The short documentary film A Night at The Garden is available to watch at the top of the page.
On February 20, 1939, Madison Square Garden, a symbol of culture and sports in New York, hosted a pro-Nazi rally attended by an enthusiastic crowd of 20,000 proud Americans. The short documentary A Night at The Garden, directed by Marshall Curry, delves into this disturbing event.
Using only archival footage, A Night at The Garden offers a raw and poignant look into that night. It begins with a shot of the rally participants inside the vast Madison Square Garden, transitions to an overview of protestors and police outside, and then returns to the enthusiastic audience, performing the Nazi salute under a roof adorned with American flags alongside swastikas. The display of hate symbols and the cheering crowd in the heart of New York, the melting pot of America’s pluralistic and free culture, serves as a chilling reminder that extremist ideologies can find expression and support even in the most unexpected places.
Fritz Julius Kuhn, the leader of the “German American Bund,” was the main speaker at this rally. Kuhn, born in Germany, immigrated to the United States in the 1920s and became a citizen in 1934. Under his leadership, the organization adopted a pro-Nazi stance, promoting a fascist and anti-Semitic agenda in America. While this organization was the most influential pro-Nazi group, it was not alone in its views; other groups in the U.S. also promoted Nazi propaganda and anti-Semitism.
One individual stood out during the rally: Isidor Greenbaum, a 26-year-old Jewish man from Brooklyn. During Kuhn’s lengthy speech, the young man bravely stormed the stage in protest, was captured, brutally beaten by the “German American Bundโ members, and subsequently arrested. He was later fined for disorderly conduct. His real-time act of defiance stands as a beacon during this dark period.
Watching the film, I was struck by the public and daring nature of the New York rally, a city that at the time was home to many Jews who had fled pogroms and anti-Semitic persecution in Eastern Europe. By 1939, six years after the Nazis came to power in Germany, their persecution and violence against Jews were well-known worldwide, with concerns about the Nazi regime dominating international media. The Madison Square Garden rally was not hidden; its participants openly displayed their identities and faces, proudly supporting an ideology responsible for one of the darkest periods in human history. This was a massive show of support for Nazism in one of America’s most iconic venues.
The director’s choice to rely solely on archival footage, without additional narration, powerfully lets the event’s shocking nature speak for itself. The viewing experience is profoundly unsettling. A Night at The Garden garnered significant attention, was nominated for an Oscar in 2019, and was showcased in numerous festivals, including Sundance and the New York Film Festival. The film testifies to the power of documentary cinema to shine a light on forgotten dark chapters of history, prompting us to reflect critically on the past, present, and the future we wish to build.
Given today’s polarized climate, A Night at The Garden is an especially important watch. In recent years, we’ve witnessed a concerning resurgence of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and Europe, manifesting in the desecration of Jewish cemeteries and violent attacks on Jews in the streets, synagogues, and academic campuses. These anti-Semitic outbreaks are becoming alarmingly routine, deeply troubling the Jewish community. The reasons for this resurgence are varied, including political incitement rooted in racist and fascist ideologies spread on social media. However, the root of this hatred remains the same: ignorance. As history has repeatedly shown, prejudice against Jews or any other group can lead to devastating consequences. Addressing the rise of anti-Semitism is not just about protecting one community but upholding principles of justice and equality, foundational to a fair, pluralistic, and liberal society.
The short documentary film A Night at The Garden is available to watch at the top of the page.
