Biographical/Historical Information
With the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws (September 15, 1935), the living conditions (especially career opportunities and legal protection) of Jews in Germany deteriorated drastically. By November 1938, a third of the Jews had emigrated (170000). When 17,000 Jewish people were "deported" to Poland on October 28, 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan, whose parents had been deported, shot a German diplomat in Paris. This served the Nazi leadership as a pretext for the pogrom on November 9, an action by SA men in civilian clothes, not a spontaneous popular uprising. Heydrich reported the "success" to Göring on November 11: 36 dead, 36 seriously injured, 7500 Jewish stores destroyed, 250 synagogues burned down, 20000 Jews arrested, glass damage worth 10 million Reichsmarks. The injured parties' insurance claims were confiscated and Göoring demanded a fine of 1.25 billion Reichsmarks. It is noteworthy that the anti-Christian sentiment is added to the anti-Semitic sentiment.
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Citation
Aufruf, Leo Baeck Institute, r (f) DD 232.5 A7 1963 [V.16].