Holocaust Vocabulary

holocaust

a fast burning fire that destroys everything in its past

genocide

the systematic killing of a target group of people

selection

the euphemism used by Nazis when they chose who would live and die

final solution

the euphemism for Hitler's plan to murder all Jews

Judenrein

"free from Jews"

antisemitism

racist hatred and fear of Jewish people

myth

a false narrative used to spread misinformation/lies about a group of people

prejudice

A negative attitude toward an entire category of people, often an ethnic or racial minority

stereotype

a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea or label of a particular type of person or thing

indifference

lack of interest, concern, or sympathy for fellow human beings

dehumanization

the act of viewing and treating others deemed "inferior" or "unsuitable" as nonhumans; dangerous because it liberates people to commit crimes against humanity without consideration or remorse

objectification

the action of degrading someone to the status of a mere object

Nazi

Hitler's racist political party

gestapo

secret police in charge of silencing political opposition to Hitler

SS

the Schutzstaffel -- the elite paramilitary forces in charge of Jewish removal and concentration camps

Ghetto

separate section of a city or town where Jews were forced to live in overcrowded housing

Euthanasia Program

The Nazi program of systematically killing people deemed superfluous or threatening to Germany's racial health because of their physical or mental disabilities

euphemism

an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive; for instance, "collateral damage" is used to cover up "war murder"

Dr. Mengele

"the Angel of Death" doctor who performed unethical experiments on prisoners

Auschwitz

the largest death camp, located in Poland

Birkenau

reception center for Auschwitz

Kapo

prisoners put in charge of the camps

Roma

Also known as "Gypsies," 200 thousand of this ethnic group in Europe was exterminated by the Nazis

55 million

the approximate number of WWII casualties

6 million

the number of Jews Hitler exterminated; two-thirds of the 9 million European Jews

700,000

European Jews who emigrated to Israel after the Holocaust

250,000

Number of mentally and physically disabled persons murdered