Dr. Walter Ziffer will speak on November 5

Kristallnacht, literally Crystal Night or Night of Broken Glass, launched the Jewish Holocaust. Across Germany on November 9-10, 1938, more than 200 synagogues were destroyed, 92 Jews were murdered, some 25,000 Jews were arrested and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed.

UNC Asheville will observe the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht with a lecture by Walter Ziffer, a noted Holocaust survivor and scholar. Ziffer will discuss "Kristallnacht – Night of Broken Glass – The Beginning of a Nightmare: Tales of Shame and Tales of Heroism" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at UNC Asheville's Reuter Center. The event is free and open to the public.

In his talk, Ziffer will explain the political background of Kristallnacht and how it foreshadowed the anti-Jewish atrocities that followed. The lecture will highlight some specifically Christian reactions to the events based on Ziffer's personal post-war experiences with Christians who played significant roles in the outcome of the tragedy.

As a young man, Ziffer, a Holocaust survivor, converted to Christianity, became an ordained Christian pastor and a professor in Christian seminaries. He later returned to Judaism. Ziffer has taught at theological schools in the United States, France and Belgium. He is the author of "The Teaching of Disdain: An Examination of Christology and New Testament Attitudes Toward Jews" and many articles on Bible-related topics in various publications in France and the United States. After retiring from full-time work, Ziffer taught at the University of Maine and UNC Asheville. Currently, he serves as adjunct professor of philosophy and religion at Mars Hill College.

For more information, call UNC Asheville's Center for Jewish Studies at 828/232-5027.