A vigil denouncing anti-Semitism and racism is slated to take place at the New England Holocaust Memorial in downtown Boston at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The vigil, organized by the Jewish IfNotNow Boston group, is open to anyone interested in “speaking out against anti-Semitism and racism,” according to a Facebook page for the event.
The vigil comes after the Holocaust Memorial in Boston was vandalized on Monday evening — allegedly by a Malden teenager — the second time the glass memorial has been damaged this summer. It also comes amid the deadly violence that broke out during the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend.
“We can’t help but remember what traumatic role broken glass has played in the history of the Jewish people,” organizers wrote on the event page.
Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” took place in Germany in 1938, when Nazis looted and burned synagogues, homes, and businesses owned by Jews. Thousands of Jews were arrested, and dozens were killed. The riots were named for the shattered glass that littered Jewish neighborhoods.
The Holocaust Memorial in Boston was targeted again Tuesday morning, when a different suspect kicked over a bouquet of flowers someone had left at the site.
“It’s not an accident that these things happened in the same week,” organizers wrote. “We know that white supremacy relies upon and perpetuates BOTH racism and anti-Semitism. As Jews we stand against racism and anti-Semitism and for freedom and dignity for all.”
There could be the potential for a large turnout: By Tuesday afternoon, 974 people marked that they were “interested” in the event, while 170 marked that they were “going.”