Bremen commemorates the victims of Kristallnacht with emotional ceremonies

Bremen commemorates the victims of Kristallnacht with emotional ceremonies

Today, November 10th, 2025, the atrocities of Kristallnacht, which took place on the night of November 9th to 10th, 1938, are remembered throughout Germany. A central memorial event will also be held in Bremen, starting in the morning at the old synagogue on Kolpingstrasse. The meeting there is particularly important because due to construction work, the commemoration cannot take place at the memorial, but has been moved back to this historic location. During the pogroms, synagogues throughout Germany were set on fire and Jewish shops were vandalized. This was consistently organized by the National Socialist government and claimed numerous victims. In Bremen, five people were killed by the SA during that brutal night, and many others were deported or murdered. To commemorate the victims comprehensively, an event was also organized in Oldenburg, where it is estimated that around 1,000 people are expected to attend the traditional memorial walk.

The silent march in Oldenburg along the route where those affected were driven through the city is not only intended to pay respect to the victims, but also to show solidarity with today's Jews. The state rabbi Netanel Teitelbaum had already said the funeral prayer Kaddish at the Old Synagogue in Bremerhaven on Sunday to commemorate the deceased. According to history, Kristallnacht, also known as Kristallnacht, was triggered by the murder of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Polish Jew Herschel Grynszpan, which served as a pretext for the brutal attacks on the Jewish community.

The events of Kristallnacht

The night of November 9th to 10th, 1938 represents a turning point in history. Over 1,400 synagogues were destroyed that night and more than 7,000 Jewish businesses were vandalized. The violence went largely unpunished by German authorities and resulted in around 30,000 Jewish men being arrested and sent to concentration camps. Over 91 Jews were killed that very night, and the mourning for the victims and victims of this systematic persecution continues to this day. The brutal events in Germany, including Austria and the Sudetenland, mark not only a terrible moment in German history, but also a foreshadowing of what was to follow - the systematic extermination of six million Jews during the Holocaust.

Memory and reflection

The international reaction to the events was clear: the world condemned the violence, and initiatives such as the Kindertransport program in Britain were launched to help Jewish children. The American government withdrew its ambassador from Germany and the Jewish community was hit with a collective fine of one billion Reichsmarks. These violent riots became a pivotal moment that mobilized the international community and changed the view of Jewish life in Europe.

Every year, commemorative events not only remind us of the horrors of the past, but also raise the question of the responsibility of today's society to take a stand against anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination. Everyone demands that the atrocities of the past are not forgotten and that the voices of the survivors are also heard in current social discourse. Because the memory of Kristallnacht is not only a look back at what was, but also a necessary step into the future.

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