Holocaust

  • Published
  • By Capt. Heather Guzik
  • 91st Operations Support Squadron
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The Department of Defense announced this year's "Holocaust Remembrance Day" will be recognized on May 2, and the "Days of Remembrance" will be recognized from April 27 to May 4. The theme for this year's Holocaust Days of Remembrance is Do Not Stand Silent: Remembering Kristallnacht 1938. 

In the early morning of Nov. 10, 1938, chaos and destruction evolved throughout the cities, towns and villages of the Third Reich. In a single night, more than a thousand synagogues were destroyed. Tens of thousands of Jewish businesses and homes were also ransacked, torched and their windows broken. This night became known as "Kristallnacht," or "Night of the Broken Glass." Concentration camps were then established and inmates were forced into slave labor. 

"Though most people view Holocaust Remembrance Day as a solemn day, it is also a day to celebrate those who were able to rebuild their lives," said event coordinator Capt. Heather Guzik, 91st Operations Support Squadron. 

This year, Minot AFB will honor April 29 at the Jimmy Doolittle Center with a ceremonial luncheon. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m., and will include a brief candle-lighting ceremony. There will also be readings by Airmen representing various survivors and liberators of concentration camps.

For more information, contact 723- 2599. 

[Editor's note: This article was co-written with Staff Sgt. Michael Baker.]