(Courtesy of Young Israel of West Hartford) On Sunday, November 17, the Young Israel of West Hartford hosted its sixth annual Margot Jeremias Memorial Kristallnacht Commemoration Lecture featuring noted public educator and intellectual, Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz, entitled “The Holocaust & Today: The Use of Holocaust Analogies to the Present Day.” The lecture drew a large audience from across the Greater Hartford Jewish community in addition to a substantial international viewership on Zoom.
Dedicated in loving memory of Margot Jeremias, z”l, the annual lecture, planned to coincide with Kristallnacht (November 9-10), seeks to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust in general and the events of Kristallnacht in particular. Jeremias, z”l was only 12 years old on that infamous November night. Kristallnacht, for her, represented the moment that would irrevocably alter the course of her life. Born in 1926, Jeremias survived the Holocaust, came to America and raised two daughters, seven grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. She devoted her life to telling her story as a Holocaust survivor and teaching the next generation about peace, tolerance and standing up in the face of evil.
As lecture sponsor Helen Loew shared, “My mother, Margot Jeremias, felt that the events in Germany and particularly those of Kristallnacht, a pivotal event in her life, did not get enough attention. It wasn’t until our son Daniel was in school and his teacher asked my mother to speak to his class that she began to talk publicly about the horrors she lived through. She shared her experiences many times and always spoke of the importance of an education, the need to be kind to others, to be open-minded but still vigilant. She was very proud of her family and spoke of her eighteen great-grandchildren as proof that Hitler did not win.”
The lecture analyzed not only the appropriate and precise historical lens and gaze to approach contemporary events but also addressed what the events of the Holocaust have to teach us about the lives we are living now and the situation we are in today. Listeners left inspired and informed by Dr. Press Schwartz’s eloquent presentation, depth of wisdom and thoughtful analysis. “That was the best Holocaust lecture I’ve heard in my life,” remarked one attendee. “It was educational about the Holocaust while remaining deeply relevant to the present day and included a strong call to action! It was truly excellent.”
The annual Margot Jeremias Memorial Kristallnacht Commemoration Lecture is hosted and convened by the Young Israel of West Hartford in partnership with Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford and Connecticut’s Voices of Hope. The Young Israel of West Hartford is a vibrant multigenerational Modern Orthodox synagogue. With over 150 families, the Young Israel is more than just a synagogue—it is a community serving the spiritual, social and educational needs of the Greater Hartford region.
This lecture and a complete archive of past speakers, including Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, renowned Nazi hunter Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Rabbi Brahm Weinberg and Dr. Avinoam Patt, are available on the website at www.youngisraelwh.org/jeremiasmemoriallecture.
