Congregation Beth Israel to Commemorate Kristallnacht

Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) in Scotch Plains will commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht on Friday evening, November 8, at 7:30 p.m. This night of remembrance will feature presentations by Debra Feldman and Randi Zucker, who are descendants of Holocaust survivors. The program will take place during CBI’s Friday night Shabbat services, and is free and open to the community. An Oneg Shabbat dessert reception will follow.

“In light of a recent rise in antisemitism, it is more important than ever to learn about the Holocaust and hear stories of survivors,” said Rita Geller, who co-chairs the synagogue’s Second/Third Generation Holocaust Survivors Group, sponsor of the program, along with Faye Bodenstein and Claire Bornstein.

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.

Debra Feldman will describe how her grandmother, Bella, experienced Kristallnacht firsthand. Shortly after this event, Bella bravely placed her two children – Debra’s mother, Joan, and her uncle, Herbert – on a Kindertransport voyage from Berlin to England. Joan was only four years old and Herbert was six when they traveled with strangers to a foreign place and into the arms of an aunt and uncle they had never met. Although both siblings eventually came to the United States, where they married and had families, their lives were affected deeply by their traumatic history.

Randi Zucker loves to tell her grandmother’s story because it paints a picture of how some Jews lived before World War II. They lived full lives with big families, celebrated holidays, played, gardened and worked. Randi’s grandmother, Sylvia, lived in Czechoslovakia and was taken with her family to the Munkacz Ghetto in 1944. She survived Auschwitz and several other concentration camps. While at each camp, Sylvia demonstrated small acts of resistance.

Both speakers are members of CBI and belong to the Second/Third Generation Holocaust Survivors Group. This support group, which was created at CBI, also includes participants from other area synagogues and the community. It plans events, such as the Kristallnacht commemoration, to educate the public about the Holocaust and to honor and remember those who suffered and perished.

The Kristallnacht commemoration will take place at Congregation Beth Israel, located at 18 Shalom Way, Scotch Plains, NJ (corner of Martine Avenue). For additional information, contact the synagogue office at (908) 889-1830.