Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage Announces A Week of Special Programming Honoring Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass

11/4/21

As one of Ohio’s premiere educational resources for Holocaust education, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is proud to offer a week-long series of special public programs in honor of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, Night of the Broken Glass.

In 1938, Germany was under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Antisemitism had been escalating within Germany for five years, when a 17-year-old German-born Jew living in Paris protested the treatment of Jews by assassinating a German diplomat. In response German military and civilians carried out a series of violent attacks on November 9 and November 10, 1938, in an incident known as Kristallnacht.

Nazis torched 267 synagogues, destroyed 7,000 Jewish businesses, vandalized Jewish homes and schools, desecrated Jewish cemeteries, and killed close to 100 Jewish people. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, also called Night of Broken Glass, some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. The riots were designed to look spontaneous, but Nazi party officials and Hitler Youth were given instructions in advance and police and firefighters were told not to intervene unless it was to save non-Jewish homes and businesses.

Not all non-Jewish citizens participated in Kristallnacht. Some individuals bravely offered assistance to Jewish families at the risk of being killed or sent to concentration camps. However the majority of Germans watched passively, their silence as bystanders signaling that violence against Jews could be taken further, marking a turning point in history. Many Historians consider Kristallnacht the beginning of the Holocaust. Most Germans watched passively, their silence as bystanders signaling that violence against Jews could be taken further, marking a turning point in history. Many Historians consider Kristallnacht the beginning of the Holocaust.

Join the Maltz Museum and its partners for a week-long series of special public programs honoring the memory of victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Learn more online at, www.maltzmuseum.org/programs


SPECIAL EXHIBITION: STORIES OF SURVIVAL, OBJECT. IMAGE. MEMORY

VIRTUAL TOUR: FIRST & THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH @ 2PM
VISIT THE MUSEUM: OPEN WEDNESDAY THRU SUNDAY, 10AM – 5PM
ONLINE & IN-PERSON, MALTZ MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE, PRICES VARY

Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory. is a landmark exhibit that showcases more than 60 never-before-seen personal items brought to America by Survivors of the Holocaust and genocide. Exploring the relationship between objects, their meaning to the original owner and subsequent significance, each artifact is dramatically paired with oversized photographs by renowned documentarian Jim Lommasson with handwritten responses by Survivors or their family members. Though the objects and memories start from very different origins, from Germany to Belgium to Armenia to Syria, common threads bind them all together. These are the threads that bind us all. They are the commonality of an immigrant experience, an American experience.


THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE: THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7 @ 7 PM
IN-PERSON AT THE MALTZ PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, FREE

The Children of Willesden Lane is a critically acclaimed one-woman theatrical performance by concert pianist Mona Golabek. The show is based on her book of the same name, recounting her mother’s story of survival, resilience, and triumph during the Holocaust. Suitable for sixth grade and up.

A special virtual performance will also be offered on Monday, November 8 at 11am for schools and classrooms. Learn More.


FOR EDUCATORS & CLASSROOMS: KRISTALLNACHT, A TEACHABLE MOMENT

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 9 @ 1PM
VIRTUAL ON ZOOM, FREE

Kristallnacht is often viewed as a turning point. On this night, November 9, 1938, the persecution of the Jews became dramatically visible and undeniable. Marking the anniversary of Kristallnacht presents a unique teachable moment: what happens when people are deprived of basic rights and others stand by without acting? How does escalation occur? Why is it so important to fight hatred? Students and their teachers are invited to join this special webinar, presented by Sheryl Ochayon of Yad Vashem, to explore these issues.


BEARING WITNESS: HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR STORIES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 @ 11AM
VIRTUAL ON ZOOM, FREE

Every week, you can hear from first and second-generation Holocaust survivors, sharing their stories of life before, during, and after the Holocaust. This free online series is produced in partnership with Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in Cincinnati. This week, Dr. Al Miller, who attended the Berlin Olympics, escaped from Germany at age 15 before being reunited with his parents in England, will share his personal and powerful story.


HOLOCAUST DOCUMENTARY TALK-BACK: MURANOW

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 @ 3PM
VIRTUAL ON ZOOM, FREE

We are proud to present a free documentary film series exploring themes related to the Holocaust and other genocides with our partner, Classrooms Without Borders. This week, topic experts will discuss the film, Muranow. During World War II the Muranow neighborhood in Warsaw, Poland was turned into the Warsaw Ghetto. Today thousands of Polish people live in the rebuilt neighborhood, yet its dark past keeps haunts the residents. A link to watch the film for free, prior to the talk-back, will be provided at registration.


NEW EXHIBIT: VIOLINS AND HOPE, FROM THE HOLOCAUST TO SYMPHONY HALL

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 @ SUNDOWN: SHABBAT OF REMEMBRANCE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14 @ 2 PM: ARTIST TALK, AND BOOK LAUNCH
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 @ 2PM: ART WALK & TALK
IN-PERSON AT THE TEMPLE TIFERETH ISRAEL

The Maltz Museum is proud to partner with The Temple-Tifereth Israel on programing for the launch of their new exhibition Violins and Hope, on view Nov 12 – Feb 27, 2022. See renowned Israeli luthier (violin maker) Amnon Weinstein’s workshop come alive in more than 30 large scale photographs by Daniel Levin. The first photographer to document Amnon’s workshop in Tel Aviv, Levin captures a one-of-a-kind collection of violins that survived the Holocaust and the artful process for restoring them. Come for one, two, or all three events!

The atrocities of the Holocaust were preceded by the Armenian Genocide in which 1.5 million Armenians were systematically mass murdered. In honor of their memory, the Maltz Museum, and its partners, are proud to offer two upcoming programs about the Armenian Genocide.


GENOCIDE DOCUMENTARY TALK-BACK: WHAT WILL BECOME OF US

SUNDAY, NOVEMEBR 7 @ 3PM
VIRTUAL ON ZOOM, FREE

As part of our free documentary film series exploring themes related to the Holocaust and other genocides with our partner, Classrooms Without Borders, and topic experts, we present a talk-back on the film, What Will Become of Us, which follows six Armenian Americans as they navigate the 100th Anniversary of the Genocide and strive to forge identities for the next 100 years. A link to watch the film for free, prior to the talk-back, will be provided at registration.


EDUCATOR TRAINING WORKSHOP: NEW APPROACHES TO TEACHING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 @ 6PM
VIRTUAL ON ZOOM, FREE

Join the Maltz Museum, the Ohio Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education, and Facing History and Ourselves for a FREE educator workshop led by the California-based Genocide Education Project. Participants will learn the general contours of the history of the Armenian Genocide as well as how to use objects in the classroom for a powerful pedagogical experience.


These public programs and others can be found on the Maltz Museum website. To register, visit www.maltzmuseum.org/programs

 


Maltz Museum