Today marks the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. On November 9, 1938, Nazi officers and German civilians unleashed a campaign of violent demonstrations against Jews across Germany and Austria.

As someone who has had the privilege of knowing people who survived the Holocaust, I am keenly aware of what can happen when a government runs amok. The unfulfilled promise of “Never again” requires each of us to remain engaged in doing our part to defend decency and protect democratic institutions from eroding.

Our friends at the Auschwitz Jewish Center (in Oświęcim, Poland) recently got in touch to tell us that they have been holding Memory Project workshops regularly for students. They use the workshops as an opportunity to learn about the stories of prewar Jewish residents of the town.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right

I promised myself and my generous readers that I would write. So here I sit, researching topics triggered by the calendar--holidays or tremendous significance that I knew almost nothing about.  I'm humbled by how much I don't know and hope you'll find this informative.

Today, June 12 (1929), is Anne Frank’s birthday. Anne was a writer, so we know a lot about her.

I’m learning to meditate with an app called Headspace. I’ve completed the free “basics” module and just began a 30-part unit on anxiety. This is connecting me to my iPhone much earlier in the day than usual. I’m one of those who typically doesn’t check the phone first thing in the morning. I don’t want it to rule my life. But I like this meditation practice and as I finished it, a reminder came up on my calendar. “Anna Steinbach’s birthday.”