During the pogrom, known as kristallnacht the night of broken glass, bands of storm troopers sa destroyed thousands of jewishowned businesses and hundreds of synagogues. Pogrom massacre or riot against jews carried out by the nazis throughout germany and austria on november 910, 1938. Kristallnacht simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Because of the way the book is organizedwith many personal stories of kristallnacht itself at the beginning of the book, then a sort of flashback to the events leading up to that nightday, and finally a summary of events after kristallnacht until the end of the war, i found myself having to flip back and forth between the first and third. Kristallnacht turns out to be a crucial turning point in german policy regarding the jews and may be considered as the actual beginning of what is now called the holocaust. The nazis supposed reason for the attacks of kristallnacht was a shooting in france on november 7, 1938. Us condemnation of kristallnacht on november 9, 1938, the nazis led a nationwide pogrom against jews. On november 10, 1938, francis schott slept peacefully in his bed. Kristallnacht united states holocaust memorial museum. My paternal grandparents lived through kristallnacht. The word jews is scrawled on the exterior wall of the destroyed synagogue in buehl.
Privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers statistics cookie statement mobile view. World responses to kristallnacht facing history and ourselves. The nazi pogrom on november 910, 1938, known as kristallnacht was a turning point in the escalation of antijewish policy and public violence against jews in germany, austria, and the sudetenland. Israeli audiovisual display near kristallnacht book. Their mother is taking them to a town near munich to foster parents.
Some of germanys most valuable creative works went up in flames on may 10, 1933. The burning of the synagogue in ober ramstadt during kristallnacht. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. David irving and ingrid weckert, for example, are two holocaust deniers that minimize kristallnachts impact on german jewry and austrian jewry. Us holocaust memorial museum, courtesy of hauptstaatsarchiv stuttgart. Beginning on may 10, 1933, nazidominated student groups carried out public burnings of books they claimed were ungerman. Kristallnacht was invoked as a reference point on 16 july 2018 by a former watergate prosecutor, jill winebanks, during an msnbc segment.
Kristallnacht marked a new and terrifying level of nazi persecution of the jews, which would later culminate in the holocaust. As i have alluded to, this book more or less touches upon two subjects. Online exhibition united states holocaust memorial museum. The name kristallnacht crystal night comes from the shards of broken glass that. Burning synagogue in memel on kristallnacht as the synagogue in oberramstadt burns during kristallnacht, local firefighters instead save a nearby house. Um exhibit explores nazi book burning, modern censorship local. Kristallnacht students britannica kids homework help. Daily express report on kristallnacht, november 11, 1938. The bebelplatz is a public square in the central mitte district of berlin, the capital of germany. The name refers to the wave of violent antijewish pogroms which took place on november 9 and 10, 1938. These included books written by jewish, pacifist, religious, liberal, anarchist, socialist, communist, and sexologist.
The nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the german student union the dst. Eyewitness accounts of kristallnacht, published by wiley. Kristallnacht definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The name refers ironically to the litter of broken glass left in the streets after these pogroms. Then, the book thief, whose name is liesel meminger, sees that her brother, werner, has died. There are 32 pages of notes, the book itself seems to be well researched and documented. Night of the broken glass was a twoday pogrom that happened against jews in nazi germany and parts of austria. The word kristallnacht was a measure of lyrical sarcasm, and referred to the fact that pieces of glass from the wrecked windows, shined like crystal in the streets. Tonight is the 81st anniversary of the nazi pogrom of november 1938 known as kristallnacht. In the time of the macabees, antiochus ephiphanes burned jewish books.
