{"product_id":"the-day-the-holocaust-began-the-odyssey-of-herschel-grynszpan","title":"The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn November 7  1938  Herschel Grynszpan  a 17-year old Polish-German Jew  walked into the German Embassy in Paris and shot Third Secretary  Ernst vom Rath  who died shortly after. Vom Raths death triggered the destruction and mahem which became known as Kristallnacht  or The Night of Broken Glass  resulting in the death of hundreds  the razing of 265 synagogues and 200 houses  the demolition of 7 500 business establishments  and the incarceration of 30 000 Jews in concentration camps. Herschel Grynszpan was immediately arrested. Frances foremost criminal lawyer took over his defense. On June 8  1940  two days before the French Government evacuated Paris  the youth was indicted for murder. A month later he was in Nazi hands  being interrogated by the Gestapo in anticipation of a major show trial.  Little has been known in the past about this extraordinary young man. Using German documents never before revealed  including a startling coded testament  Gerald Schwab examines his background and the events culminating in the shooting. The book describes  in considerable detail  Grynszpans experiences in French and German hands and his trial which was to become Nazi Germanys justification of the Holocaust. It also challenges some commonly held ideas about the cause of the shooting and its aftermath. The Day the Holocaust Began describes the life of a mixed-up  emotionally immature youngster who developed into one of the most amazing and unlikely heroes of modern history  demonstrating the power of the human spirit against overwhelming odds. Anyone interested in modern European history  the Nazi Government  the persecution of the European Jews  as well as students of the Holocaust and its many ramifications  will find The Day the Holocaust Began invaluable reading.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44962824421429,"sku":"ByrdShop_0275935760","price":54.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780275935764.jpg?v=1770397571","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-day-the-holocaust-began-the-odyssey-of-herschel-grynszpan","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}