85 years since Kristallnacht, Holocaust survivors say they once again feel unsafe as Jews

International March of the Living: “We never believed that we would once again hear a Holocaust survivor say, ‘I don’t feel safe.’ We never believed we would relive those days again.”

Marking 85 years since the Kristallnacht pogrom, the International March of the Living today released testimonies of Holocaust survivors expressing how they feel afraid as Jews and calling for immediate help in fighting the recent surge in antisemitism. The survivors, whose testimonies were collected since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, say the brutal attack echoed the horrors they witnessed during the Holocaust.

Out of fear for their safety, The International March of the Living does not want to reveal their names and locations as they are concerned that it could place them and their families in immediate danger. 

Holocaust survivor M. said, “I think twice before I wear my Star of David. I am afraid to go to the synagogue,” while survivor G. added, “Never since the Holocaust are Jews so threatened.” D., another survivor, noted, “The October 7 terror attack brought back so many memories of what I saw as a child.”  

On November 9t, 1938, eighty-five years ago today, Nazi paramilitary forces, along with German civilians, burned and vandalized over 1,400 Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues. They murdered 91 Jews and arrested 30,000 Jewish men, sending them to concentration camps. 

International March of the Living Chair Dr. Shmuel Rosenman and President Phyllis Greenberg Heideman: “Listening to the survivors was heartbreaking. We never believed that we would once again hear a Holocaust survivor say, ‘I don’t feel safe,’ or ‘I’m afraid to go to the synagogue,’ or ‘I’m afraid they’ll hurt me.’ We never believed that we would relive those days again.”

Please find the full testimonies below:

M., Holocaust Survivor, USA

It is a catastrophe that is happening today – not only Hamas but the antisemitism in the universities. Before, I went outside with a Magen David on my shirt – now I think twice about it. Who would have thought that after the Holocaust, it would happen again? We are the chosen ones again. Should I go to temple? I am afraid. I feel distinct. We know that they are antagonizing us. Where did these college students become so agitated? How did Jews harm them? Where does it come from? I just pray that Israel will win. I’m glad that the US government is not against Israel. 

G., Holocaust Survivor, USA

My view of the current situation is gut-wrenching. Israel and the Jewish community worldwide are in a fight for their very existence. Never since the Holocaust have Jews been so threatened. Our Jewish state, Israel, is determined to eradicate Hamas at all costs of Jewish lives. They must have our support. All our lives depend on it! 

We’ll emerge victorious, and the world will be a better place. We’ll come to understand that everyone has the same right to live in peace regardless of race, the color of their skin, eyes, or hair, and we don’t have to love everybody, but we have to respect everybody on this planet.

T., Holocaust Survivor, Israel

I was four years old when the Gestapo came on Kristallnacht (November 9, 1938) and beat my father before taking him to Dachau, where he perished. I never thought in my life that something as terrible as now would happen again. On October 7, Hamas came and slaughtered children, young and old. I have to say honestly, all the lectures I give, and I give a lot, in Israel, in Germany, and wherever I can, but I think back 85 years ago to how horrible it was, and here we are, experiencing it again. I’m frustrated, and I am heartbroken to think what these people experienced, and I hope that everyone who hears and sees this will know what we are experiencing in Israel.”

B., Holocaust Survivor, Europe

It is unbelievable that more than 80 years after the Holocaust, we are witnessing a significant increase in antisemitic events worldwide. No, I do not fear for my life and my family’s safety. I am confident that Israel will prevail and eliminate the threat soon. I trust in the power and strength of the Jewish State. But as a child (a hidden boy) born in 1937, I don’t recall a similar situation, except for the fear my family and I felt during the Nazi German occupation of my home country, Greece. I could never have imagined that one day, I would witness demonstrations and attacks against Israel and Jews on TV screens. What Hamas did to the Israelis on October 7 is as cruel, barbaric, and tragic as what the Nazis did to the Jews 80 years ago. When I see Jewish homes marked with the Magen David, it brings back nightmarish memories from my childhood, reminding me of swastikas and concentration camps. My message is that we, the Jewish people, have endured significant suffering throughout our history, with the Holocaust being the darkest period. Though the current times are challenging, thanks to the brave IDF, a sense of normalcy will soon return to the State of Israel and the Jewish Diaspora.

D., Holocaust Survivor, USA

“When it all happened on October 7, I couldn’t believe it. I’ve had sleepless nights since, and it just brought back so many memories. It is so visual of what I saw as a child. Now this. I don’t know how to cope, don’t know how to digest it. It’s all so difficult. I have a hard time coping with what I read and what I hear, and what I see on TV. I can’t come to terms with it. It’s so hard.

N., Holocaust Survivor, Canada.

The events of 10/7 are beyond imagination and too horrible to understand. I am very troubled by this and am struggling to retain my equilibrium. It was the worst pogrom since the Shoah. My optimism is shattered. We must collectively feel the pain felt by parents whose child is abducted and threatened with death. Hamas’s barbarism is equal and almost exceeds what I experienced during the Shoah. 

I remember when I was a little boy growing up in Poland after the rise of Nazi Germany and the events of Kristallnacht. I remember being attacked on the streets and being yelled at, “Dirty Jews, go to Palestine.” I was required to wear the Star of David. I was forced out of my home into the ghetto, and from there, my family and I were deported to Auschwitz, where almost my entire family was murdered.

It started with words and continued with actions. I am devastated to see how Jews are being attacked today. Jews are not safe.  I saw where antisemitism can lead to, and I am very concerned.

E. Holocaust Survivor, Canada

As a child survivor of the Holocaust, I am terrified as I witness the news, which raises anxiety, fear, and deja vu. The Holocaust did not begin in 1939. It began much before, in small increments of restrictions and discrimination and denial of rights to Jews in Europe. 

“Never again” is a phrase heard over and over to underline that the tragedy of the Holocaust must never be allowed to happen again. But what we have learned since, is that the world and we humans who inhabit it, repeatedly do unto each other what no other species would do.

October 7, 2023 marked a black day, a day of violence and violation, of cruelty, of barbarism, and unspeakable evil by Hamas. 

The world seems a dark place right now as it teeters on the brink of what could easily turn into WWIII. The rise in antisemitism all over the world, the political instability of powerful nations, and the effects of what we have done to our planet bringing the power of nature to cause such suffering and damage to many. 

The IDF is not only fighting to protect Israel. They are fighting to protect all of us from the evil of fundamental extremism of Hamas and its plainly stated objectives…to kill Jews, not only in Israel, but Jews everywhere. History repeats itself, and those of us who have lived it before are terrified for all the younger generations who follow us…for you!

It is hard to find hope, yet as Elie Wiesel explains, man cannot live without hope. We must find the hope that Israel can defend herself, can return to democracy, and can provide the anchor we, Jews all over the world, so critically need.

B., Holocaust Survivor, USA

I was in six concentration and death camps during the Holocaust, and I survived. It was so hard for me to see the horrific terror attack in Israel, to see Jewish people get killed for nothing. Hamas terrorists went and cut off the heads of children – that’s unbelievable. I’m very concerned. Nobody thought that something like this could happen. People should not make any difference between color and religion because hatred is causing the killing of each other. If you’re positive, everything goes away. People should speak up against hate. My message is: choose love, choose happiness.