Long Beach commemorates Kristallnacht

Rabbi Eli Goodman walked around City Hall on Nov. 6 with a Torah in his hands, as residents touched and kissed the sacred artifact that survived Kristallnacht — also known as Night of the Broken Glass — during which thousands of Jewish shops and synagogues were destroyed throughout Germany and Austria.

On November 9, 1938, Nazi paramilitary forces and civilians murdered at least 91 people, decimating Jewish homes, hospitals, schools, and burning thousands of places of worship. The name, Night of Broken Glass, stems from the shards of shattered windows scattered throughout the streets following the tragic night, which many consider to be the start of the Holocaust.

But a 14-year-old Jewish boy, Isaac Schwartz, showed bravery that night, running over to a heap of Torahs being burned, and saving the holy scroll from the flames.

“Rather than everybody running away from the fire, he actually ran toward the fire to save one of those Torahs,” said Goodman, co-director for Chabad of the Beaches, after the ceremony.

Residents joined local officials and Holocaust survivors last Sunday at the city's 10th annual commemoration, sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Committee of Long Island. Goodman joined City Manager Jack Schnirman, County Legislator Denise Ford, State Sen. Todd Kaminsky and other community leaders to remember the horrific night, but also celebrate the artifact, which was buried by Schwartz in Hamburg, unearthed after the Holocaust, and meticulously refurbished.

“It’s making a tour literally around the world in all different communities for us to remember that although [Adolf] Hitler and the Nazis wanted to destroy the Jews, we still have this artifact,” said Elaine Wiener, a resident of Long Beach who helped organize the event.

Goodman said he arranged to have the Torah sent to Long Beach, as he received it from Toronto last week and shared it with the 100 or so community members in attendance. He added that many tears were shed as he walked around the room with it, and that it carried a strong essence wherever it went.

“We read it at our Synagogue…and people said they could smell from the parchment a little bit of smoke or fire,” Goodman said. “It’s something very powerful. A lot of Torahs have stories to tell, but this Torah has a big story to tell, and unfortunately it can’t speak.”

At the time of Kristallnacht, 30,000 were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps, marking the beginnings of the genocide of 6 million Jews. And though Goodman said many communities commemorate the Holocaust, Long Beach is one of the few that pays tribute to the Night of Broken Glass, and the Torah helped amplify that connection to the tragedy this year.

“On that terrible night, many risked their lives in the name of their faith,” Kaminsky said in a statement. “Our community was honored to receive a Torah which was saved 78 years ago from the fires…and [Schwartz’s] daring act that day represents the undying will and defiance of a spirit that cannot be broken. It is a true privilege to know that Long Beach has such a meaningful piece of history to remind us that we must never forget.”