Over 1,000 Synagogues to Illuminate Windows for Kristallnacht Anniversary

More than 1,000 synagogues and Jewish institutions worldwide will leave their lights on overnight Monday to mark the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht. This visual reminder serves as a direct response to the Nazi pogrom of November 9-10, 1938, which historians identify as a precursor to the Holocaust. During that violent period, Jewish homes, businesses, and institutions across Germany and Austria were attacked, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Jews and the deportation of thousands to concentration camps.

The 'Spread the Light' campaign encourages participants to photograph their illuminated buildings and share the images on social media using the hashtag #SpreadtheLight. Dalia Yohanan, who coordinates the project through her organization Or Dolek, confirmed that at least 1,000 institutions participated in the previous year's event. The initiative is jointly led by the Religious Kibbutz Movement and Yad Vashem.

Yohanan described the night of Kristallnacht as a turning point for the Nazis in their effort to destroy the Jewish people. She noted that after the pogrom, the aggressors perceived that they could act with impunity while the world remained silent. The initiative was originally launched in 2008 for the 70th anniversary by Rabbi Yechiel Wasserman, head of the Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora in the World Zionist Organization. Wasserman started the project before social media was prevalent, and it initially received little publicity. Yohanan took over coordination when the original leaders decided not to continue.

Yohanan’s involvement is personal. Her father, Naftali (Kurt) Wertheim, survived Kristallnacht as a boy by hiding under a table while neighbors threw stones at his family’s windows. Shortly after, his parents sent him on a Kindertransport rescue to Britain, a move that saved his life while they were killed. Wertheim later settled in Israel and joined the kibbutz movement. Yohanan recalled that when her father saw the lights on in synagogues during the first year of the project, he was overwhelmed. He described the sight of the synagogue lights burning all night as beautiful.

Yohanan said the anniversary has become a time to celebrate the strengthening of Jewish identity, particularly in the post-October 7 world. She emphasized that the focus of this day is on learning rather than mourning, distinguishing it from other Holocaust memorial days. She acknowledged that many communities are afraid to shine their light externally for fear of being seen. The campaign serves as a way to strengthen those communities by signaling that they are not alone.