Farmington Libraries’ 7th Annual Kristallnacht Lecture With Dr. Leon Chameides

On Monday, November 11, 2013, at 10:00 a.m., the Farmington Libraries will host its seventh annual Kristallnacht lecture with speaker Dr. Leon Chameides. The event will take place at the Farmington Main Library at 6 Monteith Drive.

Born in Poland, Dr. Leon Chameides will share his family experiences through World War II, including his own memories of fleeing his home and being hidden as a child in a Ukrainian monastery. He and his brother were the only survivors of his immediate family.  He and came to the United States in 1949.  He holds a BS degree from Yeshiva College, a Hebrew Teacher’s diploma from the Teacher’s Institute of Yeshiva University, and MD degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  He and his wife, Jean, arrived in Hartford in 1967, after training in Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Rochester and Boston Children’s Hospital and serving as Lt Commander in the US Public Health Service.  In Hartford, Dr. Chameides served as the founding Chair of Pediatric Cardiology at Hartford Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for 30 years, as Chair of Pediatrics at Hartford Hospital for 10 years, and as Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.  In addition, Dr. Chameides has been active in the Jewish community serving as Chair of the Commission on Jewish Education, Chair of the Jewish Historical Society, President of Congregation Agudas Achim, and member of many Boards and Task Forces.  He is now retired and he and his wife, Jean, are the proud parents of three children, and 7 grandchildren.   

Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, was a series of coordinated attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on November 9-10, 1938. German authorities looked on as SA paramilitary and civilians carried out these attacks and covered the streets with broken glass from the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues. At least 91 Jews were killed in the attacks, and a further 30,000 arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Jewish homes, hospitals, and schools were ransacked, over 1,000 synagogues were burned, and over 7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed or damaged. This annual event at the Farmington Libraries commemorates the human spirit’s ability to overcome such persecution. 

This program is free and open to the public and will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the Farmington main library located at 6 Monteith Drive.  Please contact the library to pre-register: 860-673-6791, or visit our web site: http://www.farmingtonlibraries.org/.

If you have special needs in order to attend this program please contact the library in advance. The Farmington Library is part of the Farmington Village Green and Library Association.