Synopses & Reviews
On November 7, 1938, Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year old Polish-German Jew, walked into the German Embassy in Paris and shot Third Secretary, Ernst vom Rath, who died shortly after. Vom Rath's death triggered the destruction and mahem which became known as Kristallnacht, or The Night of Broken Glass, resulting in the death of hundreds, the razing of 265 synagogues and 200 houses, the demolition of 7,500 business establishments, and the incarceration of 30,000 Jews in concentration camps. Herschel Grynszpan was immediately arrested. France's foremost criminal lawyer took over his defense. On June 8, 1940, two days before the French Government evacuated Paris, the youth was indicted for murder. A month later he was in Nazi hands, being interrogated by the Gestapo in anticipation of a major show trial.
Little has been known in the past about this extraordinary young man. Using German documents never before revealed, including a startling coded testament, Gerald Schwab examines his background and the events culminating in the shooting. The book describes, in considerable detail, Grynszpan's experiences in French and German hands and his trial which was to become Nazi Germany's justification of the Holocaust. It also challenges some commonly held ideas about the cause of the shooting and its aftermath. The Day the Holocaust Began describes the life of a mixed-up, emotionally immature youngster who developed into one of the most amazing and unlikely heroes of modern history, demonstrating the power of the human spirit against overwhelming odds. Anyone interested in modern European history, the Nazi Government, the persecution of the European Jews, as well as students of the Holocaust and its many ramifications, will find The Day the Holocaust Began invaluable reading.
Review
Gerald Schwab's The Day the Holocaust Began is fascinating reading. It is an extremely valuable account of the story of Herschel Grynszpan, the expulsion of Polish Jews from Germany, the November 1938 pogrom (Crystal Night), and of Grynszpan's subsequent fate as a prisoner of the Nazis. This vivid and dramatic story is both biographical and historical and fills a critical gap in our understanding of the Holocaust.Sybil Milton, Resident Historian U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Review
This history, a footnote to that of the Holocaust, tells the story of the trial and eventual liquidation of Grynzspan as completely as it ever will be known.Washington Post Book World
Review
Gerald Schwab has written a compelling story about the aftermath of one of the most important events to take place on the path to the Holocaust. Using primarily official German documents, Schwab has written a fascinating, exhaustively researched book which is sure to become a standard work on this subject. He is to be congratulated for producing a work which maintains the reader's interest throughout while maintaining the highest levels of scholarship.Senator Rudy Boschwitz
Synopsis
On November 7, 1938, Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year old Polish-German Jew, walked into the German Embassy in Paris and shot Third Secretary, Ernst vom Rath who died shortly after. Vom Rath's death triggered the destruction and mahem which became known as Kristallnacht, or The Night of Broken Glass and the beginning of the Holocaust. Examining German documents never before revealed, including a startling coded "confession," Gerald Schwab probes the background of Herschel Grynszpan. The book describes in considerable detail, Grynszpan's experiences in French and German hands and challenges some commonly held ideas about the cause of the shooting. The Day the Holocaust Began describes the life of a mixed-up, emotionally immature teenager who developed into one of the most amazing and unlikely heroes of modern history, demonstrating the power of the human spirit against overwhelming odds.
Synopsis
"A detailed picture of the planning and preparation the Nazis undertook in order to stage a show trial--with Herschel Grynszpan as the representative of World Jewry." Simon Wiesenthal
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [219]-221) and index.
Table of Contents
Introduction
November 7, 1938
The Death of vom Rath
The Victim
The Aftermath--Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass)
World Reaction
Growing Up Jewish in Hitler's Germany
Grynszpan's Emigration-- Life in Paris
The Deportation of the Grynszpan Family
From Despair to Vengeance
The Prosecution
The Defense Team
The Trial of Abraham and Chawa Grynszpan
A Complex Character
Moves and Countermoves
Evacuation from Paris--Extradition to Germany
A German Trial for Herschel Grynszpan--A Proposal
A House Divided--Nazi Trial Preparations
The Trial
The Problem of Paragraph 175
The End?
Summing Up
Epilogue
Dramatis Personae
Bibliography
Index