In cold climates, November winds bring winter and snow. In Jewish and other communities, a harsher wind brings the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, Nov. 10, 1939, when Jewish storefronts in Berlin Germany were shattered by anti-semitic rioters even as the German police stood idly by, watching.

Seventy years later in November 2009, anti-Semitic actions and other hate crimes are on the rise once again and as always. Communities throughout the world have a responsibility to teach the history of Holocaust horrors to every generation. It is as important now as it ever was. The world cannot and must not stand by as hate crimes are perpetrated. On Nov. 10 this year Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Bexley hosted a program of film and discussion, "Hitler's Children, Our Children, A Generational Perspective," an intergenerational educational forum about the Holocaust.

Literature, poetry, memoir, music and art are also vehicles of opportunity with which to imprint further what happened in those times. Many have long been available with "The Diary of Anne Frank" possibly the most widely known. However, writers such as Primo Levi, Elie Weisel and a myriad of others have left a distinct mark on Holocaust literature. But there are other books, published more recently, that are not to be missed and continue to speak of the events of those times to those of us who bear the responsibility of absorbing the knowledge and passing it on to younger generations. It is unlikely that I would be alive and writing today had I been born in a country overtaken by the Third Reich. Instead, I was blessed to be born in the United States as were my parents. From this, I segue into another story.

Recently, while browsing in the Half Price book store, one book's title caught my eye.

The book's title, "Awake in the Dark," revealed a story collection by Shira Nayman that focused on fictional narratives by children who survived the Holocaust, puzzled over aspects of their lives that followed and sought answers to their elders' silences on the subject. Each found his way to more information or stopped short of knowing.

I recommend this story collection to anyone who is willing to learn more from this unique perspective. Many volumes have been written about the Holocaust so that I have sometimes heard people say they have been saturated with them and cannot read any more. Take a break if you must, but don't miss Nayman's collection. There are many lesser known books, both fiction and nonfiction, and I take this opportunity to recommend a few. You may not agree with me (who ever agrees with me on anything?) but as you have the freedom to open a book, you also have the freedom to close it without reading.

A few other recent books with varying memories that I take the liberty of recommending are "On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood" by Irmgard A. Hunt, "Suite Francoise" by Irene Nemerovski, "Our Holocaust" by Amir Gutfreund, "German Boy" by Wolfgang F. E. Samuel, and "Hitler's Willing Executioners" by Daniel Goldhagen. As we honor the memories of those on whom these heinous crimes were perpetrated and others there at that time, during this Mitzvah Month, it is an appropriate remembrance to read books on Kristallnacht and the Holocaust and to tell our children and grandchildren. Perhaps this should be done each November as we continue to remember l'dor v'dor, generation to generation.