Commemoration of the November pogroms: flames, tears and memories in Vienna

Commemoration of the November pogroms: flames, tears and memories in Vienna

On November 9, 2025, we commemorate the November pogroms of 1938, one of the darkest chapters in Vienna's history. Historian Wolfgang Schellenbacher from the Documentation Center of the Austrian Resistance Movement (DÖW) remembers the terrible events that permanently changed the lives of the Jewish population. Not only did synagogues burn on those days, but more than 6,000 arrests also took place.

What was the trigger for these cruel riots? On November 7, 1938, the Polish Jew Herschel Grynszpan shot and killed the German diplomat Ernst von Rath. This assassination attempt was exploited by Joseph Goebbels to create a pretext for brutal attacks on the Jewish population. The SS and SA troops attacked Vienna early on November 9th, looting Jewish shops, vandalizing apartments and taking men, women and children to makeshift detention centers.
The sad result: Almost 6,500 people were arrested, of whom almost 4,000 were sent to the Dachau concentration camp.

A shocking increase in suicides

The pogroms left behind a wave of despair. Historians report a significant increase in suicides within the Jewish community, which felt its livelihood was threatened. Many of the people affected saw no further prospects due to an increasing feeling of powerlessness and hopelessness. These are often very old people and women who were heavily burdened by the horrors of the “Third Reich”.
At the same time, important cultural traces of the Jewish population in Vienna were erased and the once flourishing Jewish life became almost invisible.

How poignant the events actually felt can also be seen in the many reports about people who had lost everything and whose fate often resonates to the present day. Remembrance events will also take place this year, including a special evening in the Baroque Hall of the Old Town Hall on November 9th, where people who went into the flames to save the valuable Law Scrolls will be remembered - a tribute to their courage and dedication.

The November pogroms are not just a historical event, but a reminder for all of us not to forget the terrible lessons of history. Constant reminders of these events are important to ensure that such horrific outrages are never repeated. It is to be hoped that such commemorative events and retrospectives will continue to raise awareness of the often forgotten history of the Jewish population in Vienna and beyond.

Thanks to the memories of historians like Wolfgang Schellenbacher, history remains alive. We must not fail to hear the voices of the past and work for a tolerant future. Together we can set an example and initiate a rethink.

A big thank you to meinkreis.at as well as on juedischesmuseum.de for the valuable information that helps us remember the events of 1938.