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Violence in Lichtenfels

Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides

 

Historical Narrative

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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 Storm Troopers 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 intimacy of the pogrom in small communities such as Lichtenfels.  The SA men broke down the front door to the cheers of some members of the crowd 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 fairly typical case of Lichtenfels apart was the murder of a Jewish woman, Mrs. S., who lived directly adjacent to the synagogue.  As she opened a window to see what was happening next door, she was struck hard in the head by a riding crop.  The culprit was Franz F., Jr., the 27-year-old son of the man who had threatened Mrs. P.  Mrs. S. was injured, but not badly.  This seemed to mark the end of the incident.  About 12 hours later, however, on the afternoon of November 10, a mob consisting of both youths and adults formed in front of the synagogue, and the threat to Mrs. S. was renewed.  Several members of the mob, including Franz F., Jr., forced their way into her home and abused her physically, throwing eggs into her face and shoving her around until she bled from contact with broken glass.  The youths were responsible for much of the brutality, encouraged in their actions by Franz F., Jr., and other adults.  Franz F., Jr., seemed to bear some special animus toward Mrs. S.  At one point he implored the youths to "strike her dead, the Judensau*," echoing some of the language his father had used during the night.

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.

Source: Steinweis, Alan E.  Kristallnacht 1938  Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 2009. pp. 69-70

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Questions for Discussion

  1. What actions did the Storm Troopers (SA) take at the synagogue at the beginning of the violence?

  2. How did the SA men target the Jewish community in Lichtenfels?

  3. What was Franz F.’s reaction when Mrs. P. pleaded for mercy?

  4. How did the perpetrators use the delivery truck during the pogrom?

  5. What does the response of the mayor and police reveal about the institutional complicity in the pogrom?

  6. What role did the local police play during the events?

  7. What was unique about the case of Mrs. S. compared to the rest of the violence in Lichtenfels?

  8. How does the treatment of Mrs. S. reflect escalating brutality during the pogrom?

  9. How does the community’s participation in looting and violence shape our understanding of the pogrom’s social impact?

  10. In what ways does the passive or active involvement of bystanders contribute to the violence?

  11. How should historians and educators approach the complexities of individual culpability and collective responsibility in cases like Lichtenfels?

  12. What lessons can be drawn from the role of community members in both perpetrating and witnessing violence during the pogrom?