The Night of the Broken Glass

We live in a beautiful world that often times show a side of hatred. Prejudice is found in many shapes and forms. Remembering and recording such events in history help us to remember and learn from the mistakes of the past. One of the most astonishing events is remember as Kristallnact or “the night of the broken glass.” It would be the match that would spark the beginnings of a brutal and unfair war that would last for years. But what caused Kristallnact and the turmoil that followed?

According to the Jewish online library, one cause was a teenage Jew named Herschel Grynszpan. Enraged at the news of his family being forced out of their home by German police, and moved over the Polish border, he immediately went to the German embassy in Paris planning to assassinate the German ambassador to France. Not finding him, Herschel killed the third secretary Ernst vom Roth instead. (Jewish Library 1)

This gave Hitler the excuse he needed to implement his plan of destruction upon the Jews. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, he very quickly began building concentration camps and planned ways to harm the Jews. His hatred of them was not something that had budded at the death Ernst vom Roth. It had been brewing for years. Taking advantage of his leadership role, he would try to exterminate an entire race of people.

On November 9 and 10, following the death of Roth, German mobs attacked Jews in the streets and in their homes. In two days 96 Jews were killed, 1,000 synagogues were burned, 75,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed, and 30,000 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. These outburst were spontaneous and encouraged. (Jewish Library 2) It was said that so much glass littered the ground, that the streets appeared to sparkle hence the name Kristallnact or “the night of the broken glass.” The damage done to the Jewish community was assessed three days later and the blame was placed on the Jews. A fine of 1 billion dollars was set for the death of Roth, and 6 million for the destruction of the community. As a result the Jews’ jewelry, money, and anything of value was taken away from them. For reasons none other than a man’s twisted prejudice and unusual power of persuasion, the Jews were sent to concentration camps to pay off the debt with their blood.

Kristallnact .will always be remembered in history books, museums, and by the family members of the precious people that were taken away. But do we remember? Those of us that didn’t have a loved one perish, and those of us that didn’t have everything taken away from us, do we also remember? If not, remember. Remember so an injustice like this will never happen again. History is a map of the past, that is there to guide us through the future. If we will learn from it, it could lead to a brighter day.