Holocaust Heroes to be Honored
Seventy-five years ago, the first Nazi-legislated riots against Jews took place in Germany and Austria, resulting in mass arrests, killings and deportations, and the destruction of synagogues and Jewish-owned stores.
Dr Tim Soutphommasane
This infamous night became known as Kristallnacht – the Night of Broken Glass. The pretext for the pogrom was the shooting by Herschel Grynszpan, a Polish Jewish refugee, of a German diplomat in Paris in response to his family being evicted from Germany.
Next month the community’s annual commemorative event will be held, organised by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies in conjunction with the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors & Descendants.
As a feature of the event, the Embassy of Israel will recognise Josifas and Agripina Meškėnas as Righteous Among the Nations on behalf of Yad Vashem for their courageous actions during the Holocaust.
Josifas and Argipina Meskenas provided asylum for Jews escaping persecution during the Holocaust in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The guest speaker will be recently-appointed Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane. Of Chinese and Lao extraction, he has written extensively on race and politics as a commentator for mainstream newspapers and as the author of books such as Don’t Go Back To Where You Came From: Why Multiculturalism Works.
The ceremony will take place at the Great Synagogue on Sunday, November 10 at 6.30pm. Inquiries: [email protected] or 9360 1600. The event is supported by the NSW Community Relations Commission.
