HOUSTON, TX (Oct. 23, 2008) – Houston will mark the 70th anniversary of a November 1938 day in Nazi Germany that marked the intensification of the Nazi’s anti-Jewish policies that culminated in the Holocaust with special services scheduled for Nov. 9, 2008.

The community will remember Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," during services at 6 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd. The event is sponsored by Holocaust Museum Houston, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Gulf Coast Synod), Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston and the Bach Society at Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Ben Waserman, a Holocaust survivor who now lives in Houston, will speak, as will Bishop Michael Rinehart of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Rabbi David Lyon of Congregation Beth Israel; Rainer Münzel, consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany; and Asher Yarden, consul general of Israel.

Music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Salomon Jadassohn – all Leipzig composers – will be presented by the Bach Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Albert LeDoux.

Seventy years ago, on Nov. 9-10, 1938, the Nazis staged vicious pogroms – state sanctioned, anti-Jewish riots – against the Jewish community of Germany. These came to be known as Kristallnacht (now commonly translated as "Night of Broken Glass"), a reference to the untold numbers of broken windows of synagogues, Jewish-owned stores, community centers and homes plundered and destroyed during the pogroms. Encouraged by the Nazi regime, the rioters burned or destroyed 267 synagogues, vandalized or looted 7,500 Jewish businesses, and killed at least 91 Jewish people. They also damaged many Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools, and homes as police and fire brigades stood aside. Kristallnacht was a turning point in history and marked an intensification of Nazi anti-Jewish policy that would culminate in the Holocaust, the systematic, state-sponsored murder of Jews.

Holocaust Museum Houston is dedicated to educating people about the Holocaust, remembering the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims and honoring the survivors' legacy. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides, the Museum teaches the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy.

Holocaust Museum Houston is free and open to the public and is located in Houston’s Museum District at 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004.

For more information about the Museum, call 713-942-8000 or visit www.hmh.org.