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Kristallnacht - Photographs

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Kristallnacht pogroms

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On the night of November 9–10, 1938, Nazi German leaders unleashed a nationwide anti-Jewish riot. This event came to be called Kristallnacht (often referred to in English as the "Night of Broken Glass").

Large group of Torah scrolls. Some are open, while others are tightly rolled. — These Torah scrolls, one from a synagogue in Vienna and the other from Marburg, were desecrated during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"), the violent anti-Jewish pogrom of November 9 and 10, 1938. The pogrom occurred throughout Germany, which by then included both Austria and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. The scrolls pictured here were retrieved by German individuals and safeguarded until after the war.
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A man with light skin tone faces the left, looking over his shoulder with a solemn look. Herschel has medium length dark hair and is wearing a dark coat. — Portrait of Herschel Grynszpan taken after his arrest by French authorities for the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath. Grynszpan (1921-1943?).

Born in Hannover, Germany, was the son of Polish Jews who had immigrated to Germany. In 1936 Grynszpan fled to Paris. On November 7, 1938, after having learned of the expulsion of his parents from Germany to Zbaszyn the Polish frontier, Grynszpan assassinated Ernst vom Rath, the third secretary of the German embassy in Paris. The diplomat's subsequent death two days later was used by the Nazi regime as justification for unleashing the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9–10. In 1940 Grynszpan was turned over to the Germans by the Vichy government, but the date and place of his death have never been clarified.

Photograph taken in Paris, France, November 7, 1938.
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Interior of a burnt building. The ground is littered with debris and the remaining structure sags. — Interior of a synagogue destroyed during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Dortmund, Germany, November 1938.
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The last remaining wall of the Boerneplatz synagogue, destroyed during the Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass") pogrom. [LCID: 04354a] — The last remaining wall of the Boerneplatz synagogue, destroyed during the Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass") pogrom. Onlookers watch during the dismantling and removal of remnants of the synagogue. Frankfurt am Main, Germany, January, 1939.
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An elevated view of a home that has been vandalized. Clothes are strewn across the bed and floor. Cabinets have been opened and rummaged through. The entire room is in disarray. — A private Jewish home vandalized during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass" pogrom). Vienna, Austria, November 10, 1938.
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A private Jewish home vandalized during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass" pogrom). [LCID: 4304] — A private Jewish home vandalized during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass" pogrom). Vienna, Austria, November 10, 1938.
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A long procession of people marching down a city street. Spectators line the sidewalks and look on from elevated positions. A single black automobile appears to be parked towards the bottom of the photograph. — SS guards force Jews, arrested during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"), to march through the town of Baden-Baden. Onlookers watch from along the street and walls. Baden-Baden, Germany. November 10, 1938.
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A large crowd watches 2 long lines of men walking down the center of the road. Uniformed men stand on either side of the lines supervising. — After the Kristallnacht pogrom, German civilians line the streets to watch the forced march of Jewish men through the town. Baden-Baden, Germany, November 10, 1938.
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View of the old synagogue in Aachen after its destruction on Kristallnacht. [LCID: 38041] — View of the old synagogue in Aachen after its destruction on Kristallnacht. Aachen, Germany, photo taken ca. November 10, 1938.
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View of the old synagogue in Aachen after its destruction on Kristallnacht. [LCID: 29820] — View of the old synagogue in Aachen after its destruction on Kristallnacht. Aachen, Germany, photo taken ca. November 10, 1938.
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The damaged lintel above a Torah ark from a synagogue that was destroyed during Kristallnacht. [LCID: n00319] — The damaged lintel above a Torah ark from a synagogue that was destroyed during Kristallnacht. Nentershausen, Germany, 1938.
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Three individuals stand on the street and look towards several destroyed shops with large broken windows. — Shattered storefront of a Jewish-owned shop destroyed during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Berlin, Germany, November 10, 1938.
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Destruction of the Dortmund synagogue during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). [LCID: 85287] — Destruction of the Dortmund synagogue during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Germany, November 1938.
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Herzog Rudolfstrasse synagogue after it was destroyed during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). [LCID: 74445] — Herzog Rudolfstrasse synagogue after it was destroyed during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Munich, Germany, November 1938.
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German children, behind an SS man, watch as religious objects from the Zeven synagogue are set on fire during Kristallnacht (the ... [LCID: 4318] — German children, behind an SS man, watch as religious objects from the Zeven synagogue are set on fire during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Zeven, Germany, November 10, 1938.
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Gerd Zwienicki studies outside the Wuerzburg Jewish teachers seminary shortly before it was closed down on Kristallnacht. [LCID: 89996] — Gerd Zwienicki studies outside the Würzburg Jewish teachers seminary shortly before it was closed down on Kristallnacht. Würzburg, Germany, 1938.
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Several people stand on the street looking towards storefronts. Two women bend to sweep up broken glass, while a man stares up at a large broken window next door. — During Kristallnacht, groups of Nazis vandalized storefronts of Jewish-owned businesses on Potsdamer Straße, a commercial street in central Berlin. These businesses were among the thousands of stores and homes damaged during the nationwide anti-Jewish riot. Berlin, Germany, November 10, 1938.
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Jewish-owned shop destroyed during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). [LCID: 50378] — Jewish-owned shop destroyed during Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass" pogrom. Berlin, Germany, November 1938.
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Firefighters use water hoses to save a home while the building next door is covered in smoke and burns. A group of people of various ages stand off to the left and look directly at the camera. — As the synagogue in Oberramstadt burns during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"), firefighters instead save a nearby house. Local residents watch as the synagogue is destroyed. Oberramstadt, Germany, November 9-10, 1938.
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The synagogue in Oberramstadt (a town in southwestern Germany) burns during Kristallnacht. [LCID: 04468] — The synagogue in Oberramstadt (a town in southwestern Germany) burns during Kristallnacht. Oberramstadt, Germany, November 9-10, 1938.
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The Boerneplatz synagogue in flames during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). [LCID: 64675] — The Boerneplatz synagogue in flames during the Kristallnacht pogrom (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Frankfurt am Main, Germany, November 10, 1938.
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Local residents watch the burning of the ceremonial hall at the Jewish cemetery in Graz during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken ... [LCID: 4372] — Local residents watch the burning of the ceremonial hall at the Jewish cemetery in Graz during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Graz, Austria, November 9–10, 1938.
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The Neue Weltgasse synagogue burns during the Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass") pogrom. [LCID: 12315] — The Neue Weltgasse synagogue burns during the Kristallnacht ("Night of Broken Glass") pogrom. Vienna, Austria, November 9, 1938.
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The shattered stained glass windows of the Zerrennerstrasse synagogue after its destruction on Kristallnacht. [LCID: 97572] — The shattered stained glass windows of the Zerrennerstrasse synagogue after its destruction on Kristallnacht. Pforzheim, Germany, ca. November 10, 1938.
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The holy ark in the sanctuary of the Seitenstetten Street synagogue, demolished during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). [LCID: 4365b] — The holy ark in the sanctuary of the Seitenstetten Street synagogue, demolished during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"). Vienna, Austria, after November 9, 1938.
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Jews arrested after Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass") await deportation to Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 49234] — Jews arrested after Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass") await deportation to Dachau concentration camp. Baden-Baden, Germany, November 10, 1938.
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