On November 9, 2025, a commemoration of Kristallnacht will take place at the Freedom Museum. The program consists of two short lectures by Rozette Kats and Jessica van Geel, accompanied by live music by the Klezmore orchestra. On the night of November 9-10, 1938, synagogues and Jewish places of worship throughout Germany were set on fire, shops were destroyed, and Jewish people were murdered. This night went down in history as Kristallnacht, when anti-Semitic violence in the Third Reich reached a new level.
Rozette Kats is a guest speaker from the Westerbork Memorial Center and a former board member of the Sobibór Foundation. As a child, she was raised in a welcoming family and later learned that her biological parents had been murdered in a concentration camp. She adapted and kept quiet. Only later was she able to come to terms with the vague feelings associated with a loss she did not fully understand. She now speaks regularly on this subject, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups of World War II victims, such as homosexuals.
Jessica van Geel is a writer, journalist, and historian. In 2022, she published a biography of resistance fighter Truus van Lier, which led to her being asked to speak on Liberation Day. This year, her new book, Een steen op mijn bureau- Aantekeningen van vrees en hoop (A stone on my desk - Notes of fear and hope), was published. In this passionate essay, she speaks out against authoritarian leaders who dismantle democracy, sow division, and endanger the rights of minorities.
Program
The doors open at 1:30 p.m. and the program starts at 2:00 p.m. with short lectures by Rozette Kats and Jessica van Geel, accompanied by live music by the Klezmore orchestra. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions to both speakers. Jessica van Geel will be signing her books, which are available for purchase in the museum shop. The program ends at 4:00 p.m. Tickets cost €9.00 and will soon be available via the website (Museum Card and Friends Lottery VIP Card are valid).
communicatie@vrijheidsmuseum.nl
Organiser: Vrijheidsmuseum