The Night of Broken Glass

I can breathe a sigh of relief now that the holidays are over. I am not a Christmas-type person...

For me, December usually means a time of increased busyness with more activities taking place in the chapel, and more demands being placed upon me. So from my viewpoint, the holidays really end up being more stressful as opposed to being joyful and restful. Besides, being Jewish, I feel more of a bond and kinship with the holiday called Hanukkah, also known as the "Festival of Lights," than I do Christmas.

In any case, this year I am hoping to start off with a season of refreshing and recuperation, which I am in desperate need of. I also hope to get more reading done. I love to read. Yet I think I do so little of it. I want this to change.

Therefore, as of yesterday morning, I opened the plastic bin that I keep beneath my bunk and retrieved from it one of my favorite books from my small personal collection. I've begun to reread Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction, by famed historian
Martin Gilbert.
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In English, 'Kristallnacht' means the "Night of the Broken Glass" when both German soldiers and many ordinary citizens began to attack and harass Jewish people throughout the country. Jewish homes, businesses and houses of worship were severely damaged, or destroyed altogether. For the Jews of Europe, Kristallnacht meant the beginning of the end for many of them. It's a sad tale of anti-Semitism gone mad and out of control.

Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction
(Making History)

Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction is not a religious book. Rather it's a book about an historical event. I am humbled as I read it because, for me, it is a sobering reminder that such a horrible thing as the Holocaust could happen again, and it probably will. It is only a matter of time.

D.B.