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UAE commemorates Kristallnacht for first time
November 13, 2022
Monumental event in the post-Abraham Accords region and another milestone for Israeli-Arab relations
A memorial event for the Kristallnacht pogrom was recently held for the first time ever in the United Arab Emirates.
The Crossroads of Civilization Museum in Dubai held a commemorative program last week marking 84 years since the 1938 attacks by Nazis against Jewish individuals and property, also known as the Night of Broken Glass.
It was a monumental event in the post-Abraham Accords region and another milestone for Israeli-Arab relations. The Abraham Accords in 2020 normalized relations between Israel and the UAE along with Bahrain and the later additions of Morocco and Sudan.
The commemoration was called "Let There Be Light."
Holocaust survivor Eve Kugler, 91, delivered the keynote address. Her speech was followed by a panel discussion about promoting tolerance and an inclusive society.
Eve was only 7 years old when the Nazis broke into her home during the pogrom. The family's property was ransacked and her father was taken to Buchenwald.
"The history of Kristallnacht needs to be known as a horrific example of what happened to the Jewish people because by teaching this it is my hope and the hope of the Jewish people... that this will never happen again," Kugler said.
"Just to give knowledge and understanding, I think this is a step in the right direction."