Holocaust

Kristallnacht

A violent pogrom against Jews that occurred on November 9-10, 1938, marking a significant escalation of anti-Semitic violence in Nazi Germany.

St. Louis Incident

The 1939 turning away of the MS St. Louis, carrying over 900 Jewish refugees, from Cuba, the U.S., and Canada, forcing its passengers back to Europe, where many perished.

Wannsee Conference

A high-level Nazi meeting in 1942 to plan the 'Final Solution', the systematic genocide of Jews.

Ghettos

Segregated areas where Jews and other targeted groups were confined under horrific conditions; the Warsaw Ghetto being the most notorious.

Forced Labor

The use of Jews, Roma, and other groups in labor under brutal conditions, often in labor camps for construction, factories, or agriculture.

Nuremberg Trials

Post-WWII trials that prosecuted top Nazi officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Crimes Against Humanity

Violations of the laws of war, including genocide and extermination, defined under international law during the Nuremberg Trials.

Irena Sendler

A Polish social worker who saved 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto by smuggling them out and placing them with Christian families.

Denazification

The process after WWII aimed at removing Nazi influence from German society, culture, and politics.

Nazi Death Camps

Camps specifically designed for mass murder, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka, where victims were executed in gas chambers.

Eugenics

A pseudoscience that influenced Nazi ideology, focusing on improving the genetic quality of the population through selective breeding.