Words have meaning. They shape how people feel about an issue, remember events and respond to developments that affect their lives.
For decades in Germany, the anti-Jewish violence that swept the country on November 9, 1938, has been called “Kristallnacht” or “Reichskristallnacht” — commonly translated into English as the “Night of Broken Glass.” The term entered the German historical lexicon, its name evoking shards of shattered glass that lined streets, as noted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM).
But many argue that “broken glass” understates the brutality of that night of terror, which many historians mark as a turning point toward the Holocaust and the systematic murder of millions. Meier Schwarz, a German-born Holocaust survivor and Israeli academic, wrote that the term “obscures the atrocities that were committed against Jewish citizens.”
Hundreds were killed, according to the USHMM, and some 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and deported to concentration camps. Rioters set fire to hundreds of synagogues and Jewish institutions across Austria and Germany, desecrated cemeteries and looted thousands of Jewish-owned businesses. Nazi authorities then compelled Jews to pay for the damages.
Given that scope, critics say “broken glass” does not convey the scale of suffering. In Germany, the conversation has shifted toward more explicit language to ensure the historical record reflects the nature of the atrocities. Some prefer the term “pogrom” — from Russian, meaning “to wreak havoc, to demolish violently” — and the compound “Pogromnacht” (night of pogroms) has gained currency in recent German discourse.
Outside Germany, however, “Kristallnacht” and its English equivalent remain widely used, including by media and Jewish organizations. The USHMM uses the term while further describing the events as an “organized act of nationwide violence” and a “wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms.”
Not all historians welcome substituting “pogrom.” They argue it is a broad term applicable to many episodes of violence against Jews in European history, especially within the Russian Empire, and that those events often differed from the uniquely coordinated, state-directed terror of Nazi Germany. Raphael Gross, president of the German Historical Museum, told public broadcaster DLF that the coordination and planning under National Socialism were “so special” and without comparison. Historian Friedemann Bedürftig described replacing “Kristallnacht” with “Pogromnacht” as a “Verschlimmbesserung” — a misguided attempt to improve that makes things worse.
Language and historical interpretation evolve. How societies name and grapple with past crimes shifts over time, and Germany’s ongoing efforts to confront its Nazi past shape that debate. While the search for perfect terminology may be fraught or even impossible given the extremity of the crimes, proponents of clearer language say the effort keeps public awareness alive.
“The most important thing,” Gross said, “is to know what you are talking about.”
Edited by: Jon Shelton
This article was originally published on November 9, 2023, and republished on November 9, 2025.
