On the night of November 9–10, 1938, synagogues were destroyed, Jewish businesses were ransacked, and numerous Jewish men and women were abused, arrested, or murdered throughout the German Reich. The synagogues in Epe and Gronau also fell victim to this Nazi violence. Kristallnacht marks a particularly cruel turning point in the systematic exclusion and persecution of the Jewish population, which ultimately reached its horrific climax in the Holocaust.
The memorial event was opened by Deputy Mayor Rövekamp. Following that, students from the Werner-von-Siemens-Gymnasium shared powerful impressions and accounts of their memorial trip to Auschwitz. Our class then commemorated the events of November 9 in Gronau, focusing in particular on the fates of Max Weyl, Ernst Lebenstein, and Hannelore and Liese Eichenwald. Pim Weierink provided musical accompaniment for the memorial service, lending it a dignified and fitting atmosphere.
Overall, it was a moving and successful event. We are honored to have helped shape this important form of remembrance and to have contributed to keeping alive the memory of the victims of National Socialism.
