Remembering Kristallnacht virtually

While the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed in-person services for houses of worship since March, Five Towns synagogues have still emphasized the importance of holding virtual services for commemorations such as Kristallnacht.

Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” took place on Nov. 9, 1938. Nearly 200 synagogues were destroyed, more than 8,000 Jewish shops were sacked and looted, and tens of thousands of Jews in Germany and Austria were taken to concentration camps. More than 90 Jews were killed in what is considered the beginning of the Holocaust.

At Temple Hillel in North Woodmere, Rabbi Steven Graber said that Kristallnacht would be remembered at a 7:30 p.m. service on Monday. “Jewish religion is based on community, and community events are one of the things that keep us together and going,” Graber said. “Though we’re separated, we’re trying to stay together as close as we can, and virtual events are the best we’re able to do at this time.”

He added that virtual services have attracted many congregants. “We’re lucky to be living in a time where we have the ability to stage such events like this,” Graber said. “I have about 75 percent attendance of what I would usually get under normal circumstances. I would have 80 people on a Shabbat morning, and we’re getting about 60 people coming to virtual services now.”

Along with a Kristallnacht service, Temple Beth El, in Cedarhurst, will hold a Shabbat service dedicated to military veterans on Sunday, according to Rabbi Claudio Kupchik.

“Remembering Kristallnacht, and the dangers of totalitarianism, is very important, particularly at a time when our society is divided and racism, anti-Semitism, intolerance and extremism of every kind are on the rise,” Kupchik said. “We need to continue to adapt to this new reality and the changing conditions of the virus spread in our area. We need to strive for the most normal level of activity that we can safely achieve, be it in person or virtual.”

Milton Lipitz, president of the men’s club at Temple Beth El, noted the importance of the temple’s commemoration of both Veterans Day and Kristallnacht. “It’s important to acknowledge the veteran men and women for their sacrifices,” Lipitz said. “In both cases of Veterans Day and Kristallnacht, we should never forget. That’s why we must honor both occasions every year.”

Temple Beth El congregants, Kupchik said, are adjusting to the continuing pandemic. “Every day we see a new record of infections being broken,” he said, “and despite advances in treatment, patient hospitalizations are increasing across the country. At this point, most of our activities and services are online, but we have a full schedule of offerings in order to continue to connect and engage with our members and our community.”

Since March, Temple Israel, in Lawrence, has been holding not just virtual services, but also virtual events with guest speakers. Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum said that the temple would hold a virtual Kristallnacht service on Friday night, and the guest speaker would be past temple President Jim Rotenberg, whose parents lived through Kristallnacht in Berlin and fled Germany afterward.

“Covid-19 and anti-Semitism are two viruses that are gripping America right now,” Rosenbaum said. “It’s more important than ever in our here-today-gone-tomorrow atmosphere that the lessons of the past must not be forgotten.”

He added that commemorations like these help remind people of the importance of erasing hatred. “After the Holocaust, we said never again, and that wasn’t with a question mark, it was with an exclamation point,” Rosenbaum said. “People have to take personal responsibility that the message, tragedy and danger of the Holocaust is never to be forgotten.”

Graber acknowledged that Temple Hillel would do mostly virtual events and services for the foreseeable future. “Maybe we’ll invite a small amount of people to come in during the next few months, but we don’t know exactly when we’ll be able to do that,” he said. “We have to see which way this pandemic goes. Hopefully there won’t be any big Covid spikes going forward.”