48 Hours of Kristallnacht: Night of Destruction/Dawn of the Holocaust: An Oral History

Dr. Mitchell Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise and the director of the Jewish Virtual Library (JewishVirtualLibrary.org), the world's most comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture (which averages nearly 1.5 million visitors per month).

On the night of November 9, 1938, rampaging mobs throughout Germany and the newly acquired territories of Austria and Sudetenland freely attacked Jews in the street, in their homes, and at their places of work and worship. Over the next forty-eight hours at least ninety-six Jews were killed and hundreds more injured, as many as 2,000 synagogues were burned, almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed, cemeteries and schools were vandalized, and 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. This pogrom has come to be called Kristallnacht, "Night of Broken Glass."48 Hours of Kristallnacht is the first book to thoroughly chronicle this pivotal event by presenting a wide array of eyewitness testimony, much of it previously unpublished, and to set the event firmly in historical context. Drawing on his unprecedented access to key archives, Dr. Mitchell G. Bard presents a shocking story that centers on the words of those who, as children, were on the scene first-hand. Together, these accounts and Bard's incisive analysis reveal what led up to the pogroms, how they transpired, and their aftermath-and why the Holocaust can be dated from these two harrowing nights.

IntroductionI. Warning SignsII. A Harsh ChildhoodIII. Coming of Age and Heroes of Another AgeIV. Goodbye DaddyV. Walking Through The Looking GlassVI. Synagogues AflameVII. Saving and Taking LivesVIII. The Road to Hell Appendices Bibliography SourcesAcknowledgments Index About the Author