Commemorate The 87th Anniversary of Kristallnacht

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presents:
Commemorate the 87th Anniversary of Kristallnacht
with Susan Warsinger (Susi Hilsenrath), Victim of Kristallnacht and Holocaust Survivor

Sunday, November 9, 2025
8:30 pm Eastern / 5:30 pm Pacific

The FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism will commemorate the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht with Susan Warsinger, a survivor of Kristallnacht and Holocaust Museum volunteer. 

Born Susi Hilsenrath on May 27, 1929, in Bad Kreuznach, a city in western Germany to Israel and Annie Hilsenrath, Susi was the eldest of three children. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, the Hilsenraths began to feel the effects of increased antisemitism. Due to antisemitic legislation in Germany, Susi was forced to leave public school along with other Jewish children. Instead, Susi attended a Jewish school that housed students from first to ninth grade in one room.

On the nights of November 9 and 10, 1938, Susi and Joseph awoke as a brick smashed through their bedroom window. Joseph peered out the window to see their neighbors, adults and children, hurling rocks and bricks at their home. The policeman was watching at the edge of the crowd, doing nothing to stop the attack. While huddling in their parents’ bedroom with their baby brother Ernest, they heard a loud noise coming from the glass front door. The people had uprooted a lamppost from outside their house and were using it as a ram to batter down the door. Susi and her family sought refuge in the attic of their building.

Milton Lipitz, NY Metro Region, will share his thoughts on Americans’ perspectives when Kristallnacht took place. His synagogue, Temple Beth-El, is commemorating the event with an in-person and virtual program. 

Learn more about combating antisemitism
and to view our previous presentations:

FJMC Combating Antisemitism Initiative Web Page