Kristallnacht or The Night of Broken Glass was a massive, coordinated attack on Jews throughout the German Reich. It started on the night of November 9, 1938, and continued into the next day.
Unfortunately, many, many Jews were not able to escape to impending Nazi terror and died during the Shoah. For many, Kristallnacht signaled the beginning of the end.
Kristallnacht was triggered when Herschel Grynszpan, a 17 year old Jew living in Paris, shot and killed a member of the German Embassy staff. This was to protest the deportation of his parents back to Nazi-occupied Poland.
For Adolf Hitler and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, the shooting in Paris provided an opportunity to incite Germans to “rise in bloody vengeance against the Jews.”
On November 9, mob violence broke out all over Germany, Austria and other Nazi controlled areas. The regular German police stood by and crowds of spectators watched. Nazi storm troopers along with members of the SS and Hitler Youth beat and murdered Jews, broke into and wrecked Jewish homes and businesses, and brutalized Jewish men, women and children.
To learn more and to never forget, please visit these sites:
The following links will take you out of the Tikvat Israel Website and open in a new tab:
Tikvat Israel Remembrance Committee.
