Asher Goldstein | 4 months ago | Comments (0)
This Torah was rescued from a burning synagogue during the oppression of the Jews in Nazi Germany.
Yesterday was a sick day for me--a day of rest, a self-instituted sabbath of sorts. Coincidentally, it was also my birthday, which I share with famed astronomer and guide of the Cosmos Carl Sagan. It was also the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. These three momentous occasions, all on November 9--what a treat, aside from my illness, of course.
That said, November 9 has always carried a somber tone for me. It's the anniversary of the start of Kristallnacht or the "Night of Shattered Glass"--a three day pogrom which took place in Germany and Austria. Many consider it to be the official start of the Holocaust, which infamously stole the lives of six million innocent Jews amongst teems of other blameless victims. Kristallnacht's harrowing moniker refers to the broken glass of synagogues, homes and Jewish places of business that were accosted by various Nazi forces. Most significantly, this date also marks the beginning of the roundups which eventually brought millions to their deaths in the concentration and later, death camps. More
