For the first time in the Arab and Muslim world, a major memorial event for the Kristallnacht pogrom will be held tonight (Wednesday) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
During the unique event, Eve Kugler, a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor, will tell about the sights she witnessed as a child on Kristallnacht, in front of Muslim and Jewish children.
On the 84th anniversary of the events of Kristallnacht, known as the "November Pogrom", the International March of Life organization is holding a series of interfaith events, entitled "Let There Be Light".
In this framework, tonight individuals, institutions and houses of worship of all religions will leave a symbolic light in their window, as a symbol of mutual responsibility and the common fight against anti-Semitism, racism, hatred and intolerance.
"Humanity must hear."
Kugler and Neichlos, photo: Mark Israel Salem
The goal of the global campaign is to remember the great warning sign that the world ignored, in a way that led to the outbreak of the Holocaust.
This, alongside raising awareness of the contemporary reality of anti-Semitism, intolerance and racism that exists today towards Jews and non-Jews, by participating in an educational effort that crosses audiences that will be joined by people of all religions and backgrounds.
In the events of Kristallnacht, which took place on November 9-10, 1938, hundreds of synagogues were burned by the Nazis throughout Germany.
Thousands of Jewish-owned businesses were damaged or destroyed, hundreds of Jews were murdered and approximately 30,000 people were sent to concentration camps, in what was an ominous turning point in the development of the Holocaust.
to connect the nations
This year, the anniversary of Kristallnacht will be marked with commemorative events to be held in Jerusalem, Vienna and Dubai by the March of Life organization, together with its partners - the Nichlos Foundation, the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai, the Movement to Combat Anti-Semitism (CAM), the Meta Society, the Jewish Community of Vienna and the Miller Center for Community Defense and Resilience.
The opening event, at the Museum of the Meeting of Cultures, will be attended by the founder of the museum, Dr. Ahmed Obaid Al-Mansouri, and the head of the March of Life in the Gulf, Eitan Nischlos. The two lit a torch of hope together this year at the main ceremony of the March of Life in Birkenau, Poland.
The main speaker at the event, as mentioned, will be Eve Kugler, who was 7 years old when the Germans broke into her home on the night of November 9, 1938. "We woke up to the knocking of the Gestapo at night," she says of that terrible night.
"The soldiers took my grandfather and my father, they literally tore the Torah book from my grandfather's hands. After they left, we ran to the window, we heard the windows of our store shatter into pieces, and we saw the synagogue that my father helped build go up in flames."
Al-Mansoori and Naishlos, the March of Life,
Eitan Neishlos told Israel Hayom: "There are many cultures in the Persian Gulf, and it is our responsibility to teach them all. The followers of the nations of the world saved my grandmother, and it is important to know that there were also Muslims among them. I have a deep appreciation for Ahmed and his important activity in extraordinary work and continuous commitment. All of humanity must hear the stories and learn the lessons of the Holocaust."
Al-Mansouri added: "We have known about the Holocaust since childhood, but I did not know about Kristallnacht, and it is important to understand more about the issue and to mention it in the first ceremony in our region to unite our people, and between Jews and Arabs, and make sure that such crimes do not happen again."
"I remember everything"
At the same time, two events will take place: in Vienna, Austria, the "March of Light and Hope" will be held, led by the Jewish youth in Vienna and with the participation of the International March of Life organization.
The parade will pass from Heldenplatz to Judenplatz square, and at the end a commemorative ceremony will be held.
A ceremony will be held in Jerusalem during which Holocaust survivors Walter Bingham and David Tsitsovitz who witnessed the events of Kristallnacht will be honored, and messages of hope from around the world will be projected onto the walls of the Old City.
"I remember everything," said Tsitsovitz, "the beating of the sun on the synagogue, who fought the Nazis to keep them from entering but could not prevent them from burning it down. I remember how the shop windows were smashed and looted, and how the children of the Hitler Youth waited for us every day after school only To beat us. It's important to me to talk about what happened, so that they don't forget."
The Chief Rabbi of the United Arab Emirates, Rabbi Levy Duchman: "By joining hands with our neighbors, in coexistence and true mutual respect that are the fruit of the sincere efforts of the Emirati government, we are educating our children so that the next generation will continue to follow the path of peace, with the aim of building a better world."
According to the Chairman of the International March of Life, Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, "For the past 35 years, the organization has been working to educate Jews and non-Jews about the Holocaust and its lessons, and about the importance of fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred. This year, to mark the 84th anniversary of the events of Kristallnacht, a reading will be issued Clear and united from Jerusalem, Vienna and Dubai: only together can we defeat hatred, and ensure that 'never' means 'never again'."
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