"Never thought something like this would happen again"
85 years after the pogrom night, Holocaust survivors have called for help in the fight against anti-Semitism. "Jews are more threatened than at any time since the Holocaust," said survivor Gabriella Karin of the organization "March of the Living", who spoke to numerous survivors after the terrorist attack in Israel on 7 October. The current situation is shocking, said Karin. Israel and the Jewish community worldwide are "fighting for their existence".
On Tuesday, it was exactly one month ago that Hamas terrorists unexpectedly attacked Israel. Around 1400 people were murdered, mainly civilians. Over 240 hostages, including children, elderly people, men and women, were abducted. The massive Israeli counterattacks in the Gaza Strip triggered a wave of anti-Semitism worldwide.
According to the organization "March of the Living", many of their interlocutors "initially hesitated to speak out for fear of their own safety, as they feared that revealing their identity could put them in immediate danger".
"Afraid to go to the synagogue"
"I am shocked when I see Jews being attacked today. Jews are not safe," Auschwitz survivor Nate Leipciger, who now lives in Canada, told the organization. He remembers growing up as a young boy in Poland and watching the rise of Nazi Germany. "I remember being attacked in the street and people shouting at me: 'Dirty Jews, go to Palestine'". He had seen where anti-Semitism could lead. "It started with words and continued with actions."
Holocaust survivor Manja Wallenfels no longer feels safe either: "I think twice before I wear my Star of David. I'm afraid to go to the synagogue." She could never have imagined that something like this would happen again.
Tirza Halivni, who now lives in Israel, experienced the pogrom night as a four-year-old child. "I never thought in my life that something as terrible as this would happen again," said Halivni. On October 7, Hamas came to slaughter children, young and old. "I think back to 85 years ago, how terrible it was, and here we are, reliving it."
The night of 9 to 10 November 1938 marked the beginning of the organized persecution of Jews under National Socialism. According to historians, more than 1,300 people were killed, 1,400 synagogues were destroyed and damaged, 7,000 stores were raided and 30,000 Jews were deported to concentration camps.
- The rise of extremist groups and their associated rhetoric has brought back memories of past conflicts and religiously motivated violence, such as the Holocaust and Pogrom Night, causing many survivors like Gabriella Karin to express concern.
- Witnessing current instances of anti-Semitic attacks, Holocaust survivor Nate Leipciger recalls his own experiences of being attacked as a young boy in Poland during the rise of Nazi Germany, emphasizing the dangerous trajectory that such hatred can take.
- Mirroring the fear they felt during the Holocaust, modern-day survivors like Tirza Halivni now live in constant apprehension, equally shocked to see history repeating itself as they did on the night of 9 to 10 November 1938.
Source: www.dpa.com
