fury to unleash upon the Jewish community.
These propaganda tactics worked due to the constant dehumanizing of the Jewish people, endorsed and perpetuated by the German state under Hitler.
As German tribalism took root deeply within the society, having a specific target, the Jewish people, to blame for the woes incurred from World War I and its aftermath manifested as bitterness and resentment among the people.
These venomous feelings toward one group allowed this type of atrocity not only to happen but continue and grow increasingly diabolical. Within a few short years, Germany had constructed its network of death camps for the extermination of the Jewish people.
Now, 84 years later, churches and synagogues around the world are taking time to honor and remember those who were killed, assaulted and affected by this night of horrors.
The event, “Light Up the Church,” has garnered support from Christian and Jewish houses of worship from all corners of the earth. They are keeping the lights on at their church or synagogue to commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht and shine light on the darkness that it brought to the Jewish people.
The organization, lightupthechurch.org, welcomes anyone who wants to join them in this venture. They state on their website:
“Please do not miss this event! Make sure that your church, ministry, business, home group, school, organization or even private home is counted among the Christians who stand by their Jewish brethren worldwide by leaving the lights ON all night Wednesday night, Nov. 9, 2022!”
By remembering and honoring those affected by this violent and senseless tragedy, the hope remains that no one will ever have to endure such de-humanizing and traumatic events again.{eoa}
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James Lasher is Staff Writer at Charisma Media.
