Stories of Kristallnacht

Join the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in partnership with the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library for our annual Kristallnacht Commemoration on Sunday, November 8 , presented this year at the Downtown Main Library. Kristallnacht, or "Night of Broken Glass," was a wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms that took place on November 9-10, 1938, throughout Germany, annexed Austria, and parts of Czechoslovakia, marking a significant escalation in the Nazi persecution of Jewish people. This year's commemoration will feature a panel discussion with descendants sharing their family's experiences on Kristallnacht and its lasting impact across generations. • Judith Wertheim Rapport : Judith's grandfather, Walter Wertheim was born in Moenchengladbach, a small German town on the border of the Netherlands. He was 13 years old and on his way to school when Kristallnacht changed his life forever. • Edna Southard : Edna's grandfather, Arnold Alexander was co-owner of Alexander Brothers, a successful clothing store in Essen, Germany. On Kristallnacht, the store was destroyed, and Arnold was imprisoned in a concentration camp. • Steve Coppel : Steve's father Werner Coppel was born in Moers, Germany. On Kristallnacht, the synagogue where Werner had just celebrated his bar mitzvah seven months prior was not destroyed. But Kristallnacht was a warning. The program coincides with Stories of Kristallnacht , a special exhibition on view from October 2026 through Janu