Kristallnacht, the night of November 9–10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property.

November 9-10, 1938

Origin of the Name "Kristallnacht" Kristallnacht owes its name to the shards of shattered glass that lined German streets in the wake of the pogrom—broken glass from the windows of synagogues, homes, and Jewish-owned businesses plundered and destroyed during the violence.

he rioters destroyed hundreds of synagogues and Jewish institutions throughout Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. View This Term in the Glossary Many synagogues burned throughout the night in full view of the public and of local firefighters, who had received orders to intervene only to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings. SA and Hitler Youth members across the country shattered the shop windows of an estimated 7,500 Jewish-owned commercial establishments and looted their wares. Jewish cemeteries became a particular object of desecration in many regions.