Abraham Nimrod

(upstander in Kristallnacht)

November 9, 1938

I remember making my family dinner with my wife on an average November day.  It was pretty cold outside and it was very comfortable when we finished dinner and feasted right next to the fire.  That was one of the best dinners I had ever made.  I had cleaned up my plate, put it in the sink and went to my living room to lay down and continue to read a book I had gotten a week before.  At around midnight, as I was trying my best to fall asleep, with my eyes half open.  I heard someone scream at the top of their lungs and I think it was a women, although I am not completely sure.  I heard a loud bang coming from my neighbors house and I immediately thought, "I hope they're okay."  My wife sat next to me, frightened. There were loud screams of Jews that lived in my neighborhood.  I was not going to let this go down without a fight.  I got up out of bed and ran down the stairs, outside, and to the house next to mine.  I noticed four fairly young men talking to each other and banging on my neighbors house.  I ran to the back of the house and knocked on the window.  My friend Herschel saw me and opened the window.  I was then ready to help him.  The Nazis got past the wooden door and it was time to go.  The Nazis were talking to each other and searching around the house for valuables to take.  I felt bad for Herschel and I wasn't going to let this happen.  At that moment, I got up and grabbed a broom that was in the kitchen.  I whacked two Nazis across the head and they both fell to the ground.  I hoped that they would be hurt and would then be unable to continue to vandalize my friend’s house.  The Nazis were not going to do this to Herschel and his family on my watch.  The other two came at me and I punched one in the face.  Herschel got on the other one's back and gave the young boy a few blows to the head.  The young man fell to the ground after about six blows to the head.  We both let the boy lay on the ground there, motionless.  He was still breathing, but we both thought he was at least unconscious.  As soon as all of the Nazis regained their strength to get up, they ran as fast as they can out the doorway.  I felt like a hero and Herschel said "Thank you!" to me and I nodded and walked out the door and went back to my house and back to bed.   While lying in bed, I noticed the sheets getting wet.  I lifted them up to see a big gash in my thigh.  I knew that one of the Nazis must have got me in the thigh.  At that time, I needed to wrap it up in something.  I wrapped my thigh and went to bed.  Luckily my house was unharmed and I was able to go back to bed a couple of hours later, when nobody was in the streets and all of the Nazis were gone.  My wife and kids were unable to go to bed, since they were still shocked about the whole attack planned by the Nazis.  That was the craziest night I had ever lived through and I am so happy that it is over.