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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Kristallnacht Commemoration features Amnesty International’s Joshua Rubenstein


MCC's 19th annual Kristallnacht commemoration, hosted by the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project, will focus on Kristallnacht in the Soviet Union: A prelude to the Holocaust and the Nuremburg Trials. Joshua Rubenstein, the Northeast Regional Director of Amnesty International USA, will be the keynote speaker.

MCC’s 19th annual Kristallnacht Commemoration will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10  in MCC’s theatre (building 4), 1000 E. Henrietta Road. The program is free and open to the public. Parking is available in lot F. Copies of Rubenstein’s books will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation.


As an activist, scholar and author, Rubenstein has many years of experience in human rights, particularly in Soviet affairs. He is a fellow of Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and has lectured on the Soviet human rights movement at the Mendeleev Institute in Moscow. Rubenstein has contributed to publications including: The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, The New York Times and The Boston Globe on international and Russian affairs.

In addition to writing, Rubenstein is also the Northeast Regional Director of Amnesty International USA, covering New York, New England, and New Jersey. Amnesty International USA strives to protect human rights worldwide. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning group assembles volunteers and the public to help those who suffer from social abuses and injustices.

Rubenstein's latest book, “The Unknown Black Book: The Holocaust in the German-Occupied Soviet Territories, provides a compelling compilation of testimonies from Jews in the Soviet territories that survived the violent massacres by the Germans and their allies during World War II. These important testimonies prove that the Holocaust pogroms crossed more borders than previously considered.

Kristallnacht occurred on November 9, 1938 and is known as the “night of broken glass.” Kristallnacht derives from Kristallglas meaning ‘beveled plate glass’ that refers to the Jewish synagogues and storefronts that the Nazis destroyed. The Germans instilled numerous pogroms that day and for the first time arrested and transported Jews to Nazi concentration camps. This day is remembered by many as the starting point of the Holocaust. 

The Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project was established in 1990 as MCC’s unique organization for telling the stories of the Holocaust and other genocides while transforming individuals to become advocates for human rights.

Brandilea Trescott
Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project
10/18/2010