Eyewitness to History: Kristallnacht
Stephan Lewy (1925–2021): A Story of Survival and Courage
In his SPI recording, Stephan Lewy recounts his experience as a child in Nazi-occupied Europe. His is a harrowing story of life amid the terror of Nazi rule—culminating in an escape that took him from Germany to France and, ultimately, to the United States.
Stephan (1st row, 4th from left) with children at the Baruch Auerbach orphanage, Berlin, 1930s.
In his later years, Stephan devoted himself to visiting schools and speaking with students about his experiences so that the atrocities of World War II would never be forgotten. SPI recorded his story in 2015.
As we approach the anniversary of Kristallnacht (November 9-10), we share his words so that this cautionary tale endures.
Kristallnacht In His Own Words
“They took the kids—we were roughly 50 girls and 50 boys—and put us into the synagogue. They couldn’t torch it because gentile people lived on the other side.
Above the ark, there is an Eternal Light burning in every synagogue, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ours was gas-fired. They cut the gas line to the Eternal Light and let the gas escape. We were all sitting in these seats—100 kids. They walked out, locked the doors, and walked away, hoping we would suffocate.
Fortunately, one of the boys, probably about 14 years old, had enough sense to take a chair and break some windows.”
Image courtesy of Stephan Lewy
Listen to Stephan’s full story.
SPI’s collection includes first-person accounts from Holocaust survivors who lived as children in Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, and Hungary. Explore the Collection.
SPI stories are archived at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, and other libraries and museums across the country.
Shortly after arriving in the United States, Stephan turned 18 and joined the U.S. Army. He returned to Europe as one of the Ritchie Boys, a special intelligence unit made up largely of German-speaking refugees. He served in Normandy following the Allied invasion and was with General Patton at the liberation of Buchenwald.
Stephan was a deeply kind and thoughtful man, and I was honored to call him a dear friend. With a certain measure of irony, he died on the anniversary of Kristallnacht in 2021.
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