Shuls to mark 80 years since Kristallnacht by leaving lights on over Shabbat
United Synagogue-led campaign to mark violent pogrom in 1938 which saw 250 shuls set alight and 7,500 businesses destroyed by the Nazis
Synagogues and families across the country will this week mark 80 years since Kristallnacht by leaving the lights on over Shabbat.
The United Synagogue drive, launched this week, remembers a night when Nazis torched or vandalised Jewish homes, businesses, synagogues, schools and cemeteries across Germany and Austria, killing almost 100 Jews, many as they slept.
This week the United Synagogue said its simple ‘Leave a Light On’ initiative, which is being supported by The Wiener Library and the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR), was being led by shuls – and rightly so.
“More than 250 shuls were set alight and some 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed,” said United Synagogue chief executive Steven Wilson.
“Hundreds of Jewish buildings burned through the night as fire crews were expressly forbidden to dampen the flames. This Shabbat, shuls across the country will commemorate the pogrom by choosing to leave a light burning brightly.”
Launched with an eye-catching poster of a synagogue ablaze, Wilson said individuals and families were welcome to take part in their own homes, adding: “We must remember the event for what it was: a pogrom, an organised violent attack on the Jewish community.”
Gaby Glassman, chair of the Yom Hashoah committee of Pinner Synagogue and a trustee of AJR, paid tribute to the powerful symbolism of the initiative.
“On 9 November 1938, our community synagogues were illuminated,” she said. “On 9 November 2018 we choose to illuminate our synagogues to remember what happened 80 years ago.”
She added: “Nazi behaviour defied international standards but as international response was minimal, they learned they could act with impunity. Times were uncertain and public sentiment was febrile, as now. The message from Kristallnacht is: don’t stand by.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.