By Bette Zaret
The Holocaust began when Hitler came to power in 1933, however, the night of November 9, 1938, marks a major turning point when the growing hostility against Jews and the increasingly repressive anti-Jewish laws in Germany and surrounding countries erupted into violence. It was during this November Pogrom, known more commonly by the German term Kristallnacht, that amid much destruction, temples and torah scrolls were destroyed in Germany, Austria, Prussia, and Czechoslovakia.
We remember the Holocaust and this heinous period in our history so that we and future generations are taught vital lessons, stand up to all expressions of hatred, and strive for a more peaceful and accepting world.
This year, the Federation’s commemoration of Kristallnacht, which is free and open to the public, will take place on Sunday, November 10 at 3:00 p.m. at The Ora at the Morganroth Event Center in Sarasota. Pre-registration is required, so click here to register or for more details.
That night we will honor both the survivors who bore witness to these tragic events, and to the many Torah scrolls miraculously rescued from Czechoslovakia that also bore witness to the atrocities. This occasion is a profound reminder of the importance of remembrance, the enduring impact of history, and the tangible links from past generations to today.
We are filled with gratitude for the UK Memorial Scrolls Trust with whom we shall celebrate their 60th Anniversary during this event. The Memorial Scrolls Trust has graciously given 98 Jewish organizations in the state of Florida the honor of being the stewards of these precious Torah scrolls, including our Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee
Holocaust Education Week
For over 30 years, the State of Florida has mandated the teaching of the Holocaust. Now in its fourth year, Florida’s Board of Education requires that all schools recognize the second week of November, chosen specifically to coincide with Kristallnacht, as “Holocaust Education Week.” In working closely with local teachers and schools, our goal is to directly help them fulfill this mandate.
Holocaust education provides a lens through which educators can continue to show their students the ultimate results of unchecked and normalized expressions of hatred. The Federation is committed to help foster greater and accurate knowledge of the Holocaust, raise awareness about the possible consequences of antisemitism, and help promote the ability to counter Holocaust denial and distortion.
The Jewish Federation maintains and distributes an exhaustive compendium of Holocaust education resources, grade-appropriate lesson plans, art projects, and a range of programs slated for Holocaust Education Week, including: a Holocaust Educator Guide, an online Holocaust Educator Resource Center, Professional Development for Holocaust Educators, in-person events and the planting of daffodil gardens which, as part of the global Daffodil Project, seeks to plant 1.5 million daffodils around the world to remember and honor the 1.5 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust.
Programming includes the opportunity for students to hear directly from Holocaust, and Second-Generation Survivors, and Liberators. In the past 10 years, over 20,000 school children and adults have had the life-changing experience of listening to a survivor share their story of resilience, inner strength, courage, and hope.
This year, one of our most dedicated and inspiring speakers, PFC Arthur Sheridan, a U.S. Army veteran who valiantly served in WWII and who was among the soldiers who liberated the Dachau Concentration Camp, sadly, will no longer be sharing his story of strength, courage and patriotism with us. Art passed away on September 26, 2024 at the age of 99, one year short of his 100th birthday, and the 80th Anniversary of the end of WWII and the liberation of the concentration and killing camps.
We honor Art’s memory and owe him a debt of gratitude for his service, and his dedication to teaching students about World War II and the horrors of war, and the Holocaust. He will always be remembered in our hearts.
For more information, or to help with the Federation’s Holocaust Education Initiative, contact Bette Zaret at bzaret@jfedsrq.org or 941-228-3676. For educational resources, lesson plans, and survivor stories, click here. To help support the Holocaust Education Initiative, click here.