SJC to Host Kristallnacht Observance

October 27, 2014

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – October 27, 2014 – The Institute for the Study of Religion in Community Life at St. Joseph’s College (SJC) is pleased to announce that it will host an evening of Jewish-Christian dialogue in remembrance of Kristallnacht featuring Rabbi Stephen Karol, emeritus at Temple Isaiah of Stony Brook on Monday, November 10 in the McGann Conference Center on the College’s Long Island Campus in Patchogue, New York. Rabbi Karol will present the lecture, “If a Torah Could Talk: The Story of a True Holocaust Survivor.”

During his lecture, Rabbi Karol will talk about a 174-year-old Torah scroll—one of more than 1,500 scrolls saved after the Holocaust from the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust—that is on permanent loan at Temple Isaiah.

“Kristallnacht commemorates and remembers an event that must never be forgotten,” said Thomas Petriano, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at SJC. “This year, the College will continue its longstanding tradition of remembrance, friendship and interfaith dialogue with the local Jewish community and Rabbi Karol.”

Rabbi Stephen Karol is rabbi emeritus at Temple Isaiah of Stony Brook, New York. Formerly, he was assistant rabbi at Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo, New York and rabbi for the Congregation Sha'aray Shalom in the Boston suburb of Hingham, Massachusetts. Rabbi Karol has frequently lectured on a variety of religious topics, including the Holocaust for many years. He has also taught numerous basic Judaism courses to Jews and Christians alike. Rabbi Karol was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kristallnacht, also known as the “Night of Broken Glass,” was a series of violent acts that occurred in Europe in 1938 and resulted in the deaths of dozens of Jewish people, the destruction of more than 250 synagogues and the looting of Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools and homes.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a kosher buffet, followed by a multimedia presentation at 7 p.m. and discussion at 8 p.m. A memorial service will be led by Rabbi Joel Levinson of Temple Beth El in Patchogue immediately following the discussion.

This event is open to the public. A $10 fee includes dinner and the entire program. For more information, call 631.687.5100.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in more than 29 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.