Congregation Beth Israel to Commemorate Kristallnacht

Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains will commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht on Sunday evening, November 15, at 5:00 p.m. This night of remembrance will feature a presentation by Helen Terris, who will share her personal experiences during the Holocaust. The program, which will take place virtually, is free and open to the community. Sponsored by the synagogue’s Second/Third Generation Holocaust Survivors Group, the program can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/cbinj.org/.

Kristallnacht, which translates as “crystal night” in German, is also called the "Night of Broken Glass." Kristallnacht refers to the violent attacks that the Nazis waged against Jews on November 9 and 10, 1938 throughout Germany, Austria, and parts of occupied Czechoslovakia. The name Kristallnacht comes from the broken glass that littered the streets after Jewish homes, schools, synagogues, and stores were damaged and destroyed. With Jews beaten, killed and sent to concentration camps, Kristallnacht is often seen as the beginning of the Holocaust.

Guest speaker Helen Terris was born in 1935 in Lida, Poland. Her peaceful childhood changed in June of 1941 when Lida was invaded by the Germans. Her father was taken at a round-up and murdered, leaving young Helen and her mother to survive alone. Helen and her mother endured many hardships and eventually found their way to the forest, where they joined the Bielski Partisans in hiding and resisting the Nazis. It was there that they were ultimately liberated by the Russian army in 1944. (The 2008 movie, Defiance, was based on the true story of the Bielski Partisans, who hid in the forests of Belarus and were the war’s largest and most successful group of Jewish resisters.)

After liberation, Helen spent five years in displaced persons (DP) camps, before coming to America with her mother at age 14. She eventually married and raised her two children in Ocean Township, NJ. She now resides in Tinton Falls, NJ. Helen’s daughter, Rita Terris Geller, is a member of Congregation Beth Israel and a co-founder of its Second/Third Generation Holocaust Survivors Group.

The Kristallnacht Commemoration will also feature a musical presentation. In addition, Rabbi Howard Tilman and Cantor Matt Axelrod will chant memorial prayers.

The Second/Third Generation Holocaust Survivors Group was created at Congregation Beth Israel but also includes participants from area synagogues. This support group plans events, such as the Kristallnacht Remembrance, to educate the public about the Holocaust and to honor and remember those who suffered and perished.

For additional information about Congregation Beth Israel’s Kristallnacht Commemoration, contact co-chairs Faye Bodenstein (frgbnj@aol.com), Claire Bornstein (clairebn@comcast.net) or Rita Geller (rgeller416@gmail.com), or call the synagogue office at (908) 889-1830.