Warren's Temple Har Shalom Holding 'Kristellnacht' Remembrance Fri. Night

Temple Har Shalom is inviting the community to  commemorate this haunting occasion of the 75th anniversary of Kristellnacht, "The Night of Broken Glass" at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the temple, 104 Mount Horeb Road in Warren.

The commemoration will focus on "A Story of Family & Hope: Personal Reflections from Congregant & Child of Holocaust Survivors, Jim Sokolowsky," according to a blog posted by temple on the Warren Patch. 

Fifty years ago today, American history was irrevocably changed when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the blog said. "Much attention has been given to this significant anniversary as we continue to dissect the impact upon our world from the death of our nation's youngest president," the blog said. "The life and death of just one man continues to reverberate in our nation's conscience."

The anniversary of Kennedy's assassination coincides with our Temple's commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, "The Night of Broken Glass," the blog said. This event which took place in Germany in 1938 is known as the "official" start of what would become Hitler's "final solution" and the death of more than six million Jews.  

Jim Sokolowsky was born in Norway in 1948. His parents, Jona and Ruth, were born in Lida, Poland, Now Belarus, and survived the Holocaust. Post-war, the family moved to Germany, Norway, Israel and then to Boston. Sokolowsky graduated engineering at Northeastern University and has an MBA from Babson College.  

Norma, his wife of 43 years, is a retired teacher and is now a consultant for children's literacy programs. They have three children and a six year old grandson all living in NJ/NYC.  Last month, Jim and Norma Sokolowsky traveled to Eastern Europe and learned about pre-war and present Jewish life there.  

They also visited Majdanek, the death camp, where most of Jim Sokolowsky's family were transported to and perished.

The evening's presentation also will include Anne Monka, a Holocaust survivor who was a member of the Partisans, the group of Jewish resistance fighters led by the Bielsky brothers, who were featured in the 2008 blockbuster movie "Defiance," starring Daniel Craig.