Philadelphia vigil marks Kristallnacht anniversary following business boycott

A sacred gathering tonight in Center City to reflect on a terrifying night for the Jewish people 88 years later. On this day back in 1938, the Nazis burned more than a thousand synagogues and terrorized Jewish businesses across Germany and Austria. And the vigil tonight comes after hundreds of people flooded Rittenhouse Square over the weekend in a show of support for Jewish and Israeli-owned businesses amid a bicycle boycott organized against them. Our Joanne Pelleggi reports. They held the event at the Holocaust Memorial to bring attention to a dark day in Jewish and world history. But they also wanted to find a way forward after Sunday's boycott bike ride demonstration targeting Jewish businesses in the city. Thank you very much. Tonight is Kristallnacht, 88 years ago in Europe it was the beginning of the Holocaust when terror was unleashed at Jewish businesses, synagogues were burned to the ground, it was a night of great pain and destruction for our people 88 years ago. Thousands of Jewish homes were vandalized. At the Horwitz Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza in Center City, it was a solemn commemoration. We're here to remember. We're here to commemorate. We're here to hear stories of testimony of grandchildren and children of survivors of the Holocaust. We're here to bring neighbors together. We're here with the Jewish community and we're here with clergy of all different faiths who are here to stand with us and to rise above hate. My dad shared with us that he remembered listening to Hitler's speeches. On the radio, his family was fearful of the anti-Semitism taking place. From emotional stories from the daughter of a Holocaust survivor to songs in Hebrew and English, this was organized as an open interfaith event. It did come on the heels of a controversial bike ride demonstration in the city to boycott Jewish businesses for their support of Israel. Three people were arrested Sunday, two for assault and one for disorderly conduct. Many people ironically showed up to support the businesses that were being targeted. Jewish community leaders decried the timing of the event as it fell on the eve of Kristallnacht. What we learn from Kristallnacht is the imperative of understanding our fate as absolutely inextricably linked to that of our neighbors. And neighbors must, in fact, show up, stand up in order to combat hate. Organizers say they wanted to rise above the hate, speak out against anti-Semitism and provide opportunities for inclusion and openness in Philadelphia and beyond. I'm Joanne Pelleggi, Fox 29 News.