“Memory serves as a mirror,” said Rabbi Marcelo Kormis, Sacred Heart University’s Jewish chaplain. “Commemorating Kristallnacht at SHU is a powerful reminder about where violence and hatred can lead our society and what ordinary people can do to stop it.”
Kristallnacht, known as “the night of broken glass,” was a state-sponsored anti-Jewish riot throughout Nazi Germany, coordinated by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). This attack on Jews, their homes, businesses, and synagogues took place on Nov. 9-10, 1938.
Source: Nicholas Maisano, Staff Writer and Photographer
On Nov. 5, Sacred Heart University honored the anniversary of Kristallnacht with a solemn ceremony in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The annual event was hosted by the Office for Mission & Culture and the SHU Jewish Student Club and focused on remembrance, unity, and moral courage.
According to the USHMM, Nazis destroyed over 1,400 synagogues in Germany and annexed territories during Kristallnacht, desecrating sacred Jewish objects and clothing, including the Torah, the Jewish religious text. The windows of Jewish-owned businesses were vandalized and broken into. Jewish people were beaten, arrested and killed by Nazis.
Kormis was the keynote speaker at the commemoration and delivered a talk titled “Echoes of Courage: From Bystanders to Upstanders.” He reflected on the historical importance of Kristallnacht and how its lessons remain relevant amid rising antisemitism and division across the world.
He shared stories of individuals who resisted hatred during the Holocaust, including Wilhelm Krützfeld, Chiune Sugihara and Varian Fry, who each acted with moral clarity to protect others.
“Along this same line, this year’s theme was moving from bystanders to upstanders, not with grand gestures, but with everyday tools: our voice, our presence, and our moral clarity,” said Kormis.
The event’s setting in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit added depth to the reflection.
“The Chapel changes the atmosphere,” said Kormis. “It tells everyone, ‘this matters to the whole community.’ In that space, we slow down, listen better, and remember that every person carries sacred worth.”
“Commemorating Kristallnacht at Sacred Heart University is central to our mission as a Catholic university committed to truth, compassion, and justice,” said Francis Origanti, senior vice president of Mission & Culture. “Remembering it calls us to confront the consequences of prejudice, silence and moral indifference.”
Origanti explained that the event reflects the university’s dedication to interfaith dialogue and remembrance.
“The Kristallnacht commemoration has been a cherished tradition at Sacred Heart for many years,” said Origanti. “It grew from the university’s deep commitment to remembrance, education and interfaith understanding.”
The Human Journey Colloquia Series connects these lessons to Sacred Heart’s academic mission. Origanti said its inclusion in the series “transforms remembrance into a shared reflection on empathy, moral courage, and the dignity of every person.”
This collaborative effort between the Office for Mission & Culture, Rabbi Sarah Marion, and the Jewish Student Club shows the university’s interfaith strength, according to Origanti.
“Their collaboration embodies Sacred Heart’s commitment to dialogue, inclusion, and the shared pursuit of peace and justice,” said Origanti.
“Events like Kristallnacht remind us that hatred in the world can turn violent without us even noticing,” said junior Sophie Seidman. “Everyone deserves to have rights, and we have to keep that known.”
According to Seidman, young people play an important role in letting the remembrance guide onward.
“We can carry forward this lesson by reminding ourselves of signs of discrimination and not allowing it to happen again,” said Seidman. “Tell the story so it is not repeated.”
As attendees reflected on the message of remembrance and unity, Origanti emphasized that Sacred Heart’s mission aligns with the commemoration’s message.
“Each of us is called to reject indifference and to be an upstander in the face of injustice,” said Origanti. “The story of Kristallnacht reminds us that faith, courage, and empathy are not just lessons from history, they are virtues we must embody as we work together to build a more just and compassionate world.”