Kristallnacht article about kristallnacht by the free. The book burning is depicted in a new display at the um library. This book puts together the eye wittness accounts of 21 jews who saw these events unfold. Download our mobile app for onthego access to the jewish virtual library. With this in mind, why do you think the killing of jewish people during world war ii is called the holocaust. This book provides an account of the incidents immediately preceding the attacks on november 910, an oral history that provides a minutebyminute and hourbyhour account of what happened during the pogroms, and an analysis of the immediate aftermath and why. Yossi cohen, born in 1935 in mannheim, germany, talks about his fathers choir song book, which survived the kristallnacht pogrom. Guest post by robert gore at straight line logic well never know what average germans thought on november 11, 1938, the day after kristallnacht. When books were burned in germany germany news and in. Kristallnacht, literally, night of crystal, is often referred to as the night of broken glass. Thomas karlauf is the author of the night of broken glass. About 30,000 jews were moved to concentration camps, and over 1,500 synagogues were pillaged and partly destroyed.
By now it is clear to hitler and his top advisors that forced immigration of jews out of the reich is not a feasible option. We were caught by a rain storm north of the base in wi and ran into a book shop it was a john birch book shop. On november 9, 1938, nazi propaganda minister joseph goebbels announced a governmentsanctioned reprisal. Photographs and other historical documents about kristallnacht detail the horror and destruction of that night. Kristallnacht revealed to the world the intent and extent of nazi judeophobia. Kristallnacht is often observed with the lighting of torches or candles, their flames symbolizing the souls of those who lost their lives not only on november 9, 1938, but afterward in the holocaust. My great grandfather had fought for germany in world war one like so many other german jews. The night of broken glass edited by uta gerhardt and thomas. On 10 may 1933 thousands of books banned by germanys. On neither of these subjects does this book have room for improvement.
The kristallnacht pogrom, 910 november 1938 it came. After kristallnacht, the nazi regime made jewish survival in germany impossible. It is fitting that a book record the events of this seminal historical event on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of kristallnacht. The night of broken glass edited by uta gerhardt and. Israeli audiovisual display near kristallnacht book burning site. A massive, coordinated attack on jews throughout the german reich on the night of november 9, 1938, into the. During kristallnacht, the damage to jewish property and violence against jews were far less than historians have suggested, both in the number of assaults and in the overall death toll.
Her argument was that president trumps joint press conference with russian president vladimir putin was a performance that would live in infamy much like the attack on pearl harbor and kristallnacht. In america, there is no one villain or group that one can point to as responsible for the erosion of rights. Now, alan steinweis counters that view in his vision of kristallnacht as a veritable pogrom a popular cathartic convulsion of antisemitic violence that was manipulated from above but executed from below by large numbers of ordinary germans. Photograph from the trudy isenberg collection, courtesy of ushmm photo archives. The nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the german student union the dst to ceremonially burn books in nazi germany and austria in the 1930s. Seventy five years ago, the nazis staged what is probably the most infamous of all book burnings.
Whenever persecutors of the jews arose, these enemies of the jewish book also vented their destructive hate on the jewish texts. Marches solemn marches, especially in large cities, are another way in which jews and others commemorate kristallnacht. Book burning refers to the ritual destruction by fire of books or other written materials. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Death is initially sardonic, with a darkly wry sense of humor, but as the novel progresses and world war ii accelerates, death expresses. It starts with a fascinating introduction that explains the german aversion to the word kristallnacht. The kristallnacht pogrom, 910 november 1938 it came from. Kristallnacht crystal night or night of the broken glass. Residents watch as flames consume the synagogue in opava.
The mass book burnings marked a turning point in the nazis ideology campaigns. British director brian percivals movie the book thief deals in part with the horrors of the kristallnacht period and is an effective reminder of the impact of nazi atrocities on everyday life. Using the pretext of the assassination of a german diplomat in paris, goebbels goebbels, joseph. The name is a reference to the broken glass that resulted from the destruction. A short film summarizing the events on november 9, 1938 where, throughout germany a large number of jewish synagogues, business establishments and homes were damaged or. A polishjewish student named herschel grynszpan shot the german diplomat ernst vom rath, who died two days later. They were born and lived in berlin and spent their. However, it was seen essentially as the work of the nazi leadership. The bebelplatz is known as the site of one of the infamous nazi book burning ceremonies held in the. His mother is asleep when death comes onto the train. A synagogue burns in ober ramstadt during kristallnacht. Us condemnation of kristallnacht the holocaust encyclopedia. Core diary entries from salvaged pages used in this lesson. Nov 12, 2015 similar book burnings were staged throughout germany which were a prelude to the burning of synagogues on kistallnacht, on nov.
