The story of Herschel Grynszpan

The “Polish Action”, a postcard, and the assassination
 

At the same time, as a result of the Polish decree of 15 October 1938, Herschel’s family met with the same tragic fate as thousands of other Jews living in the German Reich who had emigrated from Poland. On 28 and 29 October, after the Polish state announced its decision to withdraw Polish citizenship from Poles who had been living outside Poland without interruption for more than five years, the National Socialist regime arrested around 17,000 Jews with Polish citizenship who were living in the German Reich, forcibly brought them to the Polish border, and expelled them from the country. Records show that the 484 people were expelled from Hanover, including the Grynszpan family. They were deported by train to Bentschen (Zbąszyń) near the German-Polish border on 28 October, where they were forced to cross the border on foot by German police and guards.[15] The relentless forced deportation of thousands of Jews from Germany came as a complete surprise to the Polish border officials, who were entirely unprepared for what happened. The Polish authorities and population on the other side of the border had no means of providing sufficient food and shelter for such a large number of people. On 29 October 1938, father Sendel, mother Ryfka and Herschel’s siblings Berta and Markus found themselves in the small Polish village of Zbąszyń along with around 12,000 other deportees, where they were hurriedly placed in emergency shelter in barracks in catastrophic conditions.[16]

On 3 November 1938, Herschel received a postcard in Paris from his sister, who described the dramatic fate of his family during the “Polish Action” (“Polenaktion”):

Dear Hermann!

You will surely have heard of our great misfortune. Let me describe what happened. On Thursday evening, rumours were circulating that all Polish Jews were to be expelled from a city. Even so, we found them difficult to believe. On Thursday evening at 9, a policeman came to us and told us that we should go to the police station with our passports. All together, as we were, we went to the police station accompanied by the policeman. We found almost our entire district gathered there. A police car immediately took us to the city hall. Everyone was taken there. No-one told us what was going on. However, we could see what they had in mind.

Each one of us was handed an expulsion order. We were told we had to leave Germany before the 29th. We were no longer allowed to return home. I begged them to allow me to go home to at least collect a few things. I then left for home, accompanied by a policeman, and packed the most important items of clothing in a suitcase. That’s all that I was able to save.

We don’t have a single penny on us. [...] I’ll tell you more next time.

Love and kisses from us all

Berta

Zbąszyń, 2nd barracks, Grynszpan[17]

Several days after receiving this upsetting news, Herschel, in his desperation and helplessness, was overcome with impulsive, erratic thoughts of sending all his savings to his family. However, he was persuaded not to do so following an argument with his uncle Abraham.[18] Indeed, there was no guarantee that the money really would reach his family in Poland. After the dispute with his uncle, Herschel left the apartment where his uncle and aunt lived on 6 November 1938 with some money that his uncle had given him, announcing that he wouldn’t be coming back. He spent the night at the hotel “Suez” on Boulevard Strassbourg 17, registering under a false name.

The next morning, on 7 November 1938, Herschel left the hotel at around 8:30 am. In the general store “A la Fine Lame” in the Rue du Fauburg St. Martin 61 in the 10th arrondissement, he bought a calibre 6.25 double-action revolver and 25 cartridges for 235 francs. When asked by the salesman why he was purchasing the weapon, he said that it was for self-defence. He then took the metro to the German Embassy in the Rue de Lille, arriving there at 9:30 am. After asking to speak to an embassy secretary, allegedly in order to hand over an important document, he was taken by the embassy assistant to the room where the Second Secretary, Ernst vom Rath, had his office. Herschel suddenly pulled out the revolver after entering the room, shooting five times at Ernst vom Rath, who had jumped up from his chair in alarm. “You’re a dirty German [sale boche]”, he shouted, “and now, in the name of 12,000 persecuted Jews, I’m handing you the document.” 

Herschel was arrested without any resistance and taken to the nearby police station. That same day, the 17-year-old was questioned twice by the French police without a legal adviser being present. According to the police record of Herschel’s statement, his decision to shoot an employee of the German Embassy in Paris was made after reading the postcard sent by his sister.[19] During questioning, he gave various different background information, details and motives for the attack. The following day, he was presented before a French examining judge, who again subjected him to questioning. Here, Herschel stressed the following: 

“It is important to me to explain to you that my actions did not stem from hatred or vengeance, but from love for my father and my people, who are enduring unimaginable suffering. I regret having injured another person, but I had no other means of expressing my intention.” [20]

After the attack, vom Rath, who was seriously injured by two of the shots, was immediately taken to the Clinique d’Alma close by. He was in a critical condition, but there was still hope that he would survive.[21] Directly following the announcement of the attack, the French doctors treating vom Rath received assistance from Hitler’s personal doctor, Dr Karl Brandt, who flew to Paris on the night of 8 November, accompanied by Prof. Dr Georg Magnus. 

On 9 November, the 29-year-old Ernst vom Rath died of his injuries. There is no clear evidence to prove whether or not the National Socialists had intentionally helped vom Rath’s death along in order to instrumentalise him as a “blood witness” for propaganda purposes.