During the night 9–10 November 1938, the Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass incident took place, when the German Nazis attacked Jews people and their properties. The name Kristallnacht (“Crystal Night”) refers to the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, houses, properties and synagogues were smashed.
The violence didn’t stop that night, but continued the next days as well. It is estimated that during this incident, close to 100 Jews were killed, 638 suicided themselves while around 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. Jewish homes, hospitals and schools were ransacked, 267 synagogues throughout Germany were destroyed and over 7000 Jewish businesses were damaged. Historians view Kristallnacht as a prelude to the Final Solution and the Murder of 5 million jews during the Holocaust
View testimonials of Survivors of Crystal Night: