GLOSSARY
A Be Gezunt – Yiddish phrase meaning “So long as you are healthy.”
Abdication – From the Latin abdication, disowning and renouncing. It is the act of
renouncing and resigning from a formal office, especially from the supreme
office of state. Probably the most famous abdication in recent memory is that
of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom in 1936. Nicholas II of Russia
abdicated in 1917 ending over 300 years of Romanov rule. A similar term for
an elected or appointed official is resignation.
Abwehr – The German military intelligence and counter-espionage service founded in
1920 and headed by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris during the Nazi years.
Adar – It is the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar (luach). In a leap year when an
entire thirteenth month is added to correct the lunar calendar, that month falls
before Adar, and is called Adar II.
Adonai – Hebrew word meaning “The Lord.” It came to be used as the pronunciation
of the Hebrew tetragrammation, the four-letter name of G-d, YHVH, which
occurs often in the Scriptures and the prayer book. This word was never
pronounced by the Jews except on Yom Kippur, by the high priest. Instead
Adonai was substituted. Today traditional Jews will not pronounce even
Adonai, except at worship, and will substitute ha-Shem, the Name, or adoshem.
Adon Olam – Hebrew meaning “Master of the World.” It is a concluding hymn at
Friday night services in a synagogue.
AdoShem – Hebrew word traditionally used in place of the name Adonai and HaShem.
Afrika Korps – The German army corps in North Africa commanded by General
Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox.”
Afikomen – Greek word meaning “that which comes after, or dessert.” It is half of the
central matzo broken off and put away at the beginning of the Passover seder.
Afnenerbe (Stiftung Afnenerbe) – The Research Foundation of the SS. The name
“Foundation of Ancestral Heritage” emphasized its initial interest (from 1936)
in Germanic archaeology and paleontology. These interests were soon expanded
to encompass many other branches of science, the humanities, Nordic runes and
occultism.
Aktion – German for the concentration of Jews by the Germans in ghettos and villages
for the purpose of deportation and murder. Aktions were characterized by
violence and terror.
Aktion Erntefest – German for “Operation Harvest Festival.” Code name for the
liquidation and mass killings of the remaining Jews in the Lublin area that
occurred on November 3, 1943. An estimated 42,000 people were shot while
loud music was played to drown out the shootings. Last Aktion of Aktion
Reinhard.
Al Cheit (AL CHAYT) - Literally for the sin. A confession of community sins recited
repeatedly on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
Alav hashalom – Hebrew phrase meaning “peace upon him.” Or in other words, “May
he rest in peace.” Generally used by Jews when referencing a deceased loved
one such as, “…my father Mort, alav hashalom…”
Aleinu (ah-LAY-noo) – A prayer recited at or near the end of every Jewish prayer
service.
Aleph Bet (AH-lef-bet) – Hebrew referencing the “alphabet.”
Alias – An assumed name, often for the purpose of deception.
Aliya Bet – Hebrew referencing “illegal immigration.” Jewish immigration into
Palestine (later Israel) without the official immigration certificate nor the British
approval most often by ship. During the Third Reich, Zionist movements set up
organizations to plan and implement these flights from Europe.
Aliyah (uh-LEE-ha; ah-lee-AH) - Hebrew word meaning “going up;” usually means
to settle in the land of Israel. It is also a person reading from the Torah during
religious services which is considered an honor.
Allied Control Commission – Organization of senior administrators of the military
zones of postwar Germany.
Allies – The nations, including the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet
Union, united against the Axis powers (chiefly Germany and Japan) during
World War II.
Ally – Someone who forms a helpful association with another, often by speaking out on
that person’s behalf or in some other way indicating an alliance as opposed to a
bystander who chooses not to get involved.
Altkampfers – In German, meaning, “Old Fighters.” Men who took part in Hitler’s
failed putsch in Munich on November 9, 1923.
Alter Cocker – Yiddish phrase meaning, “An old person.”
Altneushul – This Krakow synagogue was built in the fifteenth century and is the second
oldest synagogue in Europe. It has been rebuilt so many times that it has come
to be known as the “Old-New Shul.” The Gestapo used it as their headquarters
during World War II.
Altruism – Selfless regard or concern for the well-being of others.
Amen – Hebrew acronym for El Melech Ne’eman.It means “G-d the true King,” and is
used as the traditional congregational response to prayers or blessings.
American Jewish Congress – An affiliate of the World Jewish Congress. Under the
leadership of American Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, it attempted to alert the Allied
governments and the general public about the atrocities committed against
European Jews. Its primary goals were to stimulate action that would force the
Germans into abandoning the Final Solution and secure aid and asylum for those
Jews fortunate enough to escape.
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee – It is the American Jewish overseas
relief and rehabilitation agency, organized in 1914.
