Kristallnacht commemoration to be held in Amsterdam synagogue tonight

The Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam will host the annual commemoration of Kristallnacht on Thursday. The Nazis attacked Jewish people and destroyed their buildings and possessions throughout all of Germany on the evening of 9 November, leading into 10 November 1938. The windows of thousands of Jewish-owned stores were smashed, and 1,400 synagogues were set alight.

The commemoration starts at 6:30 p.m. and is being organized by the Centraal Joods Overleg (CJO), a coalition of Jewish organizations. The minister of Justice and Security, David van Weel, is among the people scheduled to give a speech at the commemoration. Holocaust survivor and CJO chairman Channa Hertzberger will also speak. There will also be live music and a moment of silence for the victims of the attack.

With the commemoration, the CJO wants to "express solidarity with the Jewish community and work together for a future in which respect, tolerance and understanding are central," it said. “Let us keep alive the memory of this dark period in history and continue to reiterate the lessons it has taught us so that together we can work towards a world without hatred and discrimination.”