Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass)
Nazi mobs attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Germany and Austria in a night of organized violence.
On the night of November 9-10, 1938, Nazi stormtroopers and civilians attacked Jewish communities across Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. They destroyed over 7,500 Jewish businesses, set fire to more than 1,400 synagogues, and vandalized Jewish homes, schools, and cemeteries. At least 91 Jews were killed and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. The violence was organized by the Nazi government but disguised as a "spontaneous" reaction to the assassination of a German diplomat by a Jewish teenager. Kristallnacht marked a dramatic escalation from legal persecution to outright violence and is often considered the beginning of the Holocaust.
Key Takeaways
Over 1,400 synagogues and 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed
30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps
Marked the shift from legal discrimination to organized violence against Jews