November Pogrom Memorial Day

On this day we commemorate the victims of the so-called "Kristallnacht". In the night from November 9 to 10, 1938 everywhere in the German Reich, which at that time was being ruled by the national socialists, Jewish establishments were attacked, peole mistreated, shops looted and fires set to synagogues. The propaganda tried to explain the attacks as a spontaneous reaction to the death of a German diplomat who had been shot by a Jew. However, it was clear that the pogrom had been started by nazi organisations and that mainly members of these organisations were involved in it. According to official statements 91 persons got killed and an unknown number of people were put into concentration camps.

A story from my home town

Louis Gumpert was the owner of a milliner's shop in Werne. He was a member of the voluntary fire brigade and a leading member in various other organisations. In the year 1903 he was a co-founder of the first sports club in Werne and became its secretary. In 1933, after the national socialists had come to power, all Jews, including him, were expelled from the organisations and clubs. In the night from November 9 to 10, 1938 there were riots in Werne as well. Some nazis broke into Louis Gumpert's shop and threw the goods into the street. Louis Gumpert fled onto the roof of his house. What happened then remains unclear. Maybe he tried to jump onto the roof of the neighboring house or he was pushed by somebody. He fell into a small yard between the houses. The nazis tried to get into the yard to continue the mistreatment of the badly wounded man, but the lawyer whose house the yard belonged to prohibited them from entering it (he was not punished for this by the nazis). Some people took Louis Gumpert to hospital where he died despite immediate treatment by a doctor (who was punished for helping a Jew). After 1945 several men, some of whom belonged to respected families of Werne, were charged with this and with other crimes and were sentenced to prison.

Last update: January 19, 2009