The crisp November air was thick with the promise of tradition. Families wrapped in scarves and woolly hats had gathered in the sprawling municipal park, clutching foil-wrapped baked potatoes and steaming cups of mulled cider. The familiar scent of burning wood and gunpowder mingled with the sweet aroma of toffee apples, a sensory ritual that marks the turning of the year. Children waved glowing sparklers, their faces illuminated by the cheerful amber light of the enormous bonfire, a towering pyre crowned with the customary effigy of Guy Fawkes. For most, it was a night of harmless mischief and communal warmth,…

On a Sunday evening in Jerusalem, as the ancient stones of the city absorbed the last amber light of day, a group of mayors and municipal leaders from across the world gathered for a moment of collective memory. They came not for a diplomatic banquet or a formal reception, but for a candle-lighting ceremony marking the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. The flames they held against the coming darkness were small, but the weight behind them was enormous. The event opened the 35th International Mayors Conference, organized by the American Jewish Congress, and it set a…