AN HISTORIC DAY OF ANNIVERSARIES
November 9th, 2009 | 2:37 pm
Today marks the 71st anniversary of Kristallnacht, an evening in Germany when hundreds of synagogues were burned, thousands of shops destroyed, and many lives lost. Nazi Germany’s attack on its Jewish population was fully underway and in the open for all to see. Theft of their belongings, imprisonment, and mass murder, under the most gruesome and inhumane of circumstances, ensued.
While these horrific events took place in Germany, the lessons we should never forget are universal and lasting. We ignore them at our own peril as a civilization. Anytime one person or one race preaches superiority at the expense of others, warning bells should sound.
We must therefore consider the fall of the Berlin wall 20 years ago an astounding moment of progress in modern civilization. What a remarkable achievement that the end of the Cold War came with a spontaneous celebration, not the sound of gunfire or artillery. It took a long time for this portion of World War II to come to its natural conclusion, but the moment did come. It should never be overlooked, as a triumph for freedom, and a victory for a more hopeful Germany as a nation.
