Prayers and calls against antisemitism at ceremony marking 84th anniversary of ‘Crystal Night’

MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – South Florida’s Jewish community came together to take a stand against antisemitism.

The Kristallnacht remembrance ceremony was held on a rainy Sunday at the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach.

Participants prayed and spoke up against recent acts of hate.

Kristallnacht, or “Crystal Night,” took place on Nov. 9, 1938 across Germany, Austria and parts of the former Czechoslovakia. It is considered a harbinger of the Holocaust.

Local leaders said this history lesson is important, now more than ever.

“It’s hard to stand there and, obviously, you saw the crowd that came out in the pouring rain. In some ways it’s hard, but we know that the importance to Jewish history and all of mankind to make sure that level of evil never happens again,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Steven Meiner.

A keynote speaker recounted how her family escaped from Austria in 1938.

The official death count of Kristallnacht was 91, but it’s suggested there were more than 300 additional deaths.

Source: https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/prayers-and-calls-against-antisemitism-at-ceremony-marking-84th-anniversary-of-crystal-night/amp/