|
|
It took place on the night of November 9, 1938. There was no warning of the attack. It happened before the Jews could escape. People were taken from their homes, they were beaten, murdered, taken |
to concentration camps, and some were even drug to Poland. Some of the Jews that were drug to Poland were left on the boarder all night. Many of the survivors fled in the following days. Even though they were Polish-born, Poland was already over populated, and wouldn't take in everyone that Germany brought over. One of the reasons that many of the Jews went over to Germany in the first place was because conditions were better, which made life easier. Because Poland wouldn't take back a lot of the immigrants, about 12,000 to 17,000 Jews were left on the boarder between Germany and Poland. The Jews who owned businesses were forced to pay for their damages.
| The Kristallnacht got its name, "The Night of Broken Glass", because of all the glass that was on the street the next morning. In 1933 something happened to help lead to the Kristallnacht. What happened was Hitler demanded a one-day boycott against all Jewish shops. |
|
During the boycott Jewish children saw and felt changes in school. Then in 1935 the Nuremburg Laws took place. The Nuremburg Laws had catches. Such as, Jewish people were deprived of German citizenship.
The Kristallnacht is said to be the onset of the Holocaust. ''Because at this point Hitler is already considering the invasion of Poland. The concentration camps are in operation. Forced immigration is not an option, and the Nuremburg Laws are already in action.'' Those are many reasons why the Kristallnacht lead to the Holocaust, but what lead to the Kristallnacht? Well, many things but what set it off was the assassination of a member of the German Embassy. It was a 17 year old Jew named Herschel Gryszpan who killed Ernst vom Rath, the Third Secretary. Gryszpan's intentions were to kill the German Ambassador to France. He was upset to find that, while he was in Paris his family was driven from their home over to Poland.
''One survivor, of both the Holocaust and the Kristallnacht, named Earnest Happner says.....
.....as an eyewitness I was very emotionally involved in this event and its consequences. Like everyone else here in the United States, for some 50 years I called these horrible days and nights Kristallnacht. I changed my mind reluctantly when, during my research I discovered Goering's intent to use this designation to ridicule this event.''
Every year in Europe there is a big gathering. People from all over Europe gather to remember those who died in the Kristallnacht and Holocaust.
Chelsea Trimble 7th Grade Rossville Jr. High Spring 2001 |
|
