Commemoration in Viersen: Remembering the victims of Kristallnacht

Commemoration in Viersen: Remembering the victims of Kristallnacht

A moving commemoration is imminent: On Sunday, November 9, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., an ecumenical memorial service will take place in the Remigius Church in Viersen to commemorate the Kristallnacht pogrom. The occasion of this service is of great historical significance, as on that night from November 9th to 10th, 1938, a wave of pogroms swept across the German Reich, which also left devastating traces in Viersen. In the Remigius Church, Remigiusplatz 11a, the focus is on the fate of the Jewish community, in particular on the life of the Viersen merchant Helene Rothenstein, who is a symbol for the affected families.

The memorial service is organized with a committed program by Pastor Kathinka Brunotte, Chaplain Andreas Hahne and Deacon Norbert Häusler. In addition, students from the Erasmus von Rotterdam High School have the opportunity to actively participate in this important act of remembrance, accompanied by the musicians of the Erasmus Symphony Orchestra. The planning team behind this important event is led by Brigitte Müller and Beatrix Wolters.

Offense and repression

The evening is not only a look back at the past, but also a call to remembrance and responsibility. During the night of the pogrom, numerous attacks on Jewish apartments and businesses in Viersen were documented. Furniture, clothing and everyday items were thrown onto the streets, and Jewish families - including the Katz, Nussbaum, Katzenstein, Nathan, Rosenmann, Weinberg, Cahn and many others - were subjected to disenfranchisement, despair and deportation. What was once a vibrant Jewish community was destroyed by the Nazi violence that began that night.

It is precisely this memory that we must preserve. It was the beginning of a dark time in German history in which discrimination turned into open violence and changed the reality of many people's lives forever. The memorial service offers a space for mourning, reflection and the necessary discussion of this topic.

A call to responsibility

The importance of such commemorative events cannot be overestimated. They not only remind us of the past, but also set important signals for the future. The obligation to fight against forgetting is a responsibility that we as a society must bear. It is up to us to tell the stories that are often forgotten.

This event on November 9th is an important contribution to this. The ecumenical commemoration in Viersen invites everyone to come together to remember and to take a stand against forgetting. Everyone is welcome to be part of this significant moment. For more information, see the article by Lokalklick.eu.