Remembering the Holocaust

Remembering the holocaust

Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht was the massive campaign of anti-Jewish violence that took place from November 9–10, 1938. Dangerous mobs throughout Germany and Austria freely attacked Jews in the street, in their homes, and at their places of work and worship. Nearly 100 Jews were killed, hundreds more were injured, over 1,000 synagogues were burned, nearly 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed, cemeteries and schools were vandalized, and 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

Did you know that in Frank Memorial Hall, we have a Torah curtain saved from Kristallnacht (pictured right)? The Torah curtain, still bearing the mark of the flames, was saved from the fire in the street to which the Nazis in Germany had consigned it when they destroyed the synagogues on Kristallnacht, November 9, 1938. It was saved by a young woman who kept it, and in her elderly years left it to the keeping of this congregation. The Torah curtain was donated by Lily and Irving Fallek.

Yom HaShoah

Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, occurs on the 27th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, usually April or May.

Yom HaShoah reminds us of the horrors that Jews and other persecuted groups faced: forced labor, starvation, humiliation, and torture, which often resulted in death. It was a systematic effort to wipe out an entire population from the face of the earth.

NSCI has a Shoah Torah from Pardubice (now part of the Czech Republic). Read more about it here.

Find links to our videos of survivor testimonies and past Holocaust remembrance programs, as well as links to Holocaust education and museum resources below.

Holocaust Education and Museum Resources

Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Specific resources on the Days of Remembrance including victim names, survivor testimonies, and liberator recognition

Yad VaShem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center