Yad Vashem Marks Kristallnacht With NYC Event
A Upper West Side commemoration featured music rescued from the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom, performed in New York City for the first time.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Judaism
Yad Vashem USA Foundation held a Kristallnacht commemoration on Nov. 8 on the Upper West Side, marking the 88th anniversary of the Nazi Germany pogrom. More than a dozen Holocaust survivors attended the sold-out event.
Why it matters
The commemoration brought attention to music salvaged from the ruins of Kristallnacht, offering a tangible link to Jewish communities destroyed during the pogrom. The event drew more than 400 attendees and more than 30 partner organizations to New York City.
The event was a sold-out program with more than 400 attendees and more than 30 partner organizations. Music was performed from a handwritten choir songbook that survived the burning of Mannheim's Klaus Synagogue.
The players
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, based in Jerusalem and documenting the destruction of European Jewry.
Dara Horn
Dara Horn is an American novelist and essayist known for works that explore Jewish history, memory, and identity.
Dani Dayan
Dani Dayan is the chairman of Yad Vashem and a former Israeli consul general in New York.
Adam Kuperstein
Adam Kuperstein is an anchor at NBC 4 New York in the New York City television market.
Steven Skybell
Steven Skybell is a Broadway actor known for his stage work, including roles in productions of Yiddish-language and Jewish-themed material.
The details
Cantor Azi Schwartz performed selections from a songbook written by Cantor Avraham-Dov (Arthur) Kohn of the Mannheim Klaus Synagogue, which brothers Schlomo and Yosef Stein salvaged from the ruins. Author Dara Horn and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan held a keynote conversation moderated by NBC 4 New York anchor Adam Kuperstein, and Broadway star Steven Skybell performed "The Sabbath Prayer" from "Fiddler on the Roof" in Yiddish.
Timeline
1938: Kristallnacht pogrom against Jewish communities in Nazi Germany
Nov. 8, 2026: Yad Vashem USA Foundation commemoration held on the Upper West Side
Culture Shift
Commemorations of Kristallnacht have increasingly moved from survivor-centered gatherings toward public cultural programming, as seen in this Yad Vashem USA event pairing salvaged music with a Broadway performance. The 88th anniversary event continues a pattern of using artistic recovery to keep the 1938 pogrom in public memory.
New York City residents can attend public Holocaust remembrance programming, which often includes survivor testimony and cultural performances. Upcoming commemorations and exhibitions tied to Kristallnacht may be found through local Jewish community centers and museums.
The takeaway
Commemorating Kristallnacht through preserved art and music keeps the memory of the 1938 pogrom active beyond survivor testimony. Readers interested in Holocaust remembrance can engage with local Jewish institutions that host these programs.
Further reading
Explore more on Judaism coverage across New York City.
