During the November pogrom of 1938 , known as Kristallnacht ( " Night of the Broken Glass " ) , Friedrich and Pauline Kellner tried to stop the rioting . When Kellner approached the presiding judge to bring charges against the leaders of the riot , Judge Schmitt instead opened an investigation into the Kellners ' religious heritage . The Kellner family documents , which included baptismal records dating back three hundred years , proved Kellner and his wife were Christians . On 18 November 1938 the district judge in Darmstadt closed the case in Kellner 's favor : " Doubts about the Kellner bloodlines can not be validated . " A finding to the contrary could have meant imprisonment and death
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Friedrich Kellner