Prof discusses 'Kristallnacht'

One night of broken glass nearly 60 years ago led to the beginning of one of the darkest chapters in recent world history, the Holocaust. History Professor Thomas Childers spoke passionately yesterday about Kristallnacht -- German for the "Night of Broken Glass" -- on the 59th anniversary of night of massive Nazi-orchestrated violence against German Jews. The speech, held in Houston Hall, was sponsored by the Holocaust Education Committee, which seeks to educate the University community and students in Philadelphia schools about the Holocaust. Childers, a Third Reich scholar, has written several works on the topic, including The Nazi Voter in 1983. He spoke of the anniversary as a "very somber occasion" and described Kristallnacht as the first incident of a "nationally coordinated campaign of violence." More than 100 students and others listened as Childers spoke of the destruction of Jewish shops, synagogues and homes that night. About 100 Jews were killed and about 20,000 -- perhaps even more -- were taken into protective custody during the violence. Describing the incidents that led up to Kristallnacht, Childers discussed how the Nazi regime, from the time it took power in 1933, gradually enacted increasingly discriminatory laws against Jews. Some of these actions included boycotting Jewish businesses in 1933, dismissing Jews from civil service positions and preventing anyone with Jewish blood from owning a farm. Adolf Hitler justified these actions, according to Childers, by claiming that he was "fulfilling the desires of the German population." The goal of the Nazis ultimately became "de-Jewification," as the regime passed laws encouraging Jews to leave Germany. As a result of these policies, Childers explained, Jewish families were frequently deported from Germany. The violence of Kristallnacht eventually erupted after a 17-year-old boy from one of those families killed a German diplomat out of frustration. Stressing that the lessons of Kristallnacht must be remembered, Childers said the German public was -- if not supportive of the regime -- largely apathetic to the violence. "When the rights of one group are violated, everyone's freedoms are put at risk," Childers said. In concluding his speech, Childers brought his point home by saying that an incident like Kristalnacht could realistically still occur, even in the United States. After the talk, College sophomore Aileen Goldstein said it is "important that the University community be exposed to Kristallnacht," adding that "Professor Childers gave a very good historical analysis of it."