Sister Rose Thering Fund Kristallnacht Commemoration

To commemorate the 85^th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Sister Rose Thering Fund for Education in Jewish-Christian Studies will present an outdoor program on Thursday evening, November 9 on the University Green, beginning at 5 p.m. The entire Seton Hall community is invited to take part in the commemoration which will include a short program with speakers, music and reflection on the event many consider the first atrocity of the Holocaust.

Throughout Germany on November 9 and 10, 1938, homes and businesses of Jewish citizens were demolished during a Nazi-initiated pogrom that became known as Kristallnacht, or “the night of broken glass.” More than 900 synagogues were set on fire. Over those two days, cemeteries and Jewish institutions were vandalized and destroyed. Nearly 100 German Jews were murdered. There were suicides. Tens of thousands of Jewish men were arrested and put in concentration camps. Hundreds died there. 

“Eighty-five years later, and the world is still grappling with how hatred can destroy community,” said Executive Director and Associate Professor Anthony C. Sciglitano. “Our commemoration is designed to remind our students, our neighbors and our friends that now more than ever, we must engage in interreligious dialogue. Often, we hear that ignorance leads to fear. It may be equally true that fear keeps us ignorant. We need the courage to speak with one another, and as Pope Francis would say, to walk with one another. In the current context, our SRTF mission - to advance the legacy of Sister Rose Thering by fostering understanding and cooperation among Jews, Christians and people of other religious traditions through advocacy and education – is as critical today as it has ever been.”

Members of Seton Hall’s Theatre Department, working with Director of Production and Facilities Christopher Aurilio, will present a reading of Lyn Lifshin’s powerful poem “Crystal Night”.  Following, Interim Provost Erik Lillquist will address the gathering, and Msgr. C. Anthony Ziccardi, 2023 recipient of the Sister Rose Thering Fund Award for Outstanding Service to the Sister Rose Mission, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Coordinator for Undergraduate Admissions and Retention in Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Edward Meinhardt, the son of a Kristallnacht survivor and current Livingston Township Council member, will be the featured speaker, and Cantor Perry Fine, long-time friend of the Sister Rose Thering Fund and Cantor at Temple Beth Shalom, will perform an a capella adaptation of Mark Miller’s “I Believe”, the words of which were scratched onto a cellar wall by a Jew hiding in Cologne, Germany during the Holocaust.

For additional information, please visit the Kristallnacht Commemoration calendar listing or email the Sister Rose Thering Fund at [email protected].