Amidah (uh-MEE-duh) – Hebrew word meaning “standing.” It is a prayer that is the
center of any Jewish religious service.
Anielewicz, Mordechai (1919-1943) – was the commander of the ZOB (Jewish Fighting
Organization) during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The revolt began on April
19, 1943 and lasted until May 16, 1943. Anielewicz committed suicide in the
ZOB bunker at Mila 18 Street on May 8th, once their capture by the Nazis was
inevitable. In early 1944 he had been posthumously awarded the Virtuiti
Militari, the Polish military cross, by the Polish government in exile.
Annexation – is the legal incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity
Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the
smaller, more peripheral or weaker of the two merging entities. It can also
imply a certain measure of coercion, expansionism or unilateralism on the part
of the stronger of the merging entities. Because of this, more positive words
like political union or reunification are sometimes preferred.
Anschluss – The incorporation of Austria into Germany on 13 March 1938.
Anti-Judaism – Prejudice against Jews because of their religious beliefs and practices;
anti-Judaism implies that Jewish religious beliefs have been superseded or
eliminated as a path to salvation.
Antisemitism (often written as “anti-Semitism”) – Refers to the hatred of Jews based
on racial and ethnic characteristics rather than religious differences. The term
was first used by German journalist Wilhelm Marr in the 1870s. The term
‘Semitic’ originally described the peoples (and their languages) supposedly
descended from Shem, one of Noah’s three sons. Included in this group were
Jews, Arabs, Assyrians and others. The term was never used to refer to Jews
until Marr first used it as such. Therefore, ‘anti-Semitism’ is very much a
misnomer in terms of contemporary usage in that it does not actually refer to a
dislike of all Semites, but only of Jews. For this reason, a growing number of
scholars are moving away from the term ‘anti-Semitism’ in favor of
“antisemitism.”
Antonescu, Ion (1882-1946) – Romanian general and dictator of the pro-German
‘national legionary state’, 1940-44. He ordered the mass murder of Jews
in Bukovina and Bessarabia and the deportation of survivors to Transnistria,
but he also prevented the killing of the Jews of Old Romania and southern
Transylvania.
Apathy – lack of emotion; lack of interest, concern; indifference.
Apikorsim – Hasidic Jewish reference to Jewish Goyim, or secular Jews. They are Jews
who have been educated in the faith but deny its basic tenets.
Appeasement – strategic maneuver, based on pragmatism, fear of war on moral
conviction, that leads to the known acceptance of imposed conditions in lieu
of armed resistance. Since World War II, the term has gained a negative
connotation, in politics and in general, of weakness and cowardice.
Appell – German for “roll call.” Within the camps, inmates were forced to stand at
attention for hours at least twice a day while they were counted. This was
always carried out no matter what the weather and often lasted for hours.
They were often accompanied by beatings and punishment.
Appellplatz – German for “place for roll call.” Location within the camps where the
Appell was carried out.
“Arbeit macht frei” (work makes freedom) – German, slogan above the entrance gate
to Auschwitz, Dachau and several other concentration camps.
Ark – In the synagogue, it houses the Torah (Five Books of Moses) scrolls. See below,
Aron Hakodesh.
Arlosoroff, Chaim (1899-1933) – Zionist leader and head of the Political Department
of the Jewish Agency for Palestine. In 1933 he began negotiations with the
Nazi government to permit German Jews to emigrate en masse to Palestine
and to retain their property. These negotiations resulted in the Haavara
agreement.
Armed resistance – Acts of opposition, defiance or sabotage using weapons or
including battles, attacks or guerrilla strikes.
Armistice – derived from the Latin arma, meaning weapons and stitium, meaning a
stopping. It is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to
stop fighting. A truce may be needed in order to negotiate an armistice. An
armistice is a modus vivendi and is not the same as a peace treaty, which may
take months or even years to agree upon. The most famous armistice, which
is the one still meant when people say simply “The Armistice”, is the one at
the end of World War I, on November 11, 1918 at the “eleventh hour of the
eleventh day of the eleventh month.”
Aron hakodesh – Hebrew words referring to the “holy ark” containing the scrolls of the
Torah in the synagogue.
Arrow Cross Party (Nyilaskeresztes Part) – An anti-Jewish, pro-Nazi, Hungarian
political party.
Aryan – Originally, peoples speaking Indo-European languages. The Nazis, perverted
the term, proclaimed the “Aryan race” superior to all others, and considered
those of Germanic background to be prime examples of “Aryan” stock. For
the Nazis, the typical “Aryan” was tall, blond and blue-eyed.
Aryanization – The compulsory expropriation of Jewish industries, businesses and shops
Ashkenazim (ahsh-ken-AH-zik) - Hebrew word that is often used when speaking of
Jewish families who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe.
Asozial – When used as a noun, this word is translated to mean as “asocial individual.”
It was a term often applied to Gypsies and other individuals who were not part
of “normal German society.” This quality of being outside society often led,
among other things, to constant friction with the police because of petty crime.
Assimilation – The process of becoming incorporated into mainstream society. Strict
observance of Jewish laws and customs pertaining to dress, food and religious
holidays tends to keep Jewish people separate and distinct from the culture of
the country within which they are living. Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786),
a German Jew, was one of the key people working for the assimilation of the
Jews in the German cultural community.
Atrocity – An act of unspeakable horror and brutality; massacre, slaughter violence.
Auschwitz – The most infamous and largest of the Nazi concentration, extermination and
labor camps, located near Kracow in (Upper Silesia) Southwestern Poland. It
was established in 1940 as a concentration camp and was expanded in 1942 to
include a killing center.
Auschwitz I – The main (original) camp at the Auschwitz complex.
Auschwitz II (also known as Birkenau) – The extermination center of the Auschwitz
complex, three kilometers from Auschwitz I.
Auschwitz III (Monowitz) – The I.G. Farben labor camp near Auschwitz, also known
as Buna. In addition, there were numerous subsidiary camps.
Ausrotten – German word meaning “exterminate.” Because it is a verb with a separable
prefix (aus: meaning out) it is much more “externalizing” than in English;
emphasis being placed on the word out.
Autonomy – From the Greek, Auto-Nomos – nomos meaning “law.” One who gives
oneself his own law means freedom from external authority.
Av – It is the eleventh month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Avinu Malkeinu – Hebrew meaning “Our Father, Our King.” It is a prayer recited
during the High Holy Days and thought to have been written by Rabbi Akiva.
Axis – The political, military and ideological alliance of Nazi Germany with Italy,
Japan, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria during World War II.
AY-YAY-YAY – Yiddish exclamation of joy!
BCE – Before the Common Era (in the context of the calendar and time).
BDJJ – A Jewish youth movement established in 1933 to organize cultural, social and
educational activities for German-Jewish youth.
BMW AG (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or Bavarian Motor Works) – German
Company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. BMW is the
world’s largest premium carmaker and is the parent company to BMW, Mini,
Rolls-Royce and Rover. BMW was originally founded by Karl Friedrich Rapp
in 1913 as an aircraft engine manufacturer. By the late 1920s, BMW moved
into auto manufacturing. During WWII, BMW was a major supplier of
engines to the Luftwaffe and of engines and vehicles to the Wehrmacht. BMW
used up to 30,000 slave laborers during the war consisting both prisoners of
war and inmates of infamous concentration camps such as Dachau.
Ba’al Shem Tov (bahl shem tohv) – Hebrew meaning “Master of the Good Name.”
Refers to Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer the founder of Hasidic Judaism.
B’deken – Hebrew for the ritual of the bridegroom unveiling the bride. The custom
developed from the biblical story of Jacob, who married Leah by mistake,
instead of Rachel, the woman he loved.
Babi Yar – A ravine two miles from the outskirts of Kiev where Nazi mobile killing
units massacred more than 33,000 Jews on 29-30 September 1941. During
the following months, executions of Jews, Gypsies, Soviet POWs, and
handicapped hospital patients pushed the total dead at Babi Yar close to
100,000. In August 1943 two special German units known as Sonderkommando
1005 A and 1005 B utilized 377 prisoners (including about 100 Jews) from the
Syretek camp to obliterate traces of this massacre by burning the disinterred
corpses. Upon completion of the task, the Jewish and other prisoners were to be
executed; however, 25 prisoners escaped, 15 of whom survived.
Baeck, Leo Dr. Rabbi (1873-1956) – Chief Rabbi of Berlin during the time that the
Nazis were in power. He became responsible to the Nazi regime concerning
Jewish matters. Baeck refused to leave his flock despite the opportunity to
emigrate. In 1943, he was deported to the ghetto of Theresienstadt (Terezin),
where he became head of the Council of Elders and spiritual leader of the Jews
imprisoned there. He survived the war and emigrated to England.
Bagel – traditional Jewish bread that is shaped as a large “ring.” It is boiled then baked
creating a dense, chewy bread that is golden brown on the exterior.
Balabosteh – Yiddish word generally used as a compliment to the hostess or host of
an event, like a party or dinner.
Balfour Declaration – A letter from British foreign secretary Lord Balfour to Lord
Rothschild expressing the British government’s commitment to creating a
Jewish state in Palestine.
Baracha – Yiddish word meaning, “prayer.”
Barash, Efraim (1892-1943?) – Head of the Judenrat in the Bialystok ghetto.
Barbie, Klaus (1913-1991) – “The Butcher of Lyon,” Gestapo leader stationed in Lyon
responsible for the murder of French Resistance leader Jean Moulin and many
Jewish children. He was convicted in France in 1987 for “crimes against
huminity.”
Bar Mitzvah – A Jewish boy who reaches his 13th birthday, attaining the age of
religious majority (adulthood) and responsibility. Also, the synagogue
ceremony at which he assumes these duties. Hebrew word meaning,
“Son of the Covenant.”
Bashert (bah-SHAYRT) – Yiddish word meaning “fate or destiny.” Something that is
predestined or meant-to-be.
Bat Mitzvah – Hebrew word meaning “Daughter of the Covenant.” Same as meaning
above for Bar Mitzvah, only (feminine).
Battle of Grunwald – In 1410 a battle took place in the city of Grunwald that sealed the
fate of the kingdom of Poland at that time. In this battle, the Poles succeeded in
fending off the Teutonic Order, which until then, was a real threat to the
existence of Poland. The golden era of Poland began after this battle and lasted
for about 200 years, seeing Poland become one of the largest kingdoms in
Europe.
Beer Hall Putsch – A revolutionary attempt in Munich, Germany, on Nov. 8-9, 1923,
by Hitler and his followers to topple the Bavarian government. It failed and led
to Hitler’s arrest and brief imprisonment.
Bei Mir Bist Du Shayn – Yiddish phrase meaning, “To me, you are beautiful.”
Beit Knesset (BAYT kun-NESS-et) – Hebrew meaning, “House of Gathering,”
referring to the synagogue as a house of worship.
Belzec – An extermination camp in southeastern Poland and one of the “Operation
Reinhard” camps. The camp became operational in March 1942. Around
600,000 people were murdered in Belzec, mostly Jews but also thousands of
Gypsies. Operations in the camp were discontinued between December 1942
and the spring of 1943 during which time the Germans forced the Jewish
prisoners to uncover and burn all the bodies in an attempt to cover up all
traces of the murders.
Ben – Hebrew word for “son.”
Benoit, Abbe Marie (1895-1990) – French priest in Marseilles and “righteous gentile”
who assisted more than four thousand Jews escape the Nazis.
Ben-Gurion, David (1886-1973) – the first prime minister of Israel. As head of the
Jewish Agency in October and November 1945, Ben-Gurion made a tour of
the DP camps in Europe. He encouraged the survivors to join in establishing
a Jewish homeland in Israel and calling world attention to their plight.
Bentsch – Yiddish word meaning “to bless.” Reciting a blessing, usually refers to the
recitation of the birkat ha-mazon (Grace after meals).
Berachah – Hebrew word for “blessing.” Traditional Jews recite blessings not only as
part of regular services but also many times a day, before and after eating,
drinking, washing, seeing a dwarf or a king, and many, many other times.
Bereavement – A great loss, usually through death.
Bereshit – Hebrew meaning, “In the beginning…” Also it is the title of the first book
of the Torah, known in English as Genesis.
Bergen-Belsen – Opened in 1940 as a prisoner-of-war camp for Belgian and French
prisoners. It was renamed Stalag 311 in 1941 for about 20,000 Soviet POWs.
In 1942, 16,000-18,000 Soviet POWs died there of epidemics, malnutrition
and exposure. The camp was renamed Bergen-Belsen in April 1943 and
became an exchange camp for male and female Jews with foreign passports
or visas. Between 1944 and early 1945, it was a concentration camp, receiving
incapacitated prisoners for possible exchange, many with foreign visas, from
other camps and large numbers of prisoners evacuated from the east. Poor
conditions, epidemics and starvation led to the deaths of thousands.
“Bergson Boys” (Hillel Kook aka Peter Bergson 1915-2001) – Bergson and a handful
of other young Palestinian Jews associated with the Zionist, right-wing Irgun
organization had arrived in the U.S. in 1940 hoping to create a Jewish army to
fight in Europe with the Allies against the Nazis. However, Bergson changed
his focus on November 25, 1942 when he read a story buried on page six of the
Washington Post, “Two Million Jews Slain.” Bergson’s priority became to
rescue the Jews of Europe when the article stated that Rabbi Stephen Wise had
confirmation that the Nazi’s goal was to annihilate all European Jews. The
Bergson Boys used unorthodox methods to get the attention of Americans. In
early 1943 they staged a huge pageant entitled “We Will Never Die” as a
memorial to the Holocaust victims. 40,000 people saw the first night
performance alone. The pageant failed to get Americans to act on behalf of
the Jews of Europe and the Bermuda Conference held shortly after was a
“whitewash.” At that point, the “Bergson Boys” began to lobby congress and
obtained the support of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst,
Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, Congressman Will Rogers, Jr. and
Hollywood heavyweights including Ben Hecht. They were nearly