or Crystal Night or Night of Broken Glass
Night of violence against Jews, carried out by members of the German Nazi Party on Nov.
9–10, 1938, so called because of the broken glass left in its aftermath. The violence, instigated by Gestapo arrested 30,000 Jewish males, offering to release them only if they emigrated and surrendered their wealth. The incident marked a major escalation in the Nazi program of Jewish persecution, foreshadowing the Holocaust .