Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, was a series of coordinated attacks against Jews throughout Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938, carried out by SA storm-troopers and civilians. German authorities looked on without intervening. The attacks left the streets covered with broken glass from the windows of Jewish owned stores, houses, and synagogues. At least 90 Jews were killed in the attacks, and 30,000 male Jews were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Over 1,000 synagogues were burned and at least 7,000 Jewish businesses destroyed, damaged, and/or looted.

It happened because a seventeen-year-old Herschel Grynszpan’s family was going through a hard time and he couldn’t do anything because of the Nazis. He then marched into the German Embassy in Paris and shot a Nazi official on November 7th. The Nazi official died two days later, but the Germans decided to avenge his death so they went to destroy Jewish businesses and homes. Georblls was behind it all, but said that he never knew anything about it and made the Jews pay for the repairs when they were the victims. Jews with insurance weren’t allowed to use it for themselves but had to give it to the state. Propaganda also played with the minds of the Germans into thinking that doing something like Genocide would be a good idea, that the Jews deserved it. The Nuremberg laws also made this happen, at that time the Germans made horrible laws that made Jews leave, or want to but they had to leave everything behind. Also hardly any countries wanted anything to do with the Jews and they were all sent back to die in Germany.

I was very amazed and felt really bad for the Jews. They lost their homes yet they had to pay for the damage the government did to them. The Jews were left with no money since they couldn’t have jobs and because they were supposed to pay for the damage that was brought to them. I find it hard to believe that other countries didn't do anything to help especially the U.S. and the U.K. Goebells made a speech as well saying that the Government had nothing to do with it and wasn’t behind it all. Also that one way or another the Jews deserved what had happened. The Jews didn't deserve anything that happened to them, they never did anything, but they were to scared to do anything and so were the Germans. Everyone at that time, was living a fearful life, fear of Hitler and what he could do with the power he had. I think the whole Holocaust was unbelievable and heart breaking.