Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) was the beginning of a long nightmare for my family and millions of other German Jews. Ruth was 11 years old at that time. The event of Kritalnacht started in the afternoon on November 9, 1938. The insanity came with no warning Her father Jakob Scheuer was picked up by the German SS a long with most of the local Jewish males, and placed in jail in Zulpich. The women and children were ordered to by the German SS to leave their homes. Their father Jakob Scheuer and some other were released from the local jail the next day. Ilse remembers that their father came by at her school to bless her and to say goodbye, after which he escaped over the border to Holland. Once in Holland he was forced to register with the authorities as a refugee since he had no official emigration papers and gave his address as Julianalaan 207, Bilthhoven, Janette Behr Daniels home (his mother in law) We all had to flee to the save house in Zulpich. The next day, Walter Julh who served as the Jewish community's liaison with the Nazi's came to the house in Zulpich announcing that we could all return to our homes. Upon return to Sinzenich, we and the rest of the family found many passions had been stolen. Other family members had their couches and pillow ripped apart, there furniture was damage and destroyed. The Horn's family textile business was completely ruined and the glass windows were broken.
After Kristalnacht, conditions for German Jews grew increasingly worse
Some of the Sinzenich relatives fled Germany quickly after Kristalnacht, other were able to get emigration papers to the United States Others familie remained in Senzenich until the summer of 1942, when Germany began deporting its own Jesh. The remaning Jews in the region of Sinzenich were gathered by the German authorities, they were deported on July 4th, 1942
All the remaining Synagogues in other cities around Sinzenich, were either destroyed or burned down during the events of Kristalnacht.
1400 synagogues were set on fire and destroyed.
7500 windows of shops were smashed and Jewish homes, business, school and even hospitals were destroyed.
100 Jews were killed
30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps.