- In 1938, on the night of November 9th to 10th, the National Socialists began a wave of violence against Jews throughout the German Reich.
- The so-called Pogrom Night ultimately resulted in the Holocaust, the systematic murder of six million Jews across Europe.
- The 85th anniversary is marked by a new wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany following the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
Exclusion has particularly affected Jews for centuries and, despite the disruption to civilization caused by the Holocaust, it continues to do so today, said Scholz at a memorial service by the Central Council of Jews in the Beth Zion synagogue in Berlin. “That’s a shame. This outrages and embarrasses me deeply.”
An arson attack was attempted on the Beth Zion synagogue a few days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. The commemoration ceremony therefore took place under massive security precautions. Streets were cordoned off and the police were on site with snipers and armored cars.
We want to live freely in Germany, in our country.
The President of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, acknowledged that today, unlike 85 years ago, Jewish life is protected in Germany. But he also emphasized that they did not want to live behind “protective shields”. “We want to live freely in Germany, in our country, live freely in this open society.”
Schuster expressed his horror at current anti-Jewish hostility and anti-Israel demonstrations in Germany: “Anyone who wants to understand why the terrorist attack on Israel caused deep trauma, fear and uncertainty in the Jewish community in Germany too, must be aware of what is happening even 85 years later what happens in Jewish souls during the Kristallnacht pogrom, when Stars of David are painted on Jewish houses again, when Jewish businesses are attacked again.
You also have to be able to admit what has gone wrong in recent years.
The President of the Central Council referred to “a parallel in the mentality” of radical Islamists and right-wing extremists and also castigated the contempt for lessons from history that he sensed among left-wing extremist and left-wing circles. Behind closed doors, anti-Semitism has penetrated into the middle of society.
What was out of joint could still be repaired, said Schuster. “But to do that you also have to admit to yourself what has gone wrong in the last few years, what you couldn’t or didn’t want to see.”