Pub lished in 2015 b y T he R osen Pub lishing Gr oup , Inc. 29 East 21st Str eet, New Y or k, NY 10010 Cop yright 2015 b y T he R osen Pub lishing Gr oup , Inc. Fir st Edition All rights r eserv ed. No part of this book ma y be r e pr oduced in an y f or m without per mission in writing fr om the pub lisher , e x ce pt b y a r e view er . Librar y of Cong r ess Catalo ging-in-Pub lication Data By er s , Ann. Kristallnac ht and living in Nazi Ger man y/Ann By er s . Fir st edition. pages cm. (A documentar y histor y of the Holocaust) Includes bib liog raphical r efer ences and inde x. A udience: Grades 7-12. ISBN 978-1-4777-7595-0 (librar y bound) 1. Kristallnac ht, 1938J uv enile litera tur e . 2. J ewsP er secutionsGer man y Histor y20th centur yJ uv enile litera tur e . 3. J ewsGer man yHistor y 1933-1945J uv enile litera tur e . 4. Holocaust, J ewish (1939-1945Ger man y J uv enile litera tur e . 5. Ger man ySocial conditions1933-1945J uv enile litera tur e . I. Title . DS134.255.B94 2015 940.53180943dc23 2013051159 Manuf actur ed in the United States of America
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t was only 6:00 am , b ut t he bell a t the g a te of the or phan - age was ringing insist ently . Cautiously , Y itzhak Herz opened the door . In stomped tw o Gestapo of ficer s and a policeman in plain clothes . T he y said the y needed to sear c h the or phanage f or w eapons . As the y tor e thr ough dra w er s and locker s , one of the men w hisper ed to Herz, During the night, all the J ewish men in Dinslaken w er e ar r ested. F e w e r t h a n t w o h u n d r e d J e w s l i v e d i n t h e sm a l l G e r m a n t o w n . T h e J e w i s h o r p h a n a ge t h e r e w a s m o r e t h a n a h o m e f o r J e w i s h o r p h a n s . I t w a s a l s o a s c h o o l f o r J e w i s h c h i l d r e n f r o m o t h e r t o w n s . T h e i r p a r e n t s h o p e d t h ey w o u l d be s a f e r t h e r e t h a n i n l a r ge r c i t i e s w h e r e d i s cr i m i n a t i o n o f t e n e r u p t e d i n o p e n h o s t i l i t y . O n t h i s m o r n i n g , N o v e m be r , 1 , i t w a s n o l o n ge r a r e f u ge f r o m t h e v i o l e n c e . A f t e r t h e p o l i c e l e f t , H e r z, o n e o f t h e t e a c h e r s a t t h e o r p h a n a ge , g a t h e r e d a l l t h i r t y - t w o c h i l d r e n a n d f o u r t e e n s t a f f t o ge t h e r . A t : 0 t h e G e s t a p o c a m e a g a i n, t h i s t i m e a b o u t f i f t y o f t h e m . T h ey s p l i n t e r e d t h e w i n d o w s a n d b r o k e d o w n t h e d o o r s , r i p p i n g h u ge g a s h e s i n t h e w a l l s . E v e r y t h i n g t h ey c o u l d l i f t , t h ey t o s s e d t h r o u g h t h e o p e n i n g s bo o k s , c h a i r s , t a b l e s , a p i a n o . I g n o r i n g t h e c o m m a n d s o f t h e N a z i s , H e r z l e d t h e s o b b i n g c h i l d r e n o u t a b a c k d o o r a n d a w a y f r o m t he m a y he m . S p o t t i n g a g r o u p o f p o l i c e m e n, h e u r ge d h i s f r i g h t e n e d c h a r ge s t o w a rd t h e m . B u t t h e o f f i c e r s s n e e r e d t h a t t h ey d i d n o t p r o t e c t J e w s . I n s t e ad , o n e u s e d h i s b a y o n e t t o h e rd t h e g r o u p b a c k t o t h e o r p h a n a ge . H e o rd e r e d t h e m t o s t a y i n t h e g a rd e n be h i n d t h e b u i l d i n g . F r o m t h e r e t h ey w a t c h e d t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e i r h o m e a n d s c h o o l. T h ey w e r e n o t t h e o n l y o n e s w a t c h i n g ; a cr o w d o f s e v e r a l h u n d r e d h ad f o r m e d . H e r z r e c o g n i z e d p e o p l e h e k n e w : m e r - c h a n t s a n d s h o p k e e p e r s , p e o p l e w i t h w h o m h e d i d b u s i n e s s . T h ey w e r e h i s n e i g h bo r s . N o w t h ey s i m p l y s t o od o n t h e s i d e - w a l k s , s t a r i n g i n s i l e n c e .
Kr I s t a l l n a c h t a n d l I v I n g I n n a z I g er m a n y O n e o f t h e p o l i c e m e n c o m m a n d e d t h e c h i l d r e n t o p i l e i n t o a h a y w a g o n . F o u r o f t h e o l d e r bo y s w e r e i n s t r u c t e d t o p u l l t h e c a r t . T w o p o l i c e m e n a n d b r o w n - s h i r t e d N a z i s l e d t h e J e w P a r ad e a s i t w o u n d t h r o u g h D i n s l a k e n t o t h e j e e r s o f t h e t o w n s p e o p l e w h o l i n e d t h e r o u t e . H e r z c o u l d t e l l t h a t a f e w i n t h e cr o w d d i d n o t a p p r o v e , b u t t h ey s t ood w i t h t h e r e s t , d o i n g n o t h i n g . T h e p a r ad e e n d e d i n a sm a l l s c h o o l y a rd n e a r w h a t h ad be e n t h e t o w n s s y n a g o g u e ; n o w i t w a s a sm o l d e r i n g r u i n . A l l t h e o t h e r J e w s i n t h e t o w n w e r e b r o u g h t t o t h e s c h o o l y a rd a l o n g w i t h t h e c h i l d r e n . T h ey w e r e m o s t l y w o m e n w h o t o l d h o w t h e i r h u s b a n d s , f a t h e r s , a n d s o n s h ad b e e n s l a p p e d , k i c k e d , be a t e n, a n d t a k e n f r o m t h e m t h e n i g h t b e f o r e . T h i s e v e n t w a s o n e o f t h o u s a n d s o f h o r r o r s i n f l i c t e d u p o n J e w s t h r o u g h o u t G e r m a n y a n d A u s t r i a i n a s i n g l e n i g h t a n d d a y t h a t c a m e t o be k n o w n a s K r i s t a l l n a c h t . L i t e r a l l y C r y s t a l N i g h t , t h e n a m e m e a n s N i g h t o f B r o k e n G l a s s . I t w a s n o t t h e f i r s t i n s t a n c e o f v i o l e n c e a g a i n s t J e w s i n G e r m a n y . N e i t h e r w o u l d i t be t h e l a s t b r u t a l i t y t h e s e J e w s w o u l d e n d u r e . I t w a s t h e be g i n n i n g o f a c a m p a i g n o f t e r r o r a n d s a v a ge r y u n e q u a l e d i n m od e r n h i s t o r y .
