For the very first time, three Jericho synagogues - Temple Beth Torah, the Jericho Jewish Center and Temple Or-Elohim - joined together to commemorate Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. The observance, which was held at Or-Elohim, drew just under 500 people.

The guest speaker was Professor Daniel Goldhagen, author of the poignant book Hitler's Willing Executioners. Author and Holocaust survivor Evelyn Rubin's potent introduction of Goldhagen set the tone for the evening.

Goldhagen followed with a dynamic lecture which emphasized the tremendous amount of anti-Semitism brewing in Germany before Kristallnacht. The extreme hatred toward Jewish people grew so exponentially, said Goldhagen, that Hitler's entourage was willing to kill for him.

The committee members who organized the evening were Wendy Marx, Herb Stein, Evelyn Rubin, Lola Rosenthal and Lenny Gershitz. History students from Jericho High School also participated in the observance, adding a sense of community spirit to the event.