| antisemitism |
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." The term
"non-Aryan" was used to designate Jews, part-Jews and others of
supposedly inferior racial stock. |
| b'richa
|
The
organized and illegal mass movement of Jews throughout Europe
following World War II. |
| concentration
camps |
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. |
| 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. |
| euthanasia
|
Nazi
euphemism for the deliberate killings of institutionalized physically,
mentally, and emotionally handicapped people. The euthanasia program
began in 1939, with German non-Jews as the first victims. The
program was later extended to Jews. |
| genocide
|
deliberate
and systematic destruction of a racial, political, cultural, or
religious group. |
| gestapo
|
Acronym
for Geheime Staatspolizei, meaning Secret State Police. Prior
to the outbreak of war, the Gestapo used brutal methods to investigate
and suppress resistance to Nazi rule within Germany. |
| holocaust |
Derived
from the Greek holokaustonwhich meant a sacrifice totally burned
by fire. 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. |
| marranos |
Jews
who professed to accept Christianity in order to escape persecution
during the Spanish Inquisition. |
| pogrom |
An
organized and often officially encouraged massacre of or attack
on Jews. The word is derived from two Russian words that mean
"thunder." |
| propaganda |
false
or partly false information used by a government or political
party intended to sway the opinions of the population. |
