United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany

Wreath Laying Ceremony in Commemoration of the
73rd Anniversary of the Night of the Pogrom
Dresden, November 9, 2011
Ambassador Philip D. Murphy

Bürgermeister Hilbert,
Frau Dr. Goldenbogen,
Rabbi Almekias-Siegl,
Members of the Jewish communities in Dresden and Saxony,

I would like to thank the city of Dresden and the state of Saxony for including the US Embassy and our Consulate in Leipzig in this ceremony.  Consul General Mark Powell and I are honored to be here with you to commemorate the anniversary of the night of terror known as Kristallnacht. 

On the night of November 9, 1938, the sounds of breaking glass shattered the air in cities throughout Germany.  Fires across the country demolished synagogues and Jewish institutions. By the end of the rampage, Nazi storm troopers had destroyed 7,000 Jewish businesses.  Dresden’s historic synagogue, built by Gottfried Semper, was one of the 900 synagogues that were burnt down.  Ninety-one people were killed and some 30,000 Jewish men were deported to concentration camps.  It was the culminating event in a series of anti-Semitic policies set in place by the Nazi government.  From that point on, Jews were totally removed from German public life.  Today we remember the events of that night and the horror of the Holocaust that ensued.  Those memories dare not fade.  We must never lose sight of their searing lessons.

On this day, we also remember, however, the events that took place on November 9, 1989.  It was the culminating point in another series of events that transformed Germany and the world. 

The wall dividing East and West was breached, pushed down by brave citizens of the GDR.  Germany now stands at the center of a free, peaceful, prosperous, unified Europe.  But as we all know, history could have gone another way.  And, in some parts of the world, it did and it has.

And so, on this day, on the 9th of November every year, we must remember the call to action that both of the anniversaries that we celebrate on this day demand.  It is a reminder that when we learn of crimes that cry out against our conscience we cannot stand by, hoping that the world will fix itself.  The world can be a better place, but only if we all take it upon ourselves to build bridges between faiths and to take a stand against hatred and intolerance and injustice.  It is incumbent upon each of us to do our part.  

We must make sure that our young people never forget.  These lessons of history have to be part of what they learn at school and also what they learn at home.  Last month, my wife, Tammy, and I visited the Jewish cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee.  It was a moving lesson in history for us about Germany’s Jewish population – and we plan to take our four children back for them to share that experience.

But just as important as the past is the future.  Germany's Jewish community is growing in size and influence.  German Jews have stepped out of the shadows and set down stakes in German soil.  They are doing their part to make sure that the events we commemorate today not be eclipsed by the passage of time.  This has demanded courage.  As a result of their commitment, today we also celebrate another anniversary.  Ten years ago, a new synagogue, built on the same location as the Semper Synagogue, was opened.  I commend and congratulate the Jewish community in Dresden and Saxony and their friends and neighbors on this milestone. 

May we all never forget.