Every Day Is Special: November 9 – Remembering Kristallnacht

November 9 – Remembering Kristallnacht

Posted on November 9, 2017

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana, philosopher and writer

"Never again!" should be the way we remember Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass," which was the beginning of the Holocaust in which millions of Jews were murdered.

Yes, yes, we all know that it was bad that, on this date in 1938, German Nazis attacked thousands of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, hospitals, schools, and synagogues! We know that it is horrific that, on this one night alone, Nazis killed more than a hundred Jews, damaged or destroyed thousands of properties, and arrested tens of thousands of Jewish men, putting them in concentration camps.

But think about this:

It was not actually the German police officers, nor the German military, who carried out these awful attacks. Instead, it was the Sturmabteilung , the "Storm Detachment," often known as the SA or "Brownshirts." It was not an official nationally-sanctioned group - it was just a part of the Nazi Party.

The SA was paramilitary - not actually Germany's military forces, but having the sorts of uniforms and weapons and training that we associate with military forces.

And think about this:

IF the actual German military, and the German police officers, and the average German citizens had moved against the SA during these attacks, Kristallnacht might have been a teeny disturbance instead of a terrible tragedy, and the Holocaust might have been averted.

But the military did not move against the SA. German police officers stood by and watched the SA ransack Jewish-owned businesses and take sledgehammers to buildings. Many average German citizens joined in and took part in the destruction.

And now think about this:

IF governments all around the world had taken a hard line with Germany, placing economic sanctions on and severing diplomatic relations with the nation, and especially if the people of other nations had immediately moved to help German Jews, opening immigration to them, welcoming refugees - perhaps the Holocaust would not have happened.

IF anybody had done anything, perhaps World War II would have been stopped before it started.

Kristallnacht sent shock waves around the world. People almost everywhere heard about it. But they did not do much other than condemn the attacks with their words.

"Never again!" means we have to stand up to bullies, take action against monsters and fascists, actively help victims and marginalized groups, and take common sense steps to solve problems. Whether we are talking about racist immigration policies or ineffective gun laws, we need to stand up for what is right with our words - but also our actions.