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101-year-old Kristallnacht survivor warns current era 'equivalent to 1938' on anniversary of Nazi riot

  //business-finance.news-articles.net/content/202 .. ivalent-to-1938-on-anniversary-of-nazi-riot.html
  Published in Business and Finance on Sunday, November 9th 2025 at 10:05 GMT by Fox News
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A 101‑Year‑Old Kristallnacht Survivor Urges Modern Nations to Learn from History

When the world celebrated the 80th anniversary of the 1938 Kristallnacht in 2018, the news headlines were dominated by memorials, scholarly panels, and a renewed reckoning with the rise of far‑right extremism. But on the very same date in 2024, a different voice echoed through the same streets of remembrance. An elderly survivor of the night‑time pogrom, now 101, stepped forward to warn that the world’s current political climate is already echoing the same patterns that had once led to the Holocaust.

The survivor, who was a teenager when the Nazis set fire to synagogues, businesses, and homes, gave a passionate interview to Fox News in which she recounted the terror she felt as German soldiers marched through the streets, shattering windows and calling for the destruction of Jewish property. “They told us we were the problem,” she said. “They called us the ‘other,’ and we were treated as if we had no rights.” The interview, which ran for about ten minutes, is available on Fox News’s website and was shared widely across social media platforms, sparking a new wave of conversation about hate crimes and antisemitism in the United States and Europe.

In her remarks, the survivor did not merely recount past suffering; she actively drew a parallel between the 1930s and the present. “We are seeing a rise in hateful rhetoric that’s reminiscent of the language used in 1938,” she explained. “We must remember that words can become weapons. We can’t allow the same thing to happen again.” She urged lawmakers and the public to treat contemporary acts of hate with the same seriousness that we reserve for historical crimes.

The article also references the broader historical context of Kristallnacht, which took place from November 9 to 10, 1938. The pogrom was a coordinated attack on Jewish communities across Germany and Austria, resulting in the destruction of 267 synagogues, the killing of 91 Jews, and the arrest of more than 30,000 Jewish men who were sent to concentration camps. The event signaled a decisive escalation in the Nazi regime’s persecution of Jews and laid the groundwork for the genocide that would follow in the next decade.

Fox News provided readers with additional resources, including a link to a historical documentary produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The documentary chronicles the events of Kristallnacht in vivid detail, offering archival footage, survivor testimonies, and expert analysis. It also highlights the political climate of the time: the failure of international powers to intervene, the German public’s complicity, and the ways in which the Nazis exploited widespread antisemitism to consolidate power. The survivor’s interview is placed in that historical narrative, illustrating how personal memory can inform public policy.

The survivor’s story is part of a larger trend of Holocaust survivors speaking out in the 2020s. Other recent examples include a 97‑year‑old survivor of Auschwitz who appeared on CNN to emphasize the importance of education in preventing future atrocities, and a 93‑year‑old survivor who testified at a European Parliament hearing on hate crimes. These voices are increasingly being sought by journalists, historians, and lawmakers alike.

A key point the survivor made was that the language of hate is not unique to the Nazi era. She cited contemporary examples of xenophobic and antisemitic rhetoric from public figures across the globe. “When leaders use divisive language that dehumanizes a group, it opens the door for violence,” she said. “We saw it with the Nazis, and we see it today.”

The article also touches on current legislative efforts to combat hate crimes. In the United States, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act has been reintroduced in several forms, aiming to broaden federal jurisdiction over crimes motivated by the victim’s protected characteristics. In Europe, the European Union has drafted new directives requiring member states to adopt stricter penalties for hate crimes and to ensure that victims receive comprehensive support. The survivor encouraged policymakers to adopt these measures with urgency, reminding them that the past is not a closed book.

An additional link in the Fox News piece directs readers to a local event hosted by the New York City Council, where community leaders are planning a series of panels titled “From Kristallnacht to Today: Lessons for Tomorrow.” The event will feature historians, activists, and survivors discussing how best to translate historical warnings into actionable policy. The survivor has been invited as a keynote speaker, a testament to the resonance of her testimony.

In conclusion, the 101‑year‑old survivor’s warning serves as a stark reminder that history is not merely a set of dates and facts; it is a living conversation between past and present. As she stated in her interview, “We must be vigilant, we must be compassionate, and we must be proactive.” Her words have sparked a new debate about how societies can reconcile remembrance with prevention, urging that the horrors of Kristallnacht should never be repeated in any era.