Survivor Accounts of the Night of Broken Glass | Director: Sarita Gold
Testimonies from the Shoah
•
8m 16s
On the night of November 9, 1938, Nazi violence erupted across Germany and Austria. Synagogues burned. Jewish businesses and homes were destroyed. Thousands of men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. This was Kristallnacht — the Night of Broken Glass — and it marked the beginning of the Holocaust.
In this powerful short film, Holocaust survivors Eddie Jaku, Ruth Rack, and Herbert Freeman share their personal memories of Kristallnacht. Each account offers a deeply human perspective on how it felt to witness their communities collapse under fear, hatred, and state-sponsored violence.
Their testimonies serve not only as eyewitness records of this turning point in history, but also as urgent reminders of the dangers of antisemitism, silence, and indifference—a vital resource for Holocaust education and remembrance.
Produced for the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Holocaust Remembrance event by AD Media.
Directed and produced by Sarita Gold.
Director of Photography and Editor: Agostino Marcello.
Up Next in Testimonies from the Shoah
-
From Hiding to Hope – A Holocaust Sur...
Aneta Weinrach’s Holocaust survival story is one of harrowing loss, resilience, and renewal. In this powerful short documentary, Aneta recounts her experience of hiding in a loft with two babies — one of whom tragically died after being smothered to keep them all from being discovered.
She descr...
-
I Kept My Promise | Director: Sarita ...
Discover the powerful true story of Yvonne Engelman, a Holocaust survivor who overcame unimaginable horrors to rebuild her life in Australia.
Born in 1927 in Czechoslovakia, Yvonne’s childhood was destroyed by the Nazi regime. Deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and separated from her parents, she e... -
Surviving Mengele, Death Marches, and...
At just 16 years old, Olga Horak was torn from her home and sent to Auschwitz. In this powerful short film, Olga recounts her Holocaust survival story — from the Nazi occupation of Slovakia to forced labour, selections by Dr. Josef Mengele, and enduring the death march to Bergen-Belsen.
Olga spe...