On the night of Nov. 9, 1938, the Nazi party unleashed a series of violent acts committed against Jews in Germany. Ninety-one Jews were killed, 30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps, 267 synagogues were set on fire, and 7,500 Jewish shops, businesses and homes were plundered and vandalized.
The two-night rampage is referred to as Kristallnacht -- translated as the "Night of Broken Glass" -- because of the shards of glass left by all the broken windowpanes of the Jewish shops, homes and synagogues.
Last night, an intimate group of students braved the cold to participate in a memorial vigil on College Green to commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
"The Holocaust is something that we can never forget, and that we should always remember," College senior Jonah Rubin said. "Who knows -- if we let it fade out of our minds, it could happen again."
Many students pointed out the situation in Sudan as a prime example of why it is necessary to be vigilant against hate crime all over the world.
"It's important for us to remember how tragedies can happen even in very civilized societies," College junior Seth Pross said. "This isn't only about the Jewish people -- it's about people all over the place and how we can prevent genocide from happening again."
For College senior Danielle Savitsky, Kristallnacht holds a very personal meaning.
"My grandfather was thrown in jail during Kristallnacht, and I feel that it was appropriate to commemorate the event since it's easy to forget stuff like this every day, since we're all so busy," Savitsky said. "I feel like it's a very personal thing because a lot of members of my family perished, but it's important to the general community also because we should be teaching everyone tolerance."
Indeed, there is much to be learned from history, and as many students emphasized, the Holocaust is not only significant to the Jewish religion.
Tim Ganser, a senior in the Huntsman Program, was one of the organizers of the event. He is an example of how students of all backgrounds can be concerned with issues relating to hate crimes.
"I'm a German citizen, and I grew up in Germany," Ganser said. "So for me, the history of the Third Reich in general is unfortunately part of the history of my country. ... It's important to stand up for the right of any minority that's being oppressed, even if it doesn't affect you personally."
Penn Hillel's Holocaust Education Committee hosted the event.
