1948

I heard something this evening from Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein that I haven’t heard before. According to the Torah, Abraham (as in one of Judaism’s - as well as Islam’s and Christianity’s - central figures) was born 1 948 years after Creation.

The State of Israel’s independence declaration took place in 1948.

There are varying accounts of Abraham’s birth (not to mention Creation’s occurrence itself) but the symmetry appeals to me and gives rise to a number of meanings and symbolisms that support Zionism and Jews’ preeminent claim to Israel.

Two very different memories of German history today

Today is the anniversary of two significant dates in German history that have impacted on the world in very different ways. CNN’s headline as I write this is the following:

The Berlin Wall’s fall was an historic day and a clear sign that the Cold War had come to an end. It’s fall was also a symbol of liberation and a nation’s unity. It is a day worth commemorating, celebrating even. There is another day that has a much darker significance both for the world and for Jews worldwide. 9 and 10 November also mark the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a day when Nazi Germany began a new, terrible phase of its campaign against Jews in Germany and surrounding European countries culminating in the Holocaust. Contrary to the Berlin Wall’s fall, Kristallnacht is the start of a more concerted effort to persecute and, eventually, eradicate the Jews and a number of other population groups who offended the Nazis. We should remember the Berlin Wall’s demise just as we remember a far more terrifying event that preceded it and the events which led to the Berlin Wall’s construction in the first place.