68 Years Ago

68 years ago a modern day pogrom took place: Reichkristallnacht

Instigated by the Nazi leadership, attacks took place throughout Germany and Austria against Jews, their property, places of worship, schools, community centres and shops.

These attacks took place some three months after the Evian Conference, which did nothing to help German Jews or refuees, and emboldened Hitler at the complacent and the obvious ambivalence of the world's nations towards the crisis faced by European Jewry.

Now, contemporary antisemitism is nowhere near as volatile (or as crude) as it was in the 1930s, and overt antisemitism diminished after WW2, but with the progressive and negative attitudes which exist towards Jews it is extremely worrying, and could become much worse in the next 10-20 years.

Which makes me reflect on these troubling issues and think that it is certainly worthwhile asking the question:

what have we learnt in 68 years?