Survivor Recalls 'Night of Broken Glass' At UN
Kristina Dillon
Issue date: 12/21/08 Section: News
"Glass bottles on fire were flying through the air. There were screams of the innocent all around me. Broken glass was shattering everywhere. It was as if I were in the middle of a war zone," recalled Gary Phillips, now 86, recalling that night 70 years ago.
The night that changed everything.
Phillips who recently spoke at the 70th Anniversary Observance of the Kristallnacht Pogrom at the United Nations was an eyewitness of the incident.
"It was 1938 and there I was, standing on the corner across from the second most important synagogue in Berlin as it was burnt to the ground," said Phillips.
It was all part of Hitler's anti-Semitic policy to get rid of the Jews in Germany. To most it was the beginning of the end. The Holocaust.
That night, Nov. 9, 1938, is known in English as the night of Broken Glass. In that single night, 91 Jews were murdered and over 30,000 were taken to prisons or deported to concentration camps. Over 1,600 synagogues were burned to the ground.
It was a cool autumn as the "Indian summer" in Berlin was coming to an end. Phillips was 16 then, a bicycle messenger who was starting his rounds. Everything was normal until he reached town.
"It was total chaos as there were riots in the streets," he said. The Nazis were destroying everything- the beautiful store windows, home and synagogues. They burned everything and stole what was left."
Phillips stood on that corner and witnessed Nazis opening the subway gates and toss Jewish people down them. He saw them horrifically torture and kill Jewish men, women and children.
It was the same corner Phillips returned to 69 years later to see the little Jewish Community Center that has been built in its place.
"It took me a long time to be able to go back to that spot," said Phillips. "Everything was on fire that night…the Nazis loved fire."
Phillips wasn't brought up any particular religion. He had a Jewish father and a German mother. On his public records, he was registered as N/A under the religion category.
The night that changed everything.
Phillips who recently spoke at the 70th Anniversary Observance of the Kristallnacht Pogrom at the United Nations was an eyewitness of the incident.
"It was 1938 and there I was, standing on the corner across from the second most important synagogue in Berlin as it was burnt to the ground," said Phillips.
It was all part of Hitler's anti-Semitic policy to get rid of the Jews in Germany. To most it was the beginning of the end. The Holocaust.
That night, Nov. 9, 1938, is known in English as the night of Broken Glass. In that single night, 91 Jews were murdered and over 30,000 were taken to prisons or deported to concentration camps. Over 1,600 synagogues were burned to the ground.
It was a cool autumn as the "Indian summer" in Berlin was coming to an end. Phillips was 16 then, a bicycle messenger who was starting his rounds. Everything was normal until he reached town.
"It was total chaos as there were riots in the streets," he said. The Nazis were destroying everything- the beautiful store windows, home and synagogues. They burned everything and stole what was left."
Phillips stood on that corner and witnessed Nazis opening the subway gates and toss Jewish people down them. He saw them horrifically torture and kill Jewish men, women and children.
It was the same corner Phillips returned to 69 years later to see the little Jewish Community Center that has been built in its place.
"It took me a long time to be able to go back to that spot," said Phillips. "Everything was on fire that night…the Nazis loved fire."
Phillips wasn't brought up any particular religion. He had a Jewish father and a German mother. On his public records, he was registered as N/A under the religion category.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
CV Writer
posted 1/10/10 @ 9:25 AM EST
I think taht it is important not to repeat this awfull things.
Post a Comment