Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass Exactly 76 years ago in 1938 mobs of people rampaged throughout Germany attacking Jews, and burning down Jews homes, businesses, and synagogues. 267 synagogues were destroyed by the rioters and around 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses had their windows shattered. Around 100 Jews were killed during the pogrom, and out of the 30,000 that were sent to concentration camps, hundreds more perished. The German government blamed the Jews for the violence, forcing them to pay for all of the damage by fining the Jewish community around $400 million and collecting all of the insurance monies that should have been disbursed to the Jews. Firemen stood outside of their stations silently as they watched synagogues and homes incinerate into ash. This night represented a turning point in Germany. The compliance of the German people allowed for the National Socialist party to expand its system of hate. Aryanization policies, such as those barring jewish admittance into German theaters and schools, ensued. Ive often wondered what may have happened if people spoke up on that fateful night. What If the firemen had fought the fires? What if the police had prevented the violence? What if the neighbors of Jews had barricaded their doors. Edmund Burke said, All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. What if everyone had not fallen into passivity and had made noise? I really think history may have been different. Heres some of my favorite quotes from MLK germane to taking action. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” “Never, never be afraid to do whats right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Societys punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” “A man who wont die for something is not fit to live.” “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” The time is always right to do the right thing.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 19:12:19 +0000
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