The Night of Broken Glass

When a 17-year-old Polish Jew shot Ernst Von Rath, a German Embassy official in Paris, in November 1938, he gave the Nazis a pretext for an orgy of amnt- Jewish violence. Von Rath died on November 9. Later that night, Nazi Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels sent signals to waiting SA and SS squads throughout Germany to begin 'spontaneous' acts of violence against Jews and Jewish property.

Ernst Von Rath

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In the next 24 hours over 7000 Jewish businesses were destroyed, nearly 200 synagogues burned and 76 fazed to the ground. Nearly 100 Jews were killed and 36 severely wounded. More than 30000 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. After Kristallnacht (literally 'Crystal night', or 'Night of Broken Glass'. from the smashed windows of Jewish businesses) increasing numbers of Jews began to flee Germany, despite strict emigration restrictions.

The Assassin Herschel Feibel Grynszpan

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Grynszpan made no attempt to resist or escape after the shooting, and identified himself correctly to the French police. He freely confessed to shooting Vom Rath (who was in critical condition ill in a hospital), and again said that his motive for doing so was to avenge the persecuted German Jews. In his pocket was the postcard to his parents. It said:

"With God’s help.
My dear parents, I could not do otherwise, may God forgive me, the heart bleeds when I hear of your tragedy and that of the 12,000 Jews. I must protest so that the whole world hears my protest, and that I will do. Forgive me."
Herschel

 

Sounds terrible. All those horrific acts in such a short time.