The first time I saw the word, Kristallnacht, I was teenager, and I thought of sparkling stars or pieces of gemstone shining in a dark sky. Now I know that the reality is so far from that flawless vision of a youth. The word Kristallnacht was a measure of lyrical sarcasm, and referred to the fact that pieces of glass from the wrecked windows, shined like crystal in the streets. "It refers to the fragments of shattered window glass that littered the sidewalks in front of Jewish shops that had been vandalized during the night." (Steinweis, 1) Kristallnacht, a night most people in the world would rather forget.
During the period from the early 1930's to the mid 40's, the Jews in Germany, Poland, and all the way through Europe faced concentrated discrimination from the Nazis. Beginning with boycotts and pogroms, the Nazis continued to institute legislation against the Jews with the Nuremberg Laws. Organization of ghettos began in the late 1930's. A Level of aggression against Jews had been logically and persistently established. In 1933, when the Nazis came to authority, the Jews were their first target. A boycott against Jewish businesses took place in April 1933 and the first laws against the Jews were passed as early as April 17, 1933. The Jews were being more and more erased from practically every surface of German life. "During Hitler's first three years as chancellor, his government approved numerous laws that prohibited many Jews from working, enjoying their rights as German citizens, and receiving an education. Among the worst were the Nuremberg Laws, instituted by the Nazis on September 15, 1935. These two laws clearly spelled out the terms of German citizenship (Jews could not be citizens) and German marriage (Jews and Germans could not marry)." (Deem, 8).
The first years of the Nazis in power were very important. Nazi propaganda started with the first point of the destruction procedure.
