NOT ON OUR WATCH
On the anniversary of that very night in 1938, when synagogues burned and the world witnessed what can happen when hatred is met with silence, police leaders filled the pews of a synagogue in Berlin — not merely to remember Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, but to make a promise for our time. The program connects the lessons of history to the responsibilities of modern policing, including recognizing warning signs, protecting vulnerable communities, confronting hate and extremism, strengthening trust, and building relationships before a crisis occurs.
Never Again must be more than a promise. It must be a practice.
Kristallnacht 1938 Commemoration
Senior police and law enforcement representatives from Germany, other European countries and the United States gathered at the New Synagogue in Berlin – Centrum Judaicum to mark the 88th anniversary of the November 1938 pogroms and affirm their responsibility to confront antisemitism and protect Jewish communities.
Eighty-eight years after police officer Wilhelm Krützfeld and his colleagues protected this synagogue from the Nazi mobs, Holocaust survivor George Shefi, who witnessed Kristallnacht as a child in Berlin, called on police officers never to stand by in the face of hate crimes and antisemitism.
Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President of the International March of the LivingRead the speech →
Jochen Kopelke, Federal Chairman of the German Police Union (GdP) and President of EU.PolRead the speech →
Pasha Lyubarsky, Chairman of the Kahal Adass Jisroel Orthodox Jewish community in BerlinRead the speech →
Zachor (“Remember!”): A Berlin police officer’s courage in 1938Read the article →
Stolpersteine: Five stones for the Jaffe family, Krausnickstraße 24Richard and Phyllis Heideman, Revital Yakin Krakovsky and Robyn Baltuch of the International March of the Living took part in a Stolpersteine ceremony honoring Shani Yaffe’s family in Berlin.Read Revital’s reflections →
George Shefi returns to BerlinAlmost seven at the time of the pogroms, Shefi fled Berlin alone on a Kindertransport. In Berlin, he called on the world to fight antisemitism and protect Jewish life.
Watch George’s messageSpecial broadcast
Watch the Berlin commemoration on JBS
Kristallnacht Commemoration: “Not On Our Watch – Operationalizing Never Again”
Full broadcast schedule (ET)
| Sun, Nov 15 | 7:00 PM & 11:00 PM |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 2:00 AM, 7:00 AM & 11:00 AM |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 5:00 PM |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 1:00 PM |
All times Eastern. Pacific is 3 hours earlier; Berlin is 6 hours later and Israel 7 hours later.
How to watch on JBSIn the news
APRemembering Kristallnacht: Witness says night of terror risks being a lesson not learned AFP‘Last generation’: Kristallnacht survivor, 94, bears witness The Washington PostCoverage of the Kristallnacht anniversary JTAKristallnacht survivor calls on German police to stand firm against hate EU ReporterGermany cannot close the book on the Holocaust Ynetnews‘Same hatred of Jews still exists’: Berlin synagogue hosts global warning against rising antisemitismHelp us bring the lessons of the Holocaust to the next generation of leaders.
Support the March of the LivingNot On Our Watch
Birkenau, Poland · 2026
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International March of the Living
The world's preeminent experiential program for Holocaust remembrance and education. More than 300,000 participants from 52 nations since 1988.
Rutgers University
Miller Center on Policing
and Community Resilience
Research and training at the intersection of policing, extremism and community trust.
University of Virginia
Center for Public
Safety and Justice
The Center for Public Safety and Justice addresses the most pressing challenges of our time by promoting innovation, education, and leadership development in public safety.
Juedische Gemeinde zu Berlin
Jewish Community of Berlin
The Jewish Community of Berlin, representing Jewish life in the city and host of the Berlin commemoration.
Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin
Centrum Judaicum
The foundation that preserves the New Synagogue Berlin and its history as a centre of Jewish life, culture and research.
Gewerkschaft der Polizei
The German police union represents the professional, social, economic, environmental and cultural interests of current and former police employees, working in particular for improvements to working and living conditions and to civil service and labour law.
EU.Pol
Federation of Police Unions
A European federation uniting police unions and associations from across Europe. Non-profit, non-governmental and independent, dedicated to promoting cooperation between police trade unions in the field of public order and security.
From those who were there
