An illuminated Hanukkah menorah in front of the Brandenburg gate in Berlin. Photo: CNS/Rainer Jensen, EPA
By Caroline Smith
Members of the Jewish and Christian communities in Perth came together recently to commemorate Kristallnacht, the so-called ‘Night of Broken Glass’ – the attack on Jewish communities in 1938, which for many signalled the beginning of the Holocaust in Europe.
Some 200 people gathered in the Chapel at Penrhos College in Como on Thursday 9 November for the annual commemoration held by the Council of Christians and Jews WA Inc. (CCJWA).
The many dignitaries present included the Council’s Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC, Governor of WA, who was attending the commemoration for the fourth time. A welcome speech was provided by Penrhos College Principal Ms Meg Melville.
CCJWA Honorary Secretary Dr Mary Marshall said that the main focus was as always, Kristallnacht as the beginning of officially-orchestrated violence against Jews, and hence what was in a real sense, the beginning of the Holocaust.
“Accounts written by survivors of the Shoah were a notable part of this year’s proceedings. Three excerpts from Elie Wiesel’s Night – the author’s autobiography detailing his survival of the Shoah as a teenager – were read by Penrhos College students,” she added.
The occasional address, centred on the story of a survivor. In his emotive speech, Sol Majteles, President of the Holocaust Institute of WA, featured excerpts from the autobiography of his father, Chaim Majteles, a survivor of Auschwitz.
“The point was made on the night that what happened on Kristallnacht foreshadowed the subsequent atrocities that occurred in the Shoah,” said Dr Marshall.
Kristallnacht was a pogrom (organised massacre of a particular ethnic group) by Nazi SA paramilitaries and civilians against Jewish communities in Germany and Austria, which saw Jewish businesses, schools, hospitals and places of worship being destroyed, and hundreds of people being killed and injured.
The violence took place in a number of cities and towns on the night of 9–10 November 1938, and is perceived as a turning point in the Nazis’ persecution of Jewish people, garnering international condemnation.
People walk past images of Menorahs projected on a wall surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem. Photo: CNS/Ammar Awad, Reuters.
Dr Marshall said that as well as focusing on people’s experience of the Shoah, the evening encouraged quiet reflection, with the lighting of memorial candles – one in remembrance of the six million Jews and many others who perished in the Shoah, and the other in memory of The Righteous Among the Nations, who risked their lives to help their Jewish brothers and sisters in their hour of darkness.
Readings for this ritual were provided respectively by Perth Hebrew Congregation (PHC) member Colin Rockman JP, and Redemptoris Mater Seminary Rector Father Michael Moore SM, and the candles were lit by Mr Ken Arkwright OAM (Honorary Life Member of CCJWA), and former UCA moderator Rev Ken Williams.
Following a period of reflection, a Candle of Hope was brought forward and lit by two students – one from Carmel School, and the other from Penrhos – signifying Jewish-Christian reconciliation and the joint task of working toward world peace.
This challenge was reinforced by the words of The Exhortation delivered by the Reverend Canon John Dunnill. Then followed the Kaddish, led by Rabbi David Freilich of PHC, in the traditional Jewish prayer seeking the peace of God for all.
Music to complement the proceedings was provided by Carmel School Choir, the Chamber Voices Choir of Penrhos College, and flautist Kevin Vigus.
The commemoration was the most important event in the calendar for CCJWA, Dr Marshall said.
“It is an opportunity for Jews and Christians to remember together what happened on Kristallnacht, and what was to follow, and to express our unity of purpose in working toward the goal of preventing another Shoah,” she said.
“It is also an educational event, and we particularly endeavour to draw young people who might otherwise have little or no knowledge of the Shoah. For those studying Modern History in Year 11, attendance at the commemoration gives them real insight into the subject.”