In this talk, Dr Toby Simpson will discuss the reasons behind the extreme brutality of Kristallnacht in Vienna.

Compared to other locations in the Third Reich, even in other cities where local antisemitism was rife, the brutal nature and long-term impact of anti-Jewish violence in the Austrian capital is striking.

This talk will examine collections held at The Wiener Holocaust Library and consider what insights the study of this terrible historical event might offer people today.

About the Speaker

Dr Toby Simpson is Director of The Wiener Holocaust Library, the world’s oldest archival and library collection relating to the Holocaust and Nazi era. He has been in his current role since 2019.

Previously he led the project Testifying to the Truth: Eyewitnesses to the Holocaust which has catalogued, digitised, and translated over 1,000 eyewitness accounts, gathered by the Wiener Library between 1954 and 1961.

Dr Simpson joined the Wiener Library in 2011, setting up a new programme of exhibitions, tours, and events. Between 2011 and 2016, he curated or co-curated over a dozen exhibitions including Humanity After the Holocaust: The Jewish Relief Unit, 1943-1950, and Four Thousand Lives: The Kitchener Camp Rescue.

Report of the Jewish Community of Vienna showing the use of the soup kitchen, January – February 1939

Event guidelines for those joining online:

1. The Library will send you a Zoom link and joining instructions via email prior to the event. Please check your junk email folders.

2. Please try and join 5 minutes before the event start time and we will let you into the room (do try and bear with us if this takes a few minutes).

3. If you would like to ask a question during the event, please type your question into the chat function, and we will endeavour to answer as many questions as possible during the Q&A. Your webcam will not be seen during this event.

4. The event will be recorded for the Library’s YouTube channel and will be shared at a later date.