booky

Kommando

A work unit of prisoners in a concentration camp.

Kapo

A prisoner subordinate to the Nazi guards, often selected to supervise other prisoners.

Appelplatz

The assembly point in a concentration camp where roll call takes place.

Gold Crown

A dental restoration; in the context, it symbolizes the value of life and the lengths prisoners would go to protect such items.

Quota

A limitation set on the number of prisoners who could be selected for death or labor.

Nacht und Nebel

Night and fog; a phrase used by the Nazis referring to a policy of disappearing prisoners without a trace.

Zionist

A member of a movement to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Unterkessel

A lower kettle; refers to a cooking pot, in desperate conditions, where food could be scarce.

Birkenau

A concentration and extermination camp that was part of Auschwitz.

Lagerälteste

The head prisoner or administrator of a block in a concentration camp.

Pipel

A young boy who served the needs of the Kapos in the camps, often favored and given special treatment.

Sonderkommando

A group of Jews specifically tasked with handling the bodies of the deceased in the extermination camps.

Crematoria

Facilities for the cremation of bodies, especially in the context of mass deaths during the Holocaust.

Gallows

A structure for execution by hanging, often used to instill fear among the prisoners.

Concentration Camp

A facility where prisoners, often political prisoners or members of targeted groups, are detained under harsh conditions.

Roll Call

The process of counting inmates at a concentration camp, often used to establish control over prisoners.

Quarantine

A period of isolation to prevent the spread of disease; in the text, refers to the early days in the camp.

Latrines

Toilets, often in unsanitary conditions, found in the concentration camps.

Blokälteste

Block leader; a prisoner appointed to oversee the daily activities and discipline of inmates.

Incineration

The act of burning; in the context, refers to the method used to dispose of bodies in camps.

Subhuman

Describing the dehumanization process of victims in concentration camps.

Auschwitz

The infamous Nazi concentration and extermination camp located in Poland, symbolizing the horrors of the Holocaust.