Choirs Unite for Kristallnacht Commemoration Concert

In a moving display of unity, resilience, and shared humanity, more than 180 singers and instrumentalists gathered at The Temple on Sunday, Nov. 9, for, “Kristallnacht: Beyond the Broken Glass – A Concert of Healing and Light,” a multi-faith, multi-city, musical commemoration of Kristallnacht.

The event marked the 87th anniversary of the “Night of Broken Glass,” when synagogues, Jewish businesses, and homes across Germany and Austria were shattered in an eruption of state-sanctioned antisemitic violence. Voices from Chicago, Toronto, and the greater Atlanta area came together.

The performance featured The Temple Singers and members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), joined by choirs from Congregation Bet Haverim, First Presbyterian Church, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta; Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto; and Kol Zimrah Jewish Community Singers of Chicago. Together, they offered a program that blended sacred and secular works from Jewish and Christian traditions, weaving a musical tapestry of reflection, mourning, and inspiration.

One of the afternoon’s most stirring moments came with Dmitri Shostakovich’s, “String Quartet No. 8,” a somber and haunting composition that conveys the composer’s despair at the devastation wrought by war and fascism. The performance by ASO instrumentalists stood as a reminder that the wounds of the past continue to reverberate — and that music remains one of our most powerful tools of expression.

The combined choirs also presented pieces centered on light, healing, and spiritual resilience, including Leonard Cohen’s, “Anthem,” with its enduring message: “There is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in.” Throughout the program, the theme and melodies affirmed the idea that light is not confined to any one faith or people, and that the work of healing is a shared human task.

“We gathered not only to remember the destruction, but to affirm the resilience of the Jewish people; to recognize that though the glass was broken, the human spirit endured,” said The Temple’s cantor Tracey Scher, concert organizer. “Music has the power to speak where words fall short. Harmonies can be created even in times of deep darkness. Music reminds us that our shared humanity is stronger than that which seeks to divide.”