Kristallnacht

On November 9, 1938, the Nazis unleashed a series of riots against the Jews in Germany and Austria. In the space of a few hours, thousands of synagogues and Jewish businesses and homes were damaged or destroyed. For the first time, tens of thousands of Jews were sent to concentration camps simply because they were Jewish. This event came to be called Kristallnacht ("Night of the Broken Glass") for the shattered store windowpanes that carpeted German streets. For more about Kristallnacht, click here.

Below are a variety of on-line resources about Kristallnacht that will enhance your understanding of the event, provide visual documentation, and assist those who want to want to teach about Kristallnacht in their classroom.

Video Resources

Uri Ben Ari and Zwi Bachrach share their memories of Kristallnacht.
Click here to watch online.

Pages of Testimony

Pages of Testimony, which have been submitted to Yad Vashem since the mid-1950s by family members and friends, record the names and biographical data of those who perished. They serve as symbolic paper tombstones for those who have no marked graves. The Pages of Testimony are an attempt to give the victims back their personal identity, and dignity, which the Nazis and their accomplices tried so hard to obliterate.

The Pages of Testimony featured here contained the names and stories of some of the Jews who died during Kristallnacht- some were murdered by Nazis, and some took their own lives in despair. Click here to see their stories.

From our Photo Archive

Photographs from the Holocaust era are among the most horrifying visual documents produced since the invention of photography. Featured here are photographs from Yad Vashem’s Photo Archive that give us a glimpse into the destruction, the anguish, and suffering inflicted upon the Jews during Kristallnacht. Singled out for destruction were hundreds of synagogues in Germany and Austria. Synagogues, which occupy a central place in Jewish and communal life, served as a reminder to the Germans of the Jewish presence. During the riots- hundreds of synagogues were burnt or desecrated. Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Click here to see visual evidence of the progrom that took place on November 9-10, 1938.

Kristallnacht in Baden-Baden, Germany

Featured here is the story of Kristallnacht in one town. The stories and photographs in this section are painful witnesses to the horror inflicted suddenly on the Jews beginning early in the morning in Baden-Baden, Germany, on November 9, 1938. The nightmare continued all day as the Jews in this town were rounded up, and their synagogue and homes pillaged and burnt. Click here to learn what happened in Baden-Baden on that fateful day.

“But the Story Didn’t End That Way…”

Produced by Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies, this teaching unit on Kristallnacht entitled “But the Story Didn’t End that Way..”, includes a historical overview, 18 posters accompanied by explanations and readings, pedagogical recommendations, and suggested readings. Click here to download this valuable pedagogical resource.