Ernst vom Rath | |
|---|---|
 Vom Rath in 1934 | |
| Born | Ernst Eduard vom Rath 3 June 1909 Frankfurt am Main, German Empire |
| Died | 9 November 1938 (aged 29) Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Assassination (gunshot wounds) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Years active | 1932–1938 |
| Known for | His death being cited as a pretext for Kristallnacht |
| Political party | Nazi Party |
Ernst Eduard vom Rath (3 June 1909 – 9 November 1938) was a member of the German nobility, a Nazi Party member, and German Foreign Office diplomat. He is mainly remembered for his assassination in Paris in 1938 by a Polish Jewish teenager, Herschel Grynszpan, which provided a pretext for Kristallnacht, "The Night of Broken Glass" on 9–10 November 1938. Historians consider Kristallnacht the beginning of the Holocaust.