Thursday, Nov. 9, 6:30 pm, Beth El
“Evil does not need your help, only your indifference.”
These are the words of Holocaust survivor Hanns Loewenbach, z’l—and he would know—as he was in his hometown of Berlin the night of Nov. 9, 1938 and witnessed the flames, arrests, and terrors of Kristallnacht.
Commemorating Kristallnacht—A Rally Cry For the Future, will feature a string quartet performance arranged by Rebecca Brown, chairman of the board of Symphonicity, and performed by Howard Horwitz, Lei Lei Berz, Lily Berz, and Leah Rosenberg. The music evokes themes of alarm and war that morph into sounds of liberation and freedom.
Hanns Loewenbach’s important story of survival as told through his What We Carry film will follow the musical presentation. Loewenbach died in 2012 at age 96. His eyewitness account of Kristallnacht and the Holocaust will continue to inspire audiences through the What We Carry film made by Los Angeles film makers Amber Howell and Janice Engel, commissioned by UJFT’s Holocaust Commission.
Kristallnacht marked the first instance in which the Nazi regime incarcerated Jews on a massive scale simply on the basis of their ethnicity. It represented a turning point in Nazi anti-Semitic policy. Historians have noted that after the pogrom, the passivity with which most German civilians responded to the violence signaled to the Nazi regime that the German public was prepared for more radical measures since most remained silent…plagued with fear and indifference.
The evening will conclude with brief messages of hope and peace and a call to action to never be complacent where and when human rights are denied. HUBB (Hands United Building Bridges) founders Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz and Reverend Antipas Harris will lead the charge.
This program is free and open to the public. Join the community to zachor—remember, and unite in peace. RSVP appreciated, but not required, to Noelle@bethelnorfolk.com or 757-625-7821.
Beth El is located at 422 Shirley Avenue in Norfolk.
This program is sponsored in part by the Tidewater Jewish Foundation and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.