November, The Darkest Month: A brief look at Jewish History of the 20th Century

 November, The Darkest Month: A brief look at Jewish History of the 20th Century

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

December 2, 2022

Notwithstanding the fact that my birthday—which I share with several family members and good friends—is in November, November is probably my least favorite month. Granted, it also has the holiday of Thanksgiving, but that hardly stands up to the shorter days and frigid temperatures that set in—seemingly with no end in sight.

Yet, for better or for worse, November is one of the most important months in Jewish history. Some have even suggested that it be designated Jewish History Month. Here, in order of appearance in the calendar, are just some of the dates we need to remember.

November 2, 1917: The Balfour Declaration. Written by Lord Alfred Balfour of Great Britain, the declaration states that “His Majesty’s Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” Hoping to gain Jewish support for the war against the Turkish Ottoman Empire, which had ruled over the Middle East for 500 years, the declaration fell short of Zionist hopes (and was summarily rejected by the Arabs) but following the conclusion of World War One it was accepted by the League of Nations and is an important step toward the founding of the modern State of Israel. 

November 4, 1995: Yitzhak Rabin, the Prime Minister of Israel, is assassinated. This murder sealed the deep rift between the right and left wings of Israel’s society. More than a quarter century later, the bitterness and accusations remain, symptomatic of a nation profoundly divided along ideological, political, cultural, religious and economic lines.

November 9, 1938: Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, a pogrom perpetrated by Nazi forces along with members of the Hitlerjugend, the Hitler Youth. In total, 267 synagogues were destroyed, over 7,000 Jewish businesses were damaged or destroyed and some 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps . And oh yes, the Jews were forced to pay for the damage and cleanup. In the eyes of many, Kristallnacht signifies the starting point of the Holocaust. 

37 years to a day after Kristallnacht, on November 10, 1975, the United Nations General Assembly issued Resolution 3379, declaring that Zionism is racism. Though repealed 16 years later, this despicable falsehood became a mantra among the so-called political Progressives, and is still repeated on every possible occasion by them as well as by other groups. By the way, speaking of anti-Zionism in the United Nations, on November 30—only 2 days ago—the UN General Assembly condemned Israel in five separate resolutions, for a total of 15 so far this year targeting Israel, “compared to 13 on the rest of the world combined.”    

But I digress. There are three other November dates that are more important for us to note: November 21, 29 and 30.

On the 21st day of November 1984, Israel began a covert rescue mission that lasted seven weeks and involved 30 clandestine flights. Known as “Operation Moses,” Israel secretly airlifted over 8,000 Ethiopian Jews, victims of persecution, civil war and famine, transporting them via Sudan and Belgium to new homes in Israel. Operation Moses reminds us of one of the most important reasons the State of Israel was founded to begin with: To provide shelter for persecuted Jews from anywhere in the world.

Now, the 29th day of November is a complex date. In 1947, on that date, the United Nations adopted Resolution 181, also known as the Partition Plan, dividing the Land of Israel into two states, one Jewish and the other Arab. This two-state solution didn’t sit well with Arab countries, which immediately began expelling their Jewish citizens. Over 850,000 men, women and children were forced to leave lands they had lived in for hundreds and even thousands of years. Permitted to take almost nothing with them but the clothes on their backs, they came to Israel from Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. In memory of this modern-day Exodus, in 2014 Israel’s legislature, the Knesset, designated November 30 as a day of remembrance of the collective trauma suffered by Mizrahi Jews, Jewish refugees from Iran and Arab lands.

But November 29 has yet another meaning for me, on a more personal level. This story goes back to the Holocaust and the Zionist youth group—Ha-No’ar Ha-Tziyoni—of which my mother, of blessed memory, was a member. Formed for the purpose of defense and escape, one of the actions that this youth group undertook was to seek revenge on Nazi collaborators. One unit comprising two men, Olek Guttman and Emil Brigg, and one woman, Danusha Firstenberg, set out to hunt down a notorious kapo, a Nazi collaborator who betrayed Jewish refugees to the Nazi murderers. The group accomplished their goal. Soon afterwards however they were caught. Interrogated and tortured for days, they somehow found the strength not to give up names and addresses the Nazis demanded. On November 28 they were told that the following day they would be executed. 

It didn’t happen.

As luck would have it, the jail where they were held was liberated by the Russians on the following day—you guessed it, November 29, 1944, two hours before the planned execution. Coincidentally, that was also Danusha’s birthday. All three later played important roles in the establishment and defense of the State of Israel. In honor of their miraculous escape, November 29 was chosen for the annual reunion of survivors of the group, known as Nasha Gruppa. My mother, who was unit leader for many of the group’s rescue missions, attended most of these gatherings and I got to know many of its members. Now, with few survivors left, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation survivors are the ones who attend to tell and retell the stories of tragedy, heroism and survival. 

November 29 is thus embedded in my memory and soul as deeply as my own birthday. This day, more than almost any other, has defined my entire life and personal mission.

Should November be designated Jewish History Month, as some have proposed? If it leads us to learn more about the saga of Jewish heroism and survival, then the answer is yes. But for some of us it isn’t history. It’s the ongoing present, and it lasts much longer than 30 days.

Still, I’m glad that this month is over. Without a doubt, every day in the calendar holds its special moments and memories—some joyous, others less so. But there’s just too much darkness in November, and even the few rays of hope that shine through are tinged with sadness. I’ll take December, thank you! December’s eight-day Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, is a joyous celebration that helps us cross the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year—and sets us on course to the warmer, longer days of spring and summer. Now that’s something to look forward to!

And so, with November finally behind us, let’s dress warmer, light our candles, embrace the joyous season and, while yet recalling the past, always also look ahead to days and nights filled with awe, hope and wonder.

Happy December to one and all!

© 2022 by Boaz D. Heilman