Dear Community,
On behalf of the Victoria Shoah Project, we would like to invite you to attend the annual remembrance of Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass).
We are a diverse collective of Holocaust (Shoah in Hebrew) survivors, descendants, educators and caring individuals whose main focus is to continue finding innovative, informative and inspiring ways to honour the victims and rescuers, while commemorating and educating about the Shoah. The Victoria Shoah Project is sponsored by Congregation Emanu-El.
The term Kristallnacht refers to the organized anti-Jewish riots in Germany and Austria on November 9-10, 1938. Over those days, anti-Semitic mobs vandalized and destroyed Jewish-owned homes, businesses and synagogues, littering the streets with broken glass; thousands were rounded up and sent to concentration camps simply for being Jewish. These riots marked a major transition in Nazi policy, and were, in many ways, a harbinger of the “Final Solution”.
On Thursday, November 7th at 7 p.m. in the historic Congregation Emanu-El Synagogue, the Jewish community and members of the broader Victoria community will commemorate the events of that tragic night and morning of 9-10 November, 1938. Prayer, music, readings and reflections will help attendees gain an understanding of the power of this terrible prelude to what was to come for the Jewish people of Europe.
Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Robert Krell, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Krell is a child survivor of the Holocaust and founding president of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. He has done pioneering research on child survivors and with victims of both Nazi and Japanese concentration camps, and spoken to a wide range of audiences including presenting to the UN General Assembly in January 2012.
In recent years we have seen the growth of attacks and normalization of hate directed to minority groups and those who are considered to be “the other”. The normalization of hate highlights the need for us to stand together to protect and safeguard all peoples, regardless of religion, race, sexual orientation or other factors, which may make them targets of a hateful few.
Our program will include a public reading of a Pledge of Mutual Respect and Support and we hope you would join us in this reading, standing with politicians, multi-faith representatives and law enforcement leaders from the Victoria community and others in attendance.
Please join us to remember the past and pledge to take action for a better future where we will respect and protect our neighbours, not remain indifferent in the face of any injustice against any person or group and work towards building bridges leading to unity and shalom (peace) in our own community and beyond.
For further information please contact: Victoria Shoah Project
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.victoriashoahproject.ca/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/victoriashoahproject
Pledge of Mutual Respect and Support
Silence in the face of injustice is to agree with the ones who perpetrate injustices.
Never will we stand by to allow expressions of antisemitism, racism, xenophobia or discrimination against any peoples in our community.
We will do our utmost to encourage meaningful dialogue and positive action to foster understanding among diverse groups based on mutual respect.
