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EMIGRATION, N.Y. - The Story of an Expulsion

Official Austrian Radio Coverage

'Kristallnacht', November 10, 1938

Reporter: Vienna, 10th of November. Here we are with our microphone in the 2nd district, Leopoldstadt, inside the big Jewish Temple. Actually, it can no longer be referred to as such since embittered inhabitants, the Aryan inhabitants of this district, following the attack on a German diplomat in Paris by a Jew, weren't about to let such an evil deed go unrevenged, and have staged their own display of deep hatred towards Jewry here. Within minutes the Jew -Temple was engulfed in flames.
And if we look around in this Eastern-style domed structure, we see that the only thing left of the temple itself, this magnificent and expensively built edifice, is the framework itself, and even that is so fragile that we hope this symbol of Jewry that they were so proud of especially here in Vienna will be completely burned to the ground within a few days and disappear from Vienna altogether.
The Viennese people, who with bitter rage have continuously had to pass by this ostentatious building in the Tempelgasse, are now gathered here on the street, they all want to have a look inside, to see what it looks like in here, to see for themselves if it's just the way they hoped it would be, namely so that they won't be able to rebuild it.
Here with us are the firemen, the SA and the district authorities. Once again it is the Party that was responsible for helping the Jewish community avoid the worst. Whenever popular opinion and the masses wage fierce opposition against the Jews, it is always the Party that at least spares their lives and saves them from total destruction. Because in this respect the Party is understanding, it demonstrates that the Germans are a cultivated people, and not, as the Jew claims, a race of barbarians. The Jews themselves are to blame that things have come this far, and everyone standing here around me can attest to that.
Yes, everyone's gone, there's no one left on the streets and we'll be leaving soon too, I would say the temple can go ahead and collapse whenever it wants to, no one's stopping it.
[whispers, laughter]
Here's a fireman who will confirm for us that the last glowing coals have been extinguished and that now it's up to the people in charge of clearing away the rubble.

Fireman: Yes, just the supporting walls are left standing, the fire went out, extinguished itself when it ran out of nourishment. When we got here, you could still see some fine flames. We were unable to perform the rescue operations because we didn't penetrate to the core of the fire but only stood here warming our hands. We waited for the supporting walls to fall down on their own.

Reporter: And the Jews all got out in time?

Fireman: The Jews, of course, saved themselves immediately, and some of them even turned up in the crowd as onlookers, disguised naturally, complete with a Party badge, but they were taken away by the police.

Reporter: What nerve they have to go and do something like that. But anyway, that's all over now.

FILME: Meine "Zigeuner" Mutter | Leon Askin | Matura | Intifada