The Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County invites the community to attend its annual Kristallnacht commemoration. This year’s event takes place on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 2:30 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 625 111th Ave. North in North Naples.
The free public event memorializes the six million Jews and millions of others who were exterminated during the Holocaust. Kristallnacht means the “Night of Broken Glass” and recounts the attacks on Jewish communities throughout Germany and Austria on Nov. 9-10, 1938. Historians consider Kristallnacht to mark the night the Holocaust began.
“The Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County has collaborated for more than 20 years in search of a deeper understanding of the ties that unite, not divide,” said Ginny Segaloff, chair of the commemoration program. “And while it’s been 86 years since Kristallnacht, the lessons of the Holocaust remain as vital and necessary as ever.”
The guest speaker is John Koenigsberg, who will share his Holocaust survival story. In the spring of 1943, 5-year-old John was brought to the home of Johannes and Anna Snijckers by the Dutch resistance.
The Catholic family protected John despite the risk of great personal danger by the occupying Nazis. John was lovingly accepted by “Mama and Papa” Snijckers as their fifth child and was welcomed by the couple’s other four children as their little brother. He attended the same Catholic primary school as the other children and was reunited with his parents at the end of the war.
The CJD is a subcommittee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples and affiliated with the Collier County parishes of the Diocese of Venice. Its purpose is to engage Catholics and Jews in understanding history and advancing the cause of mutual understanding and appreciation of differences as well as commonalities.
Additional event sponsors include the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, the Diocese of Venice in Florida, GenShoah of SWFL, and the Holocaust Museum & Janet G. and Harvey D. Cohen Education Center. The host location rotates between Jewish temples and community centers, and Catholic parishes.
Those interested in attending are asked to register in advance at https://jfgn.regfox.com/kristallnacht-2024
About Jewish Federation of Greater Naples
The Jewish Federation of Greater Naples is the thread that runs through the fabric of the Jewish community, its organizations and services, connecting us all. The Federation supports programs for Jewish people and the entire community in need in the greater Naples area, Israel and throughout the world, providing food for the hungry and counseling for the troubled, spearheading rescue and relief efforts for isolated Jews in distressed regions, and funding innovative Jewish educational and unity initiatives. The Federation creates a sense of community for thousands of Jewish residents in Greater Naples and its surrounding areas by creating and supporting programs to further Jewish learning, identity, pride and culture. Federation meets the challenge of providing for the needs of our Jewish brethren, wherever they may be, from young children and families to seniors. For information, visit jewishnaples.org, call 239-263-4205 or email info@jewishnaples.org.
