A Night to Remember: Survivor of Nazi Attacks Visits W. Hempstead

As Helen Studley stood at the microphone on Nov. 7 looking at the crowd of about 150* people who filled the Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead, she let her mind wander back to almost exactly 72 years ago, to Nazi Germany.

Studley, who was a guest speaker at the JCC of West Hempstead this weekend, survived the horrific days and nights of what came to be known as Kristallnacht. On Nov. 9, 1938, Nazi soldiers invaded her small town in Germany, ransacking and looting homes and destroying shops. The attacks continued all night and into the following day.

"They broke the outside glass of my father's and many other people's shops, covering the streets with the shattered fragments," Studley said.

For this reason, this date in history is also commonly referred to as 'The Night of Broken Glass."

Studley said German soldiers took her from her home and forced  her to work in an ammunition factory. She was eventually sent to Auschwitz, where she was imprisoned for some time. It was not until 1945 that she saw her father and two sisters again.

"It was a very moving tale of her life," said Ronny Kessler, of Franklin Square. "What impressed me the most was how drastically her life changed after Kristallnacht. It was like the end of innocence for her and the beginning of a nightmare, but it was impressive how she was able to survive and came to find life in America."

The event was put together by the Jewish Community Center co-chairs Larry Rosenberg and Rhoda Platt.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly estimated the number of people who attended the event. The article originally stated that about 80 people participated when the number was actually closer to 150.

Everybody makes mistakes ... even us! If there's something in this article that you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give Local Editor Tara Conry a ring at 516-220-6621 or shoot her an e-mail at Tara.Conry@patch.com.