Heinz History Center & Jewish Community Center
November 9 & 11
6 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
A series of multimedia events presented by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh will commemorate the 79th anniversary of Kristallnacht this week.
Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” which occurred November 9-10, 1938, was the first organized government-sanctioned act of violence against Jews throughout Germany. Destroying synagogues and Jewish-owned properties, the pogrom ultimately led to the Holocaust. Its name comes from the broken glass that filled the streets after Jewish-owned stores, buildings and synagogues were smashed.
On Thursday night, the public is invited to a free reception and presentation at the History Center.
The multimedia work, “From Berlin to Pittsburgh: One Family’s Story,” chronicles the experiences of German-Jewish immigrant, Eric Moses, who came to Pittsburgh while his family remained in Berlin. Visitors will view archival photographs, documents and letters and will hear a talk by Eric’s daughter, Doris Moses Kennedy.
On Saturday, don’t miss a concert by the Berlin-based Semer Ensemble at the Jewish Community Center. The group’s varied repertoire ranges from new Jewish music to Russian folk to opera to Yiddish theater. The performance will showcase music from 1930s Berlin, and will amplify voices silenced by the destruction of the Semer record label during Kristallnacht.