Young onlookers watch as the local fire department prevents the fire from spreading to nearby houses, but makes no attempt to stop the synagogue from burning. Kristallnacht, or the night of broken glass, was a series of antijewish riots that took place on november 9 and 10, 1938 throughout germany, nazioccupied austria, and in areas of the german. Jennifer rosenberg is a historian and writer who specializes in 20thcentury history. Name two authors who were targets of the book burning. Newspapers around the world reported the events of kristallnacht. This lesson was initially drafted by holocaust educator, bonnie sussman. On november 9, 1938, the nazi party officials and the sa, instigated the night now referred to as kristallnacht. This resource discusses the events leading up to kristallnacht. The kristallnacht also called reichskristallnacht, reichspogromnacht, english. These included books written by jewish, pacifist, religious, liberal. Pastor terry joness plan to burn 200 copies of the quran in florida was widely condemned. The mishnah an early talmudic tractate on fasting, tannait 4.
Holocaust memorial museum, the national exhibit recalls. World responses to kristallnacht facing history and. The post war trials and even goebbels diary were sources. Tolischus of the new york times was typical of many a wave of destruction, looting and incendiaries fires unparalleled in germany since the thirty years war and in europe generally since the bolshevist revolution, swept over greater germany today as national socialist cohorts took vengeance on.
Kristallnacht also called reichskristallnacht, reichspogromnacht, english. United states holocaust memorial museum library bibliography. Kristallnacht, or night of broken glass, is a night when jewish shops were looted, synagogue windows were shattered, homes were burned, and jews were murdered. She studied sociology, philosophy and history at the universities of frankfurt am main and berlin. The name kristallnacht refers to the glass of the shop windows smashed by the rioters. His father, avrahamarthur kohn, was a hebrew teacher and served as the cantor at the klaus synagogue in mannheim. Aug 07, 2018 kristallnacht was a point of no return. If the us government prosecutes julian assange and wikileaks, it will mark a point of no return. How did the event kristallnacht change the lives of jewish. Israeli audiovisual display near kristallnacht bookburning site. Reichskristallnacht article about reichskristallnacht by. It refers to the fragments of shattered window glass that littered the sidewalks in front of jewish shops.
Residents view the burning of the solitudestrasse synagogue in ludwigsburg that was set on fire during the kristallnacht. A jewish refugees assassination of a german official in paris in 1938 sparked the german attack on jews known as kristallnacht. Censorship is an important topic in library science. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to nazism. Kristallnacht, the night of november 910, 1938, when german nazis attacked jewish persons and property. The german authorities looked on without intervening. Kristallnacht facts kristallnacht kristallnacht literally crystal night or the night of broken glass was an antijewish pogrom in nazi germany including austria and sudetenland from the 9th until the 10th of november 1938. Usually carried out in a public context, the burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or political opposition to the materials in question.
The main focus of the book unlike many others is not on the victims but on the perpetuators. Kristallnacht a massive, coordinated attack on jews throughout the german reich on the night of november 9, 1938, into the next day, has come to be known as kristallnacht or the. Many students enthusiastically joined in the act at the time. The memorial to the bookburning on berlins bebelplatz shows an empty, underground library. In memory of this horror and the subsequent even greater horror of the destruction of both humanity and morality i offer a line from a poem by rabbi abraham joshua heschel the poem itself is not about kristallnacht but, rather, about the 1933 nazi book burning. This book is about the night of broken glass in 1938 when nazis raided destroyed jewish buisneses, synagogues homes accross germany. Some of the authors targeted in the book burning campaign are listed below. The nazi government was not the first to burn books, nor will it be the last.