Holocaust commemoration held in Naples – Survivor shares vivid account of perils he faced as a child

It was on the night of Nov. 9-10, 1938, when members of the Nazi party sponsored anti-Jewish riots (pogroms) which attacked Jewish persons and destroyed Jewish owned property in Germany and Austria. Known as “Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass,” this event is regarded by historians as “the Night the Holocaust began” in Europe, which ultimately led to the murder of more than six million Jews.

To remember those events and to stand united in saying “Always Remember!” “Never Forget!” and “Never Again!” the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County (CJD) hosted its 21st annual “Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass” on Nov. 17, 2024, at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples. The event was co-sponsored by the Diocese of Venice and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, GenShoah of SWFL, and the Holocaust Museum and Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center.

On behalf of the Diocese, Bishop Frank J. Dewane said the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue has really demonstrated a forward-looking vision, forming an ongoing relationship despite what is found in our own society.

“We cannot let the differences between us threaten the depth of the bond that is religious, theological, spiritual, and personal in many ways,” Bishop Dewane said. “We the people of our respective faiths have travelled the long and winding road in terms of history. The shared history has seen some dark days and many bright days. We are, and must continue to be, men and women of dialogue.”

The featured speaker was John Koenigsberg, who shared his Holocaust survival story. Koenigsberg was 5 when the Gestapo took away his grandfather and forced his family into hiding in occupied Holland. He would spend the next two years in the care of a Catholic family who took him in, while the fate of his parents remained unknown to him.

Koenigsberg was nearly eight when Allied forces liberated the Netherlands in 1945 and he later reunited with his parents, but he never saw his grandfather and many other family members again. During those two years in hiding, his home was a small cottage in a Nazi-controlled village in southern Holland, hidden away by the Snijckers, a sympathetic couple with four children of their own.

“I am one of the very, very fortunate ones,” Koenigsberg said. “Only seven percent of children under the age of 16 survived the Holocaust. By recent estimates, there are probably less than 75,000 fellow survivors left in the world.”

Following a lengthy application process, the national Holocaust memorial in Israel granted the “Righteous Among the Nations” honors to the Snijckers and added their names to the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous in Jerusalem in 2009. This is the highest honor Yad Vashem bestows upon non-Jews who risked their lives to come to the aid of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

“If it was not for the bravery of Mom and Pop Snijckers – I, my children, grandchildren and generations of descendants in the future would not exist,” Koenigsberg said. “The reason I speak about my experiences and relive these memories is because I believe the lessons of the Holocaust should not become a footnote in history. We must educate younger generations and imbue them with a spirit of remembrance as well as the mission to combat all forms of racial, religious and ethnic hatred before it’s too late.”

A poignant moment during the annual commemoration was a candle lighting ceremony. Six candles were lit by Gen Shoah (first- second- and third-generation Holocaust survivors). Each lit their candle for the victims of the Holocaust and for a brighter future. A seventh candle was lit for the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel and included a call for the return of 95 remaining hostages.

The CJD is affiliated with Jewish Federation of Greater Naples and the Collier County Parishes of the Diocese of Venice. Its purpose is to engage Catholics and Jews in understanding history and advancing the cause of mutual understanding and appreciation of differences as well as commonalities.

Catholic-Jewish gathering remembers Kristallnacht, addresses recent violence in Holy Land

It was on the night of Nov. 9-10, 1938, when members of the Nazi party sponsored anti-Jewish riots (pogroms) which attacked Jewish persons and destroyed Jewish owned property in Germany and Austria. Known as “Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass,” this event is regarded by historians as “the Night the Holocaust began” in Europe, which ultimately led to the murder of more than six million Jews.

To remember those events and to stand united in saying “Always Remember!” “Never Forget!” and “Never Again!” the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County hosted its 20th annual “Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass” on Nov. 5, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Naples. The event was co-sponsored by the Diocese of Venice and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, GenShoah of SWFL, and the Holocaust Museum and Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center.

On behalf of the Diocese, Bishop Frank J. Dewane said it is necessary to come together to remember Kristallnacht and the Holocaust which followed, but the commemoration takes place in a global context. This is as the world witnesses the contemporary events of the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas on Israeli citizens, as well as an alarming rise of anti-Semitism nationally and within the Diocese of Venice.

“In the present global setting, dialogue, diplomacy, and reaching understanding are more difficult and yet ever more needed,” Bishop Dewane said. “Finding receptive ears that listen to the voices that express nuanced perspective, however, is a challenge. The present circumstances give possible rise to disagreements between Catholics and Jews if we are not careful and attentive.”

With its purpose to engage Jews and Catholics in understanding their past history and advancing the causes of mutual understanding and appreciation of their differences as well as their commonalities, Bishop Dewane praised the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue and its important work.

Bishop Dewane stressed how Pope Francis, a lifelong promoter of Catholic-Jewish relations, immediately and unequivocally condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7 brutal violence, and called for the immediate release of hostages, and further supported Israel’s right to self-defense.

“We must all pray that world leaders find just solutions that lead to peace,” Bishop Dewane said. “There is a futility of war. It has no victors, only victims. We must all pursue the gift of peace by any means possible.”

Further, the Bishop said it is not in anyone’s interest to allow the forces of violence and hatred to ignite resentment among people of faith and silence the moral voice of religion.

“The spiritual bonds that unite us through the One True God must be observed. It must allow us to speak candidly to one another, and to stand together for justice, peace, and freedom of humankind,” the Bishop concluded.

Nearly 1,000 attended the commemoration, which included calls for peace and unity among the people of the world. There were also prayers for the victims of the Holocaust and Oct. 7 attacks, as well as for all who are subjected to religious persecution.

A poignant moment during the annual commemoration was a candle lighting ceremony. Six candles were lit by Gen Shoah (second and third generation Holocaust survivors). Each lit their candle for the victims of the Holocaust and for a brighter future. A seventh candle was lit for the victims of the Oct. 7 terror attacks.

In addition, Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer, of Bat Yam Temple of the Islands in Sanibel, shared the story of how the Torah – the books of the Hebrew Bible – was a survivor of the Holocaust from the present-day Czech Republic, and was then spared damage during Hurricane Ian in September 2022 when the island and temple were flooded.

The event’s keynote was by Rabbi David Maayan, assistant director of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at St. Leo University in Tampa. The topic: “Theologies of the ‘Other’: Catholics and Jews After the Holocaust.”

The commemoration concluded with the singing of “God Bless America,” and Bishop Dewane leading everyone in a moment of silence for peace.

Among the dignitaries participating in the commemoration were, Michael A. Feldman, co-founder of the Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida; Dr. Nat Ritter, Board Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples; Marty Gauthier, Dialogue Catholic co-chair; Yvonne Holtzman, Dialogue Jewish co-chair and member of Gen Shoah; Rabbi Ariel Boxman of Temple Shalom; Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer, Bat Yam Temple of the Islands; Shelley Lieb, co-chair of Gen Shoah; Rabbi Adam Miller, Temple Shalom; Rabbi Ammos Chorny, Beth Tikvah; Father Robert Kantor, Pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Naples; Father Robert Garrity, of Ave Maria University; and Father Casey Jones, Pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton, the host Parish. Also present were more than two dozen youth who are in the Confirmation program at St. Agnes Parish.

Kristallnacht Holocaust commemoration Nov. 5 in Naples

Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County hosts visiting scholar, Holocaust remembrance for “Night of Broken Glass”

The Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County (CJD) invites the community to its annual commemorative service of Kristallnacht or “Night of Broken Glass,” which historians consider the beginning of the Holocaust.

The free public event takes place on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, 5225 Golden Gate Parkway in Naples.

Kristallnacht recounts the attacks on Jewish communities throughout Germany on Nov. 9-10, 1938. The Kristallnacht commemorative event memorializes the six million Jews and millions of others who were exterminated during the Holocaust.

“For more than 20 years, members of our two faiths have gathered together in search of a deeper understanding of the forces that bring us together, not drive us apart,” said Ginny Segaloff, chair of the commemoration program. “And a full 85 years later, amid growing antisemitism and violent hate crimes, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as vital – and necessary – as ever.”

The event’s speaker will be Rabbi David Maayan, assistant director of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at St. Leo University in Tampa. The topic: Theologies of the “Other”: Catholics and Jews After the Holocaust.

The CJD is affiliated with Jewish Federation of Greater Naples and the Collier County Parishes of the Diocese of Venice. Its purpose is to engage Catholics and Jews in understanding history and advancing the cause of mutual understanding and appreciation of differences as well as commonalities.

The event, which is marking its return to in-person gatherings after several years as virtual-only, is sponsored by CJD, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, the Diocese of Venice in Florida, GenShoah of SWFL, and the Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center. The host location rotates annually between Jewish temples and community centers and Catholic Parishes.

All are welcome, and advance registration is requested at https://jfgn.regfox.com/kristallnacht-2023-program.

 

 

Catholic-Jewish gathering commemorates start of Holocaust

Bob Reddy – Florida Catholic

This year marks the 81st anniversary of “Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass.” It was on the night of Nov. 9, 1938, when members of the Nazi party attacked Jewish persons and destroyed Jewish owned property in Germany and Austria. Kristallnacht is generally regarded as the beginning of the Holocaust in Europe which ultimately led to the murder of more than six million Jews.

To commemorate those events, the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County hosted its annual “Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass” Nov. 17 at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples. The event, now in its 16th year, was co-sponsored by the Diocese of Venice and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.

On behalf of the Diocese, Bishop Frank J. Dewane said that while Kristallnacht may seem like the distant past, the threat remains. Bishop Dewane quoted Pope Francis who recently expressed his concern about reports of escalating anti-Semitic violence around the world, even in the United States, including acts of vandalism.

“It is as if we are beginning again and that some glass might be shattering,” the Bishop continued. “We gather so the past is not forgotten or still worse allowed to be denied by some. We gather to remember the lives, the human beings, that were lost to the senselessness that occurred. Inhumane violence of another time. In so doing, we strive to prevent, by our gathering, the recurrence of Kristallnacht and the Holocaust.”

The keynote speaker was Rabbi Stephen Fuchs of the Bat Yam Temple of the Islands on Sanibel. Rabbi Fuchs’ spoke about his father, a victim of Kristallnacht who was arrested and sent to Dachau concentration camp. He was fortunate to have escaped with his life, unlike the more than six million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust.

“We cannot undo the past,” Rabbi Fuchs said. “The future is ours to share. What kind of future will it be? The answer is in our hands.”

In a moving tribute, survivors of the Holocaust lit candles in honor of those Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. A candle was also lit by second- and third-generation survivors. The candles served as a symbolic commitment that those in attendance are responsible for one another and there is no room in the world for hatred. And to say “Never Again!”