Tom Jacobson, a Holocaust survivor and former civil rights attorney, discussed his experiences in Nazi Germany and his extensive achievements as an ardent civil rights activist on campus and in his career at UW Hillel Tuesday evening.
Jacobson, only six months old, escaped to the United States, at first aboard the S.S. St. Louis — a German ship that carried Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi persecution that was turned away by the U.S.. As a Wisconsinite and University of Wisconsin Law alum, Jacobson said he felt humbled to be back in the space where his path to being a leading civil rights attorney started.
“There’s strength in numbers; you have to be unified. Be non-violent, but let your voice be heard. Don’t bend the knee, don’t appease. And don’t be fearful,” Jacobson said…“You’ve got freedom now. Exercise it and use it while you still have it.”…