What is Kristallnacht?

Introduction 

On the night of November 9, 1938, synagogues across Germany and Austria went up in flames. Jewish shops were smashed, homes were ransacked, and Torah scrolls were dragged into the streets. By morning, about 30,000 Jewish men had been arrested and sent to concentration camps. This was not a spontaneous riot—it was a coordinated assault, planned and carried out by the Nazi state. This marked a decisive turning point: the shift from legal discrimination to open, state-directed violence. It demonstrated the use of mass arrest and concentration camps against Jews as Jews, and it fused street terror with economic policy designed to make Jewish life in the Reich impossible. 

This resource explores what led to Kristallnacht, what unfolded on that night, and why this moment changed everything: not only for Germany's Jews, but for the trajectory of the Holocaust itself.
 

How to use our educator's guide

This guide is designed to enhance your students’ engagement with the video, “What is Kristallnacht?”. You can pause at the suggested points to explore key concepts through discussion, or show the entire video without breaks and use the discussion questions and activities at the end of the guide for a comprehensive post-viewing discussion. Alternatively, you can utilize a flipped classroom approach, assigning the video for students to watch at home, and then using class time to unpack ideas together. 

Choose the activities and approaches that best fit your students and classroom needs and your learning objectives.