Re-presenting the Holocaust

pogrom

violent massacres/attacks of Jews by non-jews

kristallnacht

a series of violent anti-Jewish riots that occurred in Nazi Germany on November 9-10, 1938.

Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany responsible for the Holocaust and initiated World War II.

mein kampf

A book written by Adolf Hitler that outlines his political ideology and plans for Germany's future, including his views on race and anti-Semitism.

third reich

The Nazi regime in Germany from 1933 to 1945, marked by totalitarian rule and the implementation of policies that led to the Holocaust.

untermenschen

A term used by the Nazis to describe non-Aryan races, particularly Jews, whom they deemed inferior and subhuman

Nazi

A member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which ruled Germany under Adolf Hitler, promoting extreme nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism.

SS officer

A member of the Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary organization under the Nazi Party, responsible for overseeing concentration camps and executing mass killings during the Holocaust.

Swastika

A symbol adopted by the Nazi Party, representing Aryan identity and German nationalism, often associated with hate and anti-Semitism.

Nuremberg Laws

antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany, stripped Jews of Citizenship and prohibited intermarriage between Jews and non-Jewish Germans, establishing a legal framework for discrimination against Jews.

T-4 Program

A Nazi euthanasia program that aimed to eliminate individuals with disabilities and mental illnesses, resulting in thousands of forced deaths under the guise of providing humanitarian care.

shtetl

Small Jewish towns in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and Russia, where Jewish culture and social life flourished before the Holocaust.

assimilation

The process through which minority groups adopt the customs, culture, and beliefs of the dominant society, often leading to a loss of distinct cultural identity.

zkylon b

the gas that killed during the holocaust in the gas chambers and gas vans

yiddish

language of European Jews

concentration camp

A facility established by the Nazis to detain, exploit, and exterminate Jews and other perceived enemies during the Holocaust. Conditions were extremely brutal, leading to high mortality rates among inmates. (auschwitz)

Death camp

A type of concentration camp specifically designed for the systematic extermination of large numbers of people, primarily Jews, during the Holocaust. (birkenau)

final solution

The Nazi plan implemented during World War II to systematically exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. It involved mass killings, deportations, and concentration camps.

ghetto

A section of a city where Jews were forced to live in confined, overcrowded conditions, often surrounded by walls or barriers, during the Holocaust.

warsaw ghetto uprising

A 1943 revolt by Jewish residents of the Warsaw Ghetto against Nazi deportations and the destruction of the ghetto, symbolizing Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

judenrein

A term used by the Nazis to describe a territory that was free of Jews, reflecting their intent to eliminate Jewish presence from the areas they controlled.

kapo

A concentration camp inmate appointed by the Nazis to supervise forced labor or carry out administrative tasks, often leading to brutal treatment of fellow prisoners.

sonderkommando

Specialized units of Jewish prisoners in extermination camps responsible for the disposal of gas chamber victims, often forced into this role under threat of death.

arbeit macht frei

A German phrase meaning "work makes you free," infamously displayed at the entrances of Nazi concentration camps

death march

A forced march of concentration camp prisoners over long distances, often resulting in death from exhaustion, exposure, or execution by guards.

kaddish

A Jewish prayer for the deceased, recited by mourners to honor and remember the souls of the departed.

righteous gentile

A non-Jewish person who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, often at great personal danger.

the annex

A hidden space in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family lived in hiding during the Nazi occupation.

einsatzgruppen

Mobile Nazi killing units responsible for mass shootings of Jews and others in occupied territories during World War II. -HOLOCAUST OF EAST

gestapo

The secret police of Nazi Germany, known for their brutal tactics in enforcing Nazi laws and suppressing opposition.

partisans

Groups of resistance fighters who opposed Nazi occupation, often engaging in guerrill a warfare and sabotage against German forces. - HOLOCAUST IN EAST

babyn yar

A ravine near Kyiv, Ukraine, where over 33,000 Jews were shot by the Einsatzgruppen in September 1941, becoming one of the most notorious sites of mass murder during the Holocaust.

witness