Blumenthal was born in Oranienburg , Weimar Republic ( present-day Oranienburg , Germany ) , the son of Rose Valerie ( née Markt ) and Ewald Blumenthal . His family was of modest means as owners of a dress shop . His forebears had lived in Oranienburg since the 16th century . As a result of the Nazi party 's Nuremberg Laws , which took effect in 1935 , his family began to fear for their lives and realized they had to escape from Germany . Blumenthal recalled Kristallnacht , a series of coordinated attacks against Jews and their property which began throughout Germany on November 9 , 1938
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
W. Michael Blumenthal