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Saturday, November 9, 2013

Nov 9: International Day Against Fascism and anti-Semitism

Why was November 9th chosen as the date for the International Day Against Fascism and anti-Semitism?

November 9th, 1938. That was the date of Germany’s pogrom where they set fire to synagogues, and broke the glass on many Jewish businesses. At the time, they called it Night of the Broken Glass (or Kristallnacht). Some have argued we shouldn’t refer to it as Kristallnacht today, since that is the euphemism Hitler's government chose, and instead we should refer to it as what it was — a pogrom. Those who feel this way often call the day Pogromnacht. Others argue that over the decades the word has developed a connotation that cancels out any original euphemistic intent. Anyway, it is considered by many as the symbolic beginning of the Holocaust.

Last year's post delved into a few other events that have happened historically on November 9th, as well as into some numerology.

This year, I'll share a video of Billy Bragg covering Woody Guthrie's song: All You Fascists Bound to Lose.

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