On November 9, 2020, March of the Living will mark Kristallnacht, a two-day pogrom during which the Nazis burned more than 1,400 synagogues and Jewish institutions in Germany and Austria , with a message of unity and hope, through a unique international campaign.
Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass), on November 9, 1938, marked a fundamental turning point in the historical movement from culturally based anti-Semitism to state-sanctioned genocide.
Titled “Let There Be Light”, March of the Living, the largest annual international Holocaust education program in the world, will invite individuals, institutions and houses of worship across the world to keep their lights on during the night of November 9th, as a symbol of solidarity and mutual commitment in the shared battle against anti-Semitism, racism, hatred and intolerance.
As part of this historic virtual initiative, people from all over the world will be able to add their voice to the campaign. Individuals of all religions and backgrounds are invited to write personal messages of hope in their own words at the campaign website: http://www.motl.org/let-there-be-light
The main synagogue of Frankfurt (one of the few not destroyed on Kristallnacht, will be illuminated as well as and at other places of religious and spiritual significance across the world.
Personal messages and prayers from the virtual campaign will be projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. As such, against the backdrop of rising anti-Semitism and racism, the shadow of Covid-19, these individual expressions of optimism and unity will help illuminate the world against darkness and hatred.
“We must use our voices to tell the world that attacks on Jews and non-Jews alike, whether on the basis of religion, race, color or creed are inexcusable,’’ said March of the Living President, Phyllis Greenberg Heideman and March of the Living World Chair, Dr. Shmuel Rosenman:
In the days when synagogues and holy places for various religions are attacked on a regular basis all over the world, it is our duty to speak out loudly and clearly,” they added.
Salomon Korn, head of the Jewish Community of Frankfurt, said ‘’together we want to send a signal against the increase of anti-Semitism and hate-speech all over the world. We want to raise awareness against growing discrimination and intolerance and bring the light of humanity in these difficult times”.