Kristallnacht

Tonight is the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass). The German Nazi-coordinated attacks on synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses, & homes were the beginning of what we know as the Holocaust. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has excellent resources for teachers & students. We urge all teachers & parents to read Guidelines for Teaching about the Holocaust. No matter how much you know about the Holocaust, the museum has something to offer. (Here is last year's Kristallnacht post)

Days of Remembrance, 1-8 May 2011

We hope that you will pass on the following information & also visit the Museum's website.

From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website:

The United States Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust and created the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as a permanent living memorial to the victims. This year Holocaust Remembrance Day is Sunday, May 1. The Museum designated Justice and Accountability in the Face of Genocide: What Have We Learned? as the theme for the 2011 observance. In accordance with its Congressional mandate, the Museum is responsible for leading the nation in commemorating the Days of Remembrance, and for encouraging and sponsoring appropriate observances throughout the United States.

Observances and remembrance activities can occur during the week of Remembrance that runs from the Sunday before Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) through the following Sunday (view the Remembrance Day Calendar). Days of Remembrance are observed by state and local governments, military bases, workplaces, schools, churches, synagogues, and civic centers.

(bokeh light by generous D Sharon Pruitt, Pink Sherbet Photography, Free For All Creative Commons Set)

Remember Me: Displaced Children of the Holocaust

Between 1933 and 1945, millions of children were displaced as a result of Nazi persecution. Now, more than 65 years later, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is using postwar photos and the power of the online community to find out what happened to these children.

You can help by going to Remember Me to browse through some 1,100 photos of displaced children and share them with your family and friends. Who knows, you might even hold a clue that could identify a child, reunite relatives, or piece together a wartime or postwar experience.

The more people who see the photos, the greater the chance of identifying these children and raising awareness about the experiences of the most vulnerable victims of war and genocide.

Please share this with your family & friends on Facebook & Twitter. Thank you.

(photograph of Michel Sztulzaft who was identified this week; he lives in France/© The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives)