The Wilton Library has issued a letter of thanks to the members of the Wilton community who attended the event commemorating the Kristallnacht pogroms.
Kristallnacht, or ‘Night of Broken Glass’, was a wave of violence against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party’s Sturmabteilung (SA) and Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary forces Nov. 9-10, 1938 in Germany and Austria.
The library’s event, which was attended by more than 300 people, featured 93-year-old Ruth Weiner, a survivor of the attacks in Vienna, Austria.
The library co-hosted the presentation in November with the Holocaust education organization Voices of Hope, along with Wilton synagogue Temple B’nai Chaim and the Riverbrook Regional YMCA.
The letter, sent to GOOD Morning Witon from library Executive Director Caroline Mandler, said that the library was “honored to host the event” and included a statement that the library “stands firmly against [A]ntisemitism, then and now, in all shapes and iterations.”
Mandler included a link to a recording of the evening’s presentation for anyone interested in hearing Weiner’s story.
The letter comes on the heels of a tumultuous fall for the library following a controversy in which the library hired, then cut ties with, its first writer-in-residence Aisha Abdel Gawad. Gawad was accused of Antisemitism after reportedly refusing to participate in an authors’ panel discussion (unaffiliated with Wilton) because the panel’s moderator was a Zionist.
The situation has had repercussions for the library, attracting negative reactions and national attention, starting with a flood of emails to library and town officials, not just from Wilton residents but also from across the country. Wilton’s Board of Finance has discussed the library’s funding from the town in relation to the controversy, First Selectman Toni Boucher issued a statement disavowing Antisemitism, and the Board of Selectmen has addressed the events during multiple meetings that have drawn residents making public comments about what took place.
Mandler’s letter did not directly reference the writer-in-residence controversy.
The text of Mandler’s full letter appears below:
To the Editor:
On Monday, Nov. 18, the Library welcomed Ruth Weiner and Voices of Hope at a very special Kristallnacht Commemoration. Thank you to all of our community members — over 300 in total — who came together to hear Ruth’s story. Together, we learned about her early childhood years in Vienna when Austria was first invaded and annexed by Nazi Germany, and all of the horrific events and challenges that she and her family overcame in the years that followed.
We also learned about Voices of Hope, the incredible organization established by the families of Holocaust survivors across Connecticut to promote a culture of courage to stand up against hatred through Holocaust and genocide education and remembrance.
Wilton Library was honored to host this event for the community, and stands firmly against antisemitism, then and now, in all shapes and iterations.
This program was also co-sponsored by our wonderful community partners Temple B’nai Chaim and Riverbrook Regional YMCA. I encourage all who were not able to attend to listen to her story.
Thank you once again to the community for joining us for this important and meaningful evening.
Sincerely,
Caroline Mandler
Executive Director
Wilton Library