#night of broken glass

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and essayist Arthur Miller, best known for plays such as The CrucibleandDeath of a Salesman and films such as The Misfits, had a writing career that spanned seven decades and left a lasting impression on American theater and public consciousness. This amazing dramatist was Jewish, and here’s how we know:

-Arthur Miller was born to a family of Austrian Jewish descent in New York, New York. [x]

-Prior to his marriage to Marilyn Monroe, the Hollywood star reportedly converted to Judaism to establish a deeper connection to Arthur and his parents. The pair had a Jewish wedding ceremony after having a civil ceremony. [x]

-Many of Arthur Miller’s literary works deal with Jewish themes, and some of these works, including Broken Glass, do so explicitly. The name of this work is a reference to Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass), a major event often cited as the beginning of the Holocaust in full force. Thousands of synagogues, Jewish businesses, homes, and schools were burned or ransacked, and hundreds of Jews were killed and thousands more were transported to concentration camps. [x]

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