Kristallnacht Commemorative Service

By Ginny Segaloff

The Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County invites the community to its annual Kristallnacht Commemorative Service. This year’s commemoration will take place on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2:30 p.m. at Temple Shalom (4630 Pine Ridge Road, Naples). Admission is free and the event is open to the public. We encourage everyone to register, so we can comfortably accommodate all who want to attend. A light reception will follow the program. To register, please visit https://www.jewishnaples.org/ get-involved/cjd.

“Who knows if the Church could have done more during the Holocaust? We must seek the truth.” ~ Pope Francis

Our guest speaker, Dr. Suzanne Brown-Fleming, director of international academic programs for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC,will discuss the topic, “November 1938: Perspectives from the Vatican Archives.” The author of “The Holocaust and Catholic Conscience,” Dr. Brown-Fleming has conducted extensive research into the role of theCatholic church during that period of time and her programs ensure that the field of Holocaust studies remains vital and vibrant around the world. In March 2020, the opening of the Vatican archives gave historians, theologians and scholars their first opportunity to examine the legacy of Pope Pius XII, preceding and during the Holocaust. Dr. Brown-Fleming was granted access to the millions of documents relating to his role in these events.

In examining these documents, Dr. Brown-Flemingstated, “We crave an honest, responsible and clear assessment of this history.”