Portland, Oregon's Shavuot Becoming a Kristallnacht of 1938

Nadene Goldfoot

Germany, November 9, 1938 during Kristallnacht when people
attacked anything owned by Jews such as this synagogue and
burned it down. Rioters burned down 250 synagogues throughout Germany.
 This riot was "set off by Germans' anger over the assassination of a German official in Paris at the hands of a Jewish teenager.
Glass from shop windows were all broken and looting took over, similar to what
happened last night in our Portland's Kristallnacht.
One difference was that Jews were killed.  I haven't heard of any
deaths except what triggered this, George Floyd's death.

The fact was that  "German propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and other Nazis carefully organized the pogroms."

                                                       

Marchers from the George Floyd vigil at Peninsula Park in Portland, Oregon
going towards the Justice Center downtown.
Those who took this picture may have been hit by canisters
with tear gas in it that burns the eyes and lungs, as TV reported this morning.
Rioters broke into Police Headquarters and was burning it.
Minneapolis was the first scene of rioting as George
Floyd was from there. 
How Ironic this event that turned into a destructive riot
happened on our Jewish holiday of Shavuot, a time of remembering
the laws of Moses handed down to us.  

On our first night of Shavuot, the Jewish holiday of celebrating the receiving of the Torah (5 books of Moses), we had a pogrom in our beautiful city of Portland happening right downtown, and the ones again who were the target were the shopkeepers, though their religion was not the issue like what happened on November 9, 1938 when a most horrible of all riot happened when Jews were killed and their whole world was destroyed besides their shops.  
                                                       

Rabbi carrying the Torah
on  Shavuot by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim
Remembering when Moses gave
those on Exodus the Laws-
and the people had no time yet to learn about the kosher law pertaining to eating meat; so the people
had milk products that night.  
We remember this night and our next with the eating of
cheese cake and cheese blintzes, etc besides being
in the synagogue on this illustrious night of Shabbat,
a double mitzva; Shabbat falling on Shavuot.  

What gets into people who act like Nazis with no moral instinct but the need to destroy?  This riot in Portland was born from another Black person being killed by the policeman who was holding him down when he begged for his life.  It's been happening too often, and the Black population has had enough.  
                                                         

Looks like a take-down of several men in a pile
by 3 policemen

I thought, "What a dumb thing to do for this policeman.  Doesn't he know what a sensitive issue this is involving so many of the Black Americans?  Would he treat my son like this?  Hasn't he gone through intense training to be careful with life?   What gets into someone engaged in a hold-down?  I have gone through such training myself and didn't experience any feelings but possible fear for myself while doing it with my peer partner.  I'm a female, so it might be different for men.   

Of course it was a gestapo type of act of the part of the policeman.  But is this act repulsed by the tendencies of the police or army when they are met with a challenge, the need to use what they have been trained to do?  It doesn't soften their feelings for those they are preventing from breaking laws.  More likely it hardens their hearts as well when they are engaged with rioters breaking all the laws including theft.  

The German Kristallnacht, "the "Night of Broken Glass," for the shattered glass from the store windows that littered the streets, was instigated by the German government, and lasted 2 days of rioting where the destruction was of the whole city.  250 synagogues were burned and over 7,000 business were broken into.  Glass covered the streets everywhere, like Portland was attacked last night.

Jewish cemeteries were vandalized as well as hospitals, schools and homes of the Jewish people.  All this went on with the police and fire department just watching and doing nothing to stop it.   They were in on the destruction and hatred of the Jewish people, and for why, the old anti-Semitic feelings against Jews that has been going on ever since the first century and even before.  

It gives me the shivers that such an act as this can happen with such intensity 82 years after the German Kristallnacht which was the beginning of the Holocaust.  It has hurt all the good people who have worked hard to be successful and keep afloat during our  world-wide pandemic where all over businesses have had to close down in order to get rid of a life-killing virus running rampant throughout the world.  This this is how rebels treat the city, killing the way of people making a living for themselves who follow laws and are doing their part to help preserve life.  They are now experiencing a double whammy!  Coronavirus and a pogrom!  

This rioting and stealing will not be forgotten.  Does it help the cause of having better relations between Blacks and Police?  No, I don't think so.  More training may be in the works but that doesn't mend the hearts and minds of those dealing with rioters.  

Like Portland's Mayor stated, "How does this honor  George Floyd?" 

Resource:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-night-of-broken-glass
https://www.voanews.com/usa/portland-oregon-protest-erupts-riot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuot