Inside Kristallnacht
An Immersive XR Experience

In this innovative mixed reality project about a pivotal moment in Holocaust history, Dr. Charlotte Knobloch takes audiences through the streets of Munich as the violence of Kristallnacht unfolds. Presented by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, in partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, Meta, and UNESCO. Learn more about Inside Kristallnacht.

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Kristallnacht

Kurt Messerschmidt

Jewish Holocaust Survivor

Kurt describes what he observed in the aftermath of the Kristallnacht pogrom in Berlin, Germany, in November 1938.

Gender: Male
DOB: January 2, 1915
City of birth: Werneuchen
Country of birth: Germany
Ghettos: Theresienstadt
Camps: Ganacker (Germany : Concentration Camp), Golleschau (Poland : Concentration Camp), Auschwitz II-Birkenau (Poland : Death Camp), Flossenbürg (Germany : Concentration Camp), Sachsenhausen (Germany : Concentration Camp)

 

MORE CLIPS...
  • Dr. Charlotte Knobloch

    Language: English

    Charlotte Knobloch, born in Munich in 1932, survived the Holocaust disguised as a Christian child on a Bavarian farm. After the war, she reunited with her father and remained in Germany, eventually dedicating her life to combating antisemitism. The XR Experience “Inside Kristallnacht” centers on her story. 

    In this message to her grandchildren, Dr. Knobloch emphasized the importance of taking pride in one’s Judaism in an era of antisemitism and misinformation.

  • Doris Metzger on Kristallnacht

    Language: English

    Doris Bamburger Metzger and her husband Ernest were living in Nuremberg, Germany, with their 5-month-old daughter Eva when Nazis ransacked their home on Kristallnacht. Doris' father was arrested and taken to Dachau.

  • Esther Clifford remembers Kristallnacht

    Language: English

    Esther Clifford discusses events of the Kristallnacht pogrom, November 9-10, 1938 and recalls the state of fear that drove her to flee her hometown of Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

     

  • Kurt Messerschmidt

    Language: English

    Jewish Holocaust Survivor

    Kurt describes what he observed in the aftermath of the Kristallnacht pogrom in Berlin, Germany, in November 1938.

    Gender: Male
    DOB: January 2, 1915
    City of birth: Werneuchen
    Country of birth: Germany
    Ghettos: Theresienstadt
    Camps: Ganacker (Germany : Concentration Camp), Golleschau (Poland : Concentration Camp), Auschwitz II-Birkenau (Poland : Death Camp), Flossenbürg (Germany : Concentration Camp), Sachsenhausen (Germany : Concentration Camp)

     

  • Esther Gever

    Language: English

    Jewish Holocaust Survivor

    Esther Gever remembers trying to protect her father from being arrested.

    Gender: Female
    DOB: April 14, 1930
    City of birth: Vienna
    Country of birth: Austria
    Ghettos: No
    Went into hiding: Yes
    Other experiences: Displaced Persons Camps

     

  • Fred Katz

    Language: English

    Jewish Holocaust Survivor

    Fred Katz remembers his birthday coinciding with the Kristallnacht Pogrom.

    Gender: Male
    DOB: November 10, 1927
    City of birth: Oberlauringen
    Country of birth: Germany
    Ghettos: No
    Went into hiding: No
    Other experiences: Kindertransport

     

  • Eva Abraham-Podietz

    Language: English

    Jewish Holocaust Survivor

    Eva Abraham Podietz went to school as usual during the Kristallnacht Pogrom only to be sent right home again. On her way home, she encountered Nazi youths.

    Gender: Female
    DOB: May 22, 1927
    City of birth: Hamburg
    Country of birth: Germany
    Ghettos: No
    Fled Nazi Occupied Territory: Yes

     

  • Herbert Karliner

    Language: English

    Jewish Holocaust Survivor

    Herbert Karliner's family business was destroyed during the Kristallnacht Pogrom, prompting the family to leave Germany.

    Gender: Male
    DOB: September 3, 1926
    City of birth: Peiskretscham
    Country of birth: Germany
    Camps: Boussac (France : Concentration Camp)
    Went into hiding: Yes

     

  • Jacob Wiener

    Language: English

    Jewish Holocaust Survivor

    Jacob Wiener recalls being taunted by his classmates during the Kristallnacht Pogrom.

    Gender: Male
    DOB: March 25, 1917
    City of birth: Bremen
    Country of birth: Germany
    Ghettos: No
    Went into hiding: No
    Fled Nazi-occupied Territory: Yes

     

  • Robert Behr

    Language: English

    Jewish Holocaust Survivor

    Robert Behr describes how the events of Kristallnacht shook his family's belief in a civil Germany.

    Gender: Male
    DOB: March 1, 1922
    City of birth: Berlin
    Country of birth: Germany
    Ghettos: Theresienstadt (Czechoslovakia)
    Camps: Zossen-Wulkow bei Trebnitz (Germany : Concentration Camp)

     

Kristallnacht
In this activity, students will engage with testimonies of individuals who experienced the Kristallnacht pogrom. They will learn about the experiences of these individuals, as well as the larger effects on Germany, Austria and the Jewish community in Europe.
7-9 Grades
grades
1 Hour
time
Information Quest
activity
Some Were Neighbors: Collaboration & Complicity in the Holocaust
This activity focuses on the actions of ordinary people during Kristallnacht -- a turning point in the Holocaust during which Nazis terrorized German and Austrian Jews in a very public way.
9-12 Grades
grades
1.5 hours
time
Mini Quest
activity
Algunos eran Vecinos: La Noche de los Cristales Rotos
Esta actividad se centra en las acciones de la gente común durante la Noche de los Cristales Rotos (Kristallnacht), un punto de inflexión en el Holocausto durante el cual los nazis aterrorizaron a los judíos alemanes y austriacos de una manera muy pública.
9-12 Grades
grades
1.5 Hours
time
Mini Quest
activity
IWitness Activities on Kristallnacht
Explore online activities in various languages about Kristallnacht on our educational platform IWitness.