The November Pogrom/Kristallnacht n Lichtenfels, Northern Bavaria
Population 7,000 (53 Jews in September 1938)
The town had a synagogue, Jewish cemetery and a Jewish school founded in 1804.
Most Jews made their living from small-scale commerce.
The violence began at the synagogue, where the Stormtroopers (Sturmtruppen or SA) smashed windows, demolished furniture, and threw prayer books and Torah scrolls out onto the street. They then proceeded to attack the Jewish community. It was not secret who the Jews were, where they lived, or where they operated their businesses. The SA men dragged Jews out of their homes and paraded them, most still in their pajamas and nightgowns, through the town. They vandalized Jewish homes and businesses. The forced entry into the home of the Jewish family P. exemplified the deeply personal and intrusive nature of the pogrom in small communities like Lichtenfels. The SA men broke down the front door to the cheers of some members of the crowd and onlookers that had formed. Once inside the home, one of the SA men, Franz F., was recognized by Mrs. P., who exclaimed, "Herr F., are you here as well? Please, neighbor, leave us alone!" Franz F. hollered back, "Shut your trap, you old Jewish swine, or we'll strike you dead!" At one business, the textile shop owned by the Jewish family K., systematic plundering took place through the use of a delivery truck, which was loaded up with stolen items at least twice. The same truck was then used to haul away carpets from the synagogues. The arrest of the Jewish men began at around 3:00 am. The SA rounded up 21 men and threw them into the local jail. One of the Jewish men took his own life with poison in the jail. The police, under orders from the mayor - who happened to be one of the chief organizers of the pogrom - stood by and did nothing. Only at 4:00 am did the police begin to intervene, mainly to prevent the looting, which had become widespread, from getting completely out of hand.
What set the otherwise typical case of Lichtenfels apart was the brutal murder of a Jewish woman, Mrs. S., who lived next to the synagogue. As she opened a window to witness the events unfolding outside, she was struck hard in the head with a riding crop by Franz F., Jr., the 27-year-old son of the man who had previously threatened Mrs. P. Though injured, Mrs. S. did not initially suffer serious harm, and the incident seemed to end there.
However, approximately 12 hours later, on the afternoon of November 10, a mob of both youths and adults gathered in front of the synagogue, reigniting the violence against Mrs. S. Several members of the mob, including Franz F., Jr., forced their way into her home, physically assaulting her. They shoved her, threw eggs in her face, and pushed her against broken glass, leaving her bloodied. The younger members of the mob carried out much of the violence, spurred on by Franz F., Jr., and other adults.
Franz F., Jr. appeared to harbor a particular hatred toward Mrs. S. At one point, he incited the mob further, urging the youths to "strike her dead, the Judensau," echoing the antisemitic rhetoric his father had used the night before.
Late on November 10, the body of Mrs. S. was found in a ditch outside of town. Exactly how she was killed and by whom has never been established.
* Judensau medieval image of Jews in obscene contact with a large sow (female pig, which in Judaism is an unclean animal.)
