The Sparks Fly Upward: A Kristallnacht Commemoration

On the night of November 9–10, 1938, a wave of coordinated, state-sponsored violence swept across Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. Known as Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” this pogrom marked a devastating turning point in Nazi persecution of the Jewish people. Synagogues burned. Jewish-owned businesses and homes were destroyed. Nearly 100 Jews were murdered, and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. In the days that followed, the Nazi regime intensified its campaign of exclusion and dispossession, making unmistakably clear the growing danger facing Jewish life in Germany.

Eighty-eight years later, we gather to remember this history through a special live presentation of selections from The Sparks Fly Upward, created by composer and librettist Cathy Lesser Mansfield. Featuring 13 singers, string quartet, piano, narration, and archival imagery, the work follows three neighboring families in Berlin, two Jewish and one Christian, as their lives are transformed by the events leading up to and including Kristallnacht. Grounded in extensive historical research and the experiences of those who lived through the Holocaust, their stories illuminate friendship, courage, faith, moral responsibility, and the choices people make when persecution reaches their neighbors. This poignant afternoon will also include a six-candle memorial lighting, Kaddish, and Oseh Shalom/Peace, honoring the victims of the Holocaust and affirming the enduring responsibility of remembrance.

Reservations are required.  Free to the public.
Please note that additional Museum exhibits will be inaccessible during this program.