A high school educational program and an evening remembrance at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach will mark 88 years since Kristallnacht on November 9. A 105-year-old Holocaust survivor is expected to take part in the commemoration alongside local elected officials and representatives of the Consulate General of Israel in Miami.
The programs will take place at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach. Its Education Center is at 1933-1945 Meridian Avenue. A 2025 memorial event listing describes the gathering as an annual community-wide commemoration of the 87th anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass. Miami's Community News reports that the student program begins at 4:30 p.m. and will include Holocaust survivors.
The evening commemoration is listed for 6 p.m. by Jewish Miami, while Miami's Community News reports a 6:30 p.m. start.
What Happened on Kristallnacht
On November 9 and 10, 1938, antisemitic attacks targeted Jewish communities across Germany and its territories. Jewish homes and businesses were attacked, and synagogues were destroyed. The pogrom was a major escalation in Nazi persecution before the Holocaust.
The Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach is a committee of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. The event is being presented by the memorial, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, the Florida Department of Education, the City of Miami Beach and community partners, the press release states.
A Memorial With Decades of History
The memorial's Education Center features 11 permanent indoor panels tracing the historical arc of the Holocaust, according to the USC Shoah Foundation. Since the memorial opened in 1990, 2.6 million visitors have walked its grounds, the foundation reports.
The Memorial’s History and Local Context
The idea for a permanent Miami memorial began in 1984, when a group of Holocaust survivors joined together to develop it, according to the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation says Holocaust survivors also serve as docents, sharing testimony and explanations with visitors. For state-level incident context, ADL Florida tracked 353 antisemitic incidents in 2024, 24 percent fewer than the 463 it recorded in 2023. The ADL audit includes criminal and non-criminal incidents reported by victims, law enforcement, media and partner organizations.
Commemoration Comes Amid Rising Antisemitism
The annual commemoration underscores the importance of remembrance and education amid rising global antisemitism, organizers say. That backdrop was reinforced by the Anti-Defamation League, which documented more than 23,000 antisemitic incidents across seven major Jewish communities, known as J7 countries, in 2025 alone.
The ADL reported that total antisemitic incidents across J7 countries rose 136% and violent incidents rose 97% compared with 2022, with 20 people killed in antisemitic attacks in 2025. The organization characterized 2025 as the deadliest year for antisemitic violence affecting the Jewish diaspora since the 1994 AMIA bombing in Argentina. Germany recorded the highest rate of antisemitic incidents per Jewish capita among J7 countries, at nearly 70 incidents per 1,000 Jewish residents, according to the same report.
Media Access and Contact Information
Media are permitted to attend both the educational program and the community remembrance ceremony but must register in advance by noon on November 9 and present credentials at the door, per the press release. Editors noted that interviews will be available with community leaders and Holocaust survivors. For registration and further information, contact John P. David at [email protected] or 305.724.3903.
