Kristallnacht survivors speak to UA students

Eric M. Jukelevics Arizona Daily Wildcat Head of German Studies Tom Kovach (from right), Holocaust doctorate student Deborah Kaye and History and Judaic Studies Assistant Professor Matt Goldish lead a discussion about Kristallnacht last night in the Senior Ballroom of the Memorial Student Union. Kristallnacht or The Night of Broken Glass was the first step in the German genocide of the Jewish people.

About 100 Tucson Jewish community members gathered last night to commemorate the 60th anniversary of "Kristallnacht," a night in which Nazis attacked thousands of Jewish homes and businesses in Germany and Austria.

In remembrance, the University of Arizona departments of history, Judaic and German studies and the Hillel Foundation sponsored a video, speaker and panel discussion in the Memorial Student Union Senior Ballroom.

"It was a prelude to the Holocaust," said Helmut Schloss, a guest speaker who experienced Kristallnacht as a 9-year-old in Germany. "It pales in comparison to the events that followed it."

Sixty years of Kristallnacht aftermath began in part with a simple letter.

Herschel Grynszpan, a Jew living in France, received a letter from his parents begging for help after Hitler forced several hundred Polish Jews out of the country and into a Polish "no man's land."

"It went from unpleasant relations to open violence," said panelist Matt Goldish, an assistant history and Judaic studies professor.

"The Nazis' violence against the Jews came to a head," Goldish added.

The Night of Broken Glass earned its name from the amount of glass that littered the streets after the Nazis destroyed Jewish homes and businesses.

Several audience members encouraged others to educate people about the atrocities that occurred during Hitler's reign.

"Education is a very powerful tool," said Marisela Vega, a political science junior.

Pamela Trieber, program director at Tucson's Jewish Family and Children Services, said she enjoyed the program.

"I think the really wonderful part was to hear from the survivors," Trieber said. "(It) was phenomenal."