Rabbi’s Message

Nov 10, 2011 by Erin    No Comments    Posted under: Rabbi's Message

Below is an excerpt from the invocation delivered by

Rabbi Sklarz at the Greenwich Krystallnacht Service 

Dear Friends,

Some seventy three years ago in Germany, a land so associated with enlightenment, the unthinkable took place, which led to the extermination of millions throughout Europe.  We are all too aware of the atrocities of the horrific pogrom we call Krystallnacht, the ransacking of Jewish businesses and homes and the destruction of nearly 2,000 synagogues throughout Germany and Austria on November 9-10,1938. 

Last summer on a visit to Berlin, I saw firsthand the remnants of a world which had once been:

a thriving center of Jewish culture and scholarship that had flourished for centuries wedded with the 19th & 20th century Jewish contributions to the arts, medicine, science, technology, and social science.  

Yet as we know, with a swift change in power, the climate experienced a cataclysm of unprecedented proportions. In one night, Jewish property and holy sites were razed to the ground by fire and axe, and soon after, Jews and all deemed as untermenchen, or subhumans, were led to the flames of extermination. While this is a part of Jewish and world history, it will be little more than a footnote if we fail to learn the lessons from our past.

Sadly, I must share that a nationwide survey of the American people found that anti-Semitic attitudes have risen in America. Accordingly, 15% of Americans – nearly 35 million adults – hold deeply anti-Semitic views. At a time in which unemployment and economic insecurity are rife in our nation, a growing percentage of Americans expressed that "Jews have too much control or influence," as well as increased percentages who believe Jews "have too much power in the United States," "use shady practices," and "talk too much about the Holocaust."

My friends, let us learn from our past lest history repeat itself. May we work vigilantly to dispel negative images of all groups. May we ever strive to build bridges between all peoples; thus endeavoring to create a world of justice and compassion for all.

Ken y'hi Razon – May it be your will – O God. Amen.

b'Shalom,

Rabbi Andy

Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MSW 

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