Joint Statement: Response to Violence in Netherlands
The Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Relations Council, and Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center strongly condemn, and are committed to speaking out against, the violent and antisemitic attacks perpetrated against our Jewish and Israeli brothers and sisters last evening in Amsterdam. Mobs terrorized and beat Israelis and Jews trying to enjoy a soccer game. This moment reminds the Jewish People of the many pogroms – acts of violence against Jews, often state-sponsored – that we have experienced throughout our history, simply because of our identity as Jews. Chillingly, this violent night in Amsterdam falls just days before the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, on November 9-10, 1938.
On Kristallnacht, Nazi leadership unleashed a series of pogroms across Germany and recently incorporated territories, resulting in the deaths of over 100 Jews, thousands of injured, roundups and deportations of 30,000 Jewish men to Dachau concentration camp, and the destruction of synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses and homes. Even though the pogroms of Kristallnacht were covered extensively abroad in newspapers and magazines, including right here in Milwaukee, the world failed to heed this warning. Six million Jews and millions of others were killed in the years that followed by the Nazis and their collaborators, in part due to the world’s failure to stand up against this blatant identity-based hate.
We urge our community to report antisemitic or anti-Israeli incidents using this form and to remain educated and alert during this challenging time. We are grateful for the opportunity to come together as a community next week to commemorate Kristallnacht and take a stand against antisemitism and hate.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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