Holocaust Terms

anti-Semitism

Opposition to and discrimination against Jews

Aryan

A term for peoples speaking the language of Europe and India. In Nazi racial theory, a person of pure German "blood."

bias

A personal and sometimes unreasonable judgment; prejudice

collaborator

Work with the enemy - to betray others by working with an enemy, especially an occupying force.

bystander

One who is present at some event without participating in it.

concentration camps

These were prisons used without regard to accepted norms of arrest and detention. They were an essential part of Nazi systematic oppression.

death camp

Nazi extermination centers where Jews and other victims were brought to be killed as part of Hitler's Final Solution.

dehumanization

Nazi policy of denying Jews basic civil rights such as practicing religion, education, and adequate housing; to make somebody less human by taking away his or her individuality, the creative and interesting aspects of his or her personality, or his or her compassion and sensitivity toward others.

discrimination

An action or behavior based on prejudice

displacement

The process, either official or unofficial, of people being involuntarily moved from their homes because of war, government policies, or other societal actions, requiring groups of people to find new places to live. Displacement is a recurring theme in the history of the Jewish people.

ethnic

Of or relating to large groups of people classified according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background

genocide

Deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, cultural, or religious group

ghetto

These were usually established in the poor sections of a city, where most of the Jews from the city and surrounding areas were subsequently forced to reside. Often surrounded by barbed wire or walls, the they were sealed.

Gestapo

Acronym for Geheime Staatspolizei, meaning Secret State Police; prior to the outbreak of war, they used brutal methods to investigate and suppress resistance to Nazi rule within Germany.

holocaust

Today, the term refers to the systematic planned extermination of about six million European Jews and millions of others by the Nazis between 1933-1945.

Nazi

The term refers to the organization and ideology of the National Socialist German Workers Party, which was founded and led by Adolf Hitler from 1923-1946.

prejudice

A judgment or opinion formed before the facts are known. In most cases, these opinions are founded on suspicion, intolerance, and the irrational hatred of other races, religions, creeds, or nationalities.

propaganda

False or partly false information used by a government or political party intended to sway the opinions of the population

resistance

Opposition to somebody or something; refusal to accept or comply with something

Star of David

A six-pointed star which is a symbol of Judaism; during the Holocaust, Jews throughout Europe were required to wear this on their sleeves or fronts and backs of their shirts and jackets.

stereotype

Biased generalizations about a group based on hearsay, opinions, and distorted, preconceived ideas.

tolerance

The practice of recognizing and respecting the differences of others.