80th anniversary of the Reichspogromnacht
On 9 November 1938, during the Reichspogromnacht, Jews were assaulted, arrested and killed. Synagogues all over Germany burned. In the synagogue in Berlin's Rykestrasse, Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to the victims of the November pogroms 80 years ago.
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Angela Merkel pays tribute to the victims of the Reichspogromnacht at the central remembrance ceremony organised by the Central Council of Jews in Germany
Photo: Bundesregierung/Kugler
"It is impossible to describe so much suffering. The words fail me." That is how Chancellor Angela Merkel began her address, remembering the events of the night from 9 to 10 November 1938. In that night countless synagogues were torched, Jewish businesses and homes were wrecked, Jewish citizens assaulted and killed. "Neighbours suddenly turned into perpetrators and criminals," declared the Chancellor. The November pogroms of 1938 must be seen as part of a process, "leading to the terrible Shoa, but something also went before."
Ambivalent situation in Germany
Looking at the here and now, Angela Merkel said in Germany, we can once again see that "Jewish life is flourishing, which is an unexpected gift following the rupture with civilisation that was the Shoa". On the other hand, though, we are seeing anti-Semitism which is becoming increasingly open and uninhibited. This makes it all the more important that we remember, not only on anniversaries, but every day, "that if we stand and watch transgressions and crimes and say nothing, we become accessories to that crime."
We must take a firm stand against hatred
Angela Merkel laid out what we have learned, "Every person is unique." Groups, she said must never be subjected to sweeping generalisations and our society split into "them" and "us". The state must take a strong stand to counter anti-Semitism, racism and extremism and must act rigorously. That also applies if hatred against Jews and Israel come from people with a different religious and cultural background. "Just as Muslims must never be regarded with general suspicion, when violence is perpetrated in the name of their religion, it is equally clear that everyone who lives in our country must accept the values laid out in our Basic Law or constitution."
Central Council of Jews in Germany hold remembrance ceremony
Earlier, the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, did not mince his words when he talked of the AfD, which was not invited. "It would have been unbearable for the Jewish community to have that political party here today," he explained. He warned of the dangers of denying or trivialising history. With a view to the dwindling numbers of Holocaust survivors, he added, "We will never allow the flame of remembrance to be extinguished."