On this day in 1938, the Nazis announced that the German Jews were responsible and to blame for Kristallnacht, ‘The Night of the Broken Glass’. The German government levied a one billion Reichsmark fine against the German Jewish community. Kristallnacht occurred on November 9 to 10, when mobs of Germans attacked Jews in the homes, businesses, and even the streets. Nearly 100 Jews were murdered and hundreds of others were injured. Synagogues and Torah scrolls were burned while businesses were looted and destroyed. Schools and cemeteries were vandalized and tens of thousands of Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Following Kristallnacht, the German insurance companies had to cover the damage, but the government did not want the insurance companies to lose money. Therefore, it was decided that since the Jews were to blame for the mobs and destruction, they should have to cover the expenses of renovations and repurchasing materials. Any insurance payouts that were given were confiscated by the government. Many Jewish businesses were unable to recover and were often forced to sell their companies to Germans for less than their true value. Afterwards, there was a lot of legislation passed that banned Jews from jobs in most of the private sector, from owning cars or even obtaining driver’s licenses. Jewish children were also expelled from schools. This event is widely considered the beginning of the Holocaust.