Yesterday, Nov. 10th, was the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht [and if you don’t know much about it, I encourage you to read more here: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht%5D Kristallnacht is “the night of broken glass,” and it marked a shift into a very public phase of the state-sanctioned, deadly Anti-Semitism of the Nazi party. Kristallnacht included: The vandalism…… Continue reading Kristallnacht: Silence makes way for Violence
Category: World War II
Changing Your Mind
This weekend, I was in Detroit for the half marathon, and I spent a few hours at the Detroit Institute of Arts, which was really great. [I would recommend the whole city, actually; the Riverwalk is really beautiful, and the downtown is interesting and vibrant]. Anyway, while I was at the art museum, I ran…… Continue reading Changing Your Mind
Being There
A few weeks ago, as a part of our trip to France, I found myself standing on Omaha Beach with John, one windy morning. Have you been there? To be honest, Normandy is not a place that was on my bucket list (even though being married to a man who loves history means that I…… Continue reading Being There
The Holocaust, Memory and Ethical Loneliness
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day was designated by the United States General Assembly in 2005; January 27th is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. I encourage you to learn more about the history of this commemoration here: International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In addition, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a fabulous…… Continue reading The Holocaust, Memory and Ethical Loneliness
A Defiant and Triumphant Faith
The Jewish High Holidays are coming up–Rosh Hashanah starts next week–and so I was particularly moved by this story I read this morning in the New York Times: A Shofar that Defied the Nazis If you haven’t read it, please do–it is so powerful and such a tribute to the strength of human spirit and will.…… Continue reading A Defiant and Triumphant Faith
We Need a Bigger Boat
A few days ago, I went searching on The New York Times website because I wanted to see what happened in the no-confidence vote that took place in South Africa against President Jacob Zuma. [He survived, by a National Assembly vote of 198 to 177]. In pulling up the “World” section, I stumbled across…… Continue reading We Need a Bigger Boat
Reflections on a Topography of Terror
I’m trying to get my thoughts together here in the first week of Trump’s presidency. It’s hard, because I am feeling so rattled, so apprehensive, and frankly, so sick to my stomach. I live and operate out of a place of deep optimism and hope, always, but I am finding that place hard to…… Continue reading Reflections on a Topography of Terror
Happy Lutheran 