Kristallnacht - literal translation "Crystal night" or the Night of Broken Glass, was a riot in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938. On a single night, 92 Jews were murdered, and 25,000-30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps.
The Nazis coordinated an attack on Jewish people and their property in Germany and German-controlled lands as a part of Hitler's anti-Semitic policy.
The consequences of this violence were disastrous for the Jews of the Third Reich. In a single night, Kristallnacht saw the destruction of more than 200 Synagogues, and the ransacking of thousands of Jewish businesses and homes. It marked the beginning of the systematic eradication of a people who could trace their ancestry in Germany to Roman times, and served as a prelude to the Holocaust that was to follow.
I have always had a particular interest in this horrific part of history and throughout this lifetime glues have unfolded as to why this period of history has been so significant to me.
Just a bit about my personal history - I was born and raised in a very active Mormon family. If you weren't a Mormon in the neighborhood then you were a Catholic or possibly a Jew as a few Jewish families were scattered here and there. I'm not a fence sitter in certain aspects of my life - religion being one - so it was much to my family's dismay when I left the Mormon Church in 1979. I've always been a believer in God (the unconditional love source), but certain teachings within this religion were in direct conflict with what I felt on a core level. In 1981 I married a Canadian transplant to the U.S. who was of German descent. The marriage lasted 14 years and it gave me two beautiful children. There were times however when I would comment to my friends... "I truly believe I married the incarnate of Hitler"... they would laugh not knowing I was really only half kidding. My son attended cub scouts and boy scouts at the Jewish Community Center located a few blocks from our home and I became the non-Jewish den Mother... It was during this period of time I learned that many of my personal expressions of prayer and worship had a Jewish flare all done in the privacy of my own home.
It was shortly after my divorce in 1995 I started to experience glimpses of one of my past lives. Remembering a past life has come about in many different ways, but this particular remembrance was altogether different from those I had previously experienced. Sometimes I have the over-whelming desire to sleep...the feeling is so profound and it's like if I don't get somewhere I can lie down quickly I will surely fall on the floor. On one of these occasions when I absolutely had to sleep right now I went to my bedroom and within a few seconds I was out. The next thing I knew I was riding in the back seat of an antique car... everything was in black and white... I normally dream in color. I looked down at my clothes and found I was wearing a fitted wool suit complete with hat and matching shoes and handbag. I look to see who was driving the car and as the person turned around I was relieved to find it was my Angel Gabriel. Angel Gabriel has been with me since birth and I have no recollection of when I didn't know him. So I asked Gabe (that's what I call him), "where are we going"? His reply was that he was driving me to visit the Jewish Business district in Germany because I needed to see the store my family had owned and was subsequently destroyed on "The Night of Broken Glass". I'm like what? Next thing I knew we were stopping on this deserted street and all the windows and doors were blown off the buildings and as I was escorted from the car I heard the crunching of shards of glass underneath my feet. I walked up and down the street to see if I could see anyone... the feeling was of complete emptiness. The next thing I knew I was wide awake in my bed wondering "What the hell just happened".
It was at this point I started reading and researching this period of history.
Many months later it was a typical night at the Schultz (my last name) household... ya know dinner, homework with the kids, evening news, and then off to bed. Upon falling asleep I found myself hiding in a hallway inside a very cold, dark, and dank building. I could hear the cry of a woman so I started to creep down the hallway to see if I could locate where it was coming from. All of a sudden I felt a strong jerk on my left shoulder and I was more than a bit startled. Turning around I was again relieved to find Gabriel with me and told him I just have to find the crying woman. "We are not here to help Kristine, we are here to observe and remember", was Gabe's reply. A little further down this hallway I could see I door slightly open and a young woman being stripped naked by a man in uniform. She was standing with her legs spread apart with her hands on the wall in front of her while her clothes were being ripped from her body. I noticed all of her hair had been shaved from her head and as I continued to walk toward her it was if I hit an invisible wall and I was unable to get any closer. The woman turned her face toward me and our eyes connected... and it was in this split second she communicated to me one thing "Never forget".
In other past life encounters my experience has been as active participant and not that of silent observer. I believe in this instance it was because of the grotesque pain and suffering that was inflicted I was protected from the full experience.
It's hard for me to fathom the degradation one human can inflict on another. You would think being intelligent human beings horrific acts of violence of this magnitude would cease. The suppression of people, especially of women and children continues in the world today...and to who's benefit...certainly not mine or yours.
When my ego starts to get in the way of serving my higher purpose... I remind myself to above all else love and have tolerance of others. You can have personal judgment for yourself without being judgmental of others.
This morning I received a telephone call from my friend Helen. Helen is an interesting woman who happens to be an ex-Catholic, ex-Mormon, who is now a Universal Life Church Minister and just happens to do genealogy research for the Jewish Synagogue. She called to remind me she was leaving for New York City this evening to be present for the press coverage commemorating the anniversary of Kristallnacht on Monday. And would I please look for her in the news... absolutely...
Always remember...Never Forget...And thank you for allowing me to share this bit of personal history...
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Zrii
December 2008 
Kris
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