holliswein's blog

On Tuesday we marked the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht. It was a turning point in the autocratic takeover of Germany by the Nazis. No longer did the Third Reich engage in antisemitic rhetoric. Now it was condoning and fomenting violence. That horrific night set in motion the mass extermination of Jewish communities across Europe.

 

 

The Senate’s inability to pass meaningful gun safety legislation is costing lives. Every day, over 100 people are shot and killed in America and hundreds more are injured. Despite the surge in gun violence, the NRA has doubled down on its extremism and dangerous rhetoric. 

 

 

What a month. The most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation went into effect in Texas on September 1st - after anti-Choice members of the Supreme Court refused to block it. The Court has instead scheduled arguments for another lawsuit from Mississippi asking for Roe v Wade to be completely overturned.

 

 

Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. The memories of that day still fill us up with horror, disbelief, and sadness.

 

An ever-growing number of Americans have no personal memory of that day. They were either too young or not yet born. However, they are living in a world defined by that tragic moment, from how they travel through airports to the war in Afghanistan.

 

 

Fleeing our homes from persecution to the unknown in hopes of safety and freedom is etched into our collective Jewish experience. That is why the unfolding events in Afghanistan are even more upsetting for us to witness.