On Sunday, November 9, Mishkan Israel synagogue on Ridge Road in Hamden hosted a poignant remembrance of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of state‑sponsored terror in Nazi Germany. The audience of about 50 listened as Holocaust survivor Judy Birke, author of the memoir Catching Up With Myself, shared her family’s harrowing journey.
From Hamburg to Brooklyn
Birke described how her mother’s desire to name her Deborah was denied by the Reichmaster of the Interior, forcing the family to adopt the name Judith. Her father, Rudolf Bleiweiss, was conscripted into a forced‑labor battalion and died in July 1939 after a workplace injury. Three months later, Birke was born.
After a painstaking visa process, Birke and her mother secured passage on one of the last ships leaving Portugal on May 22, 1941, becoming Passengers 157 and 158. They arrived in New York, first settling in Inwood, Manhattan, before moving to Brooklyn.
Baseball as a Bridge to America
In Brooklyn, the young Birke fell in love with the Dodgers, a team she identified with as outsiders. She recalled a vivid memory of the 1949 World Series, handing her mother a Carl Furillo baseball card. Her mother’s reaction—seeing a resemblance to Birke’s father—sparked a shared fandom and a sense of belonging.
Remembering Kristallnacht
Birke’s talk highlighted the brutal details of Kristallnacht: the destruction of 1,400 synagogues, the burning of Torah scrolls, the vandalism of 8,000 Jewish businesses, the murder of 100 people, and the roundup of 30,000 Jews for imprisonment or concentration camps. She noted the forced surrender of Jewish passports, stamped with a red “J,” and the addition of “Sarah” or “Israel” as middle names.
Rabbi Daniel Schaefer, who introduced Birke, emphasized the importance of preserving these stories. “We often hear that the Jews talk too much about the Holocaust, but the truth is we simply don’t know all the personal histories,” he said.
Legacy and Citizenship
Birke explained that she later reclaimed German citizenship, now holding dual citizenship as a symbol of restoring what was taken nearly eight decades ago. She expressed that publishing her memoir has lifted a heavy burden from her heart.
The event concluded with a book signing and a quiet moment of reflection, underscoring the enduring impact of personal testimony on community memory.
Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.
