A commemorative event on November 9th at the New Synagogue sends a message against antisemitism
On Monday, November 9, 2026, Darmstadt will commemorate the 88th anniversary of the Nazi pogroms of November 1926. A public memorial service at 5 p.m. in the New Synagogue at Wilhelm-Glässing-Straße 26 will focus on remembering the victims, acknowledging responsibility for past crimes, and expressing solidarity with Jewish people in the present.
The City of Darmstadt, the Jewish Community of Darmstadt and the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation jointly invite you to commemorate the events of November 9th to 10th, 1938 and to send a visible message against anti-Semitism.
Three synagogues burned in Darmstadt
The November pogroms of 1938 marked another high point in the systematic persecution of Jewish people by the Nazi regime.
Massive violence also occurred in Darmstadt. On the night of November 9-10, 1938, three synagogues burned down. Jewish businesses were looted, homes were ransacked, and people were persecuted.
169 Jewish residents of Darmstadt were deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp.
The violence was not perpetrated by unknown individuals. It was committed by people from the city itself, either participating in the crimes or allowing them to happen.
The commemoration therefore serves not only to remember the victims, but also the responsibility of the city's society at that time.
Antisemitism remains a present threat
88 years after the November pogroms, anti-Semitism remains a social problem.
The Research and Information Centre on Antisemitism (RIAS) documented 8,725 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2025. This corresponds to an average of around 24 incidents per day and is more than three times the number recorded for 2021.
There are also recent examples of antisemitic hostility in Darmstadt. For instance, the memorial plaque for the destroyed synagogue of the Orthodox community was defaced with swastikas.
The organizers therefore emphasize that antisemitism is by no means a problem of the past that has been overcome. It occurs in various political and social circles and endangers democratic coexistence.
The commemoration of the November pogroms should therefore also be a call to decisively oppose anti-Semitism in the present.
Remembrance and solidarity with Jewish life
The memorial event is intended as a shared expression of grief and responsibility for the Nazi crimes.
At the same time, it is intended to highlight the connection with the present-day Jewish community of Darmstadt.
Since 1988, the congregation has once again had a home in the New Synagogue. It is an integral part of the city's religious and social life.
The commemoration thus focuses not only on the past, but also on Jewish life in the present and its protection from discrimination and violence.
Mayor Benz and Daniel Neumann speak
At the memorial event, Mayor Hanno Benz and Daniel Neumann, Chairman of the Jewish Community of Darmstadt, will speak.
In addition, staff members are participating in an escape room project about Jewish life.
The project offers young people and adults unique insights into the Jewish history and present-day life of Darmstadt. It aims to impart knowledge, facilitate encounters with Jewish culture, and counteract prejudice.
Public memorial event at the New Synagogue
The event on November 9th is open to everyone. Admission is free.
Visitors are asked to bring identification.
The organizers expressly invite the people of Darmstadt to remember together, to mourn and to show solidarity with Jewish people.
The most important data
Event: Commemoration of the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9-10, 1938
Occasion: 88th anniversary of the destruction of the Darmstadt synagogues
Date: Monday, November 9, 2026
Start time: 5 p.m.
Location: New Synagogue Darmstadt
Address: Wilhelm-Glässing-Straße 26, Darmstadt
Admission free
Note: Visitors are requested to bring identification.
Speakers: Mayor Hanno Benz and Daniel Neumann, Chairman of the Jewish Community of Darmstadt
Other contributors: Staff members of the escape room project on Jewish life
Organizers: City of Darmstadt, Jewish Community of Darmstadt and Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/stip)
