What was Kristallnacht?
Partially destroyed Fasanenstrasse Synagogue in Berlin (Photo Credit: Public Domain)
Facing the Shadows: A Christian Perspective on Combating Antisemitism
Eight-year-old Esther Gever clung to her father’s arm in their Vienna home, defiantly confronting the Nazi soldier attempting to take him away. “No! You cannot take my father!” she insisted. “Why would you take my father?” The soldier snarled, “Because he is a Jew.” Esther stood firm, “You will not take him! He didn’t do anything.” Frustrated by this brave little girl, the soldier brutally threw her against the wall, rendering her unconscious. This scene was one of many during Kristallnacht, a horrifying event that unfolded in numerous Jewish homes under Hitler’s regime.
What was Kristallnacht?
Kristallnacht, or the “night of broken glass,” was a coordinated attack on Jewish people in Germany and Nazi-controlled areas. On November 9–10, 1938, mobs fueled by antisemitic propaganda rampaged through Jewish neighborhoods. They shattered the windows of businesses, looted, vandalized, and left destruction in their wake. This violent outburst followed the murder of a German diplomat by a Jewish teenager, which served as a pretext for the atrocity.
Ordinary citizens, together with German soldiers, invaded Jewish homes, arresting men and terrorizing families. They hurled bricks through windows, forced entry into homes, and ransacked belongings. Determined to inflict maximum damage, they smashed furniture, stole valuables, and physically assaulted those in their path.
Warnings Ignored and Authorities Complicit
Some Jewish families received warnings from compassionate neighbors or relatives in other cities. “Stay home. Tell the men to hide. Do not go outside.” Yet, those caught on the streets faced savage beatings from people they once called friends. Mobs set synagogues ablaze, cheering as flames devoured sacred spaces. When fire risked harming nearby non-Jewish structures, they dragged holy books and artifacts outside to burn.
Ordered to stand down, the police watched as mobs invaded orphanages and hospitals, driving children into the cold night. Kristallnacht was not just a night of broken glass but a night of shattered humanity. In total, 91 Jewish people were murdered, hundreds of synagogues destroyed, and thousands of homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals looted. Tens of thousands of Jewish men were sent to concentration camps, including Esther’s father.
Kristallnacht was not just a night of broken glass but a night of shattered humanity.
A Family’s Struggle and Survival
For weeks, Esther’s family sought news of the men’s whereabouts. A censored postcard from Dachau provided scant comfort, hinting that her father was alive but leaving them fearful for his well-being. Many arrested men were released after a few months. The following year, Esther’s father returned, prompting the family to flee to Poland, then Siberia, where Esther’s mother passed away. In 1949, Esther moved to Israel and then to the U.S. in 1959.
Kristallnacht emboldened Hitler, proving that he could proceed with his genocidal plans without resistance from the masses, who either supported or feared him. It marked the beginning of the horrific “Final Solution,” resulting in the murder of six million Jews.
Learning Kristallnacht’s Lesson
Kristallnacht serves as a stark reminder of how prejudice can be manipulated into violence. Germany’s non-Jewish citizens lived with the Jewish population for decades as neighbors, friends, coworkers and business relations. Yet, when exposed to hate propaganda, their perception of Jewish people changed. And how quickly their new or latent prejudice succumbed to the frenzy of a mob on Kristallnacht.
Mob mentality is the persuasive effect that group-thought and behavior have on individuals within the group. People often lose their sense of self in a passionate crowd, deviating from inhibitions they would typically have in other settings and going along with the attitude of the crowd. Charged emotions, along with perceptions of anonymity and freedom from responsibility, grease the slope leading one to join in. This group mentality can be as harmless as singing and swaying to music at a concert or as dangerous as what happened on Kristallnacht.
We see the same effects of mob mentality today when peaceful protests turn aggressive. Quiet marches can quickly deteriorate into angry, mean-spirited shouting matches, riots, brawls, and fierce violence. Recently, a violent mob gathered near a stadium in Amsterdam to attack Israelis and Jewish people after a soccer match. Groups of assailants collected in alleys, around corners and outside hotels to assault people wearing items that identified them as Jewish or fans of the Israeli soccer team. Scenes of Jewish people being beaten, kicked and chased filled the streets that night, just two days away from the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht.
The beginnings of extreme mindsets are often small enough to allow the masses to view them as inconsequential or isolated. But the events of Kristallnacht – and today’s news – show us how vulnerable ordinary people are to engaging in mob mentality.
A Call to Action for Christians
Today, antisemitism remains a threat, some 80 years after the Holocaust. The number of antisemitic incidents in the United States has risen dramatically in recent years. Jewish people often convey that they don’t feel safe going about their everyday routines. They never know when they are going to be accosted by a racial slur or physical violence. Each week, new antisemitic events are reported.
As Christians, it is our moral duty to combat antisemitism through compassion and proactive action. Scripture teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31), seek justice, and defend the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17). Here are a few ways to put your love into action.
As Christians, it is our moral duty to combat antisemitism through compassion and proactive action.
SPEAK UP. If you witness or hear anti-Semitic remarks or behavior, don't stay silent. Every effort to counter false narratives and irrational prejudice is important.
COMBAT STEREOTYPES. Challenge comments that stereotype Jewish people. Encourage people to question their assumptions and over-generalized opinions about Jewish people.
SUPPORT JEWISH BUSINESSES. Business-based antisemitism exists everywhere, from international politics to the local shop in your neighborhood. Go out of your way to support Jewish-owned businesses, and while you’re shopping, leave them with a word of encouragement that you stand against antisemitism.
REPORT ANTISEMETIC INCIDENTS. If you witness antisemitism – such as vandalism, harassment, discrimination, or violence – report it to appropriate authorities or organizations. Whether on social media, in a business or institution or on the street, taking action sends the message that such behaviors are unacceptable and won’t be tolerated.
GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY. Challenge any biases you encounter in businesses, schools, media and public arenas. Contact your government representatives, expressing your disapproval of antisemitic biases and incidents and urging them to take action.
PRAY. And, of course, pray. Pray for an end to antisemitism, protection of Jewish people worldwide, just penalties for perpetrators, opened eyes to antisemitism’s corrupted thinking, and for kindness and love to prevail.
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
—Mark 12:28–33
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
—Deuteronomy 6:4–5
“…love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
—Leviticus 19:18
Sources:
Holocaust Survivors Remember Kristallnacht, USC Shoah Foundation YouTube video
Examining the Mob Mentality, South University, Megan Donley