Holocaust survivor-led campaign relaunched on Kristallnacht anniversary

As the world commemorates the atrocities committed against Jews on Kristallnacht, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany announced a relaunch of their educational campaign #ItStartedWithWords.

The digital campaign features survivors from around the world, reflecting on the moments that led up to the Holocaust.

In November 1938, the notorious Nazi paramilitary group, the SA, or Storm Troopers, along with Hitler Youth committed a series of attacks against Jews living in Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland, an attack that became known as Kristallnacht, literally meaning “Night of Crystal.”

Local citizens supported the attack which led to the destruction of more than 260 synagogues, while 7,000 Jewish businesses were demolished or looted, and more than 30,000 Jews were rounded up and arrested.

“Relaunching this campaign goes beyond commemorating Kristallnacht,” Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference said.

“With the growing prevalence of Holocaust denial, distortion and hate speech on social platforms and in communities across the country, the core message behind the #ItStartedWithWords campaign becomes even more important: the Holocaust did not start with camps, ghettos and deportations; it started with words of hate.”

With the rise of antisemitism around the world, #ItStartedWithWords also seeks to educate the next generation about the atrocities of the Holocaust, which according to a recent survey is unknown to many young people.

“The results from our 2020 U.S. Millennial Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Survey, which found that 63 percent of Millennials and Gen Z did not know six million Jews were murdered, combined with the rise in antisemitism, underscores the need for Holocaust education,” Schneider added.

As a result of the work of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Germany has paid $90 billion in indemnification to individuals for suffering and losses resulting from persecution by the Nazis

In 2022, the Claims Conference will distribute over $700 million in compensation to over 210,000 survivors in 83 countries and allocated over $720 million in grants to over 300 social service agencies worldwide that provide vital services for Holocaust survivors, such as homecare, food and medicine.