On October 27 1938, Hitler struck against the Jews and expelled from Germany 18000 Jews who, although living in Germany since 1918, had been born in the former Polish provinces of the Russian Empire.  Jacob, Friedl and his parents were despatched by train to Lvov. By the time the train arrived in Lvov the Poles had worked out an agreement with the Germans and this train returned to Germany. Oskar somehow managed to avoid being rounded up that day but his younger brother, Salo was not so fortunate. He was sent to Zbaszyn (pronounced Sponssin) where the Jews were held in appalling conditions.

Also in Zbaszyn was Zindel Grynszpan, who wrote a postcard to his son Hirsch in Paris describing the conditions and their predicament. The young man, enraged by what he read went to the German Embassy in Paris and on the November 6 1938 fired fatal shots at the first German official who received him - diplomat  Ernst vom Rath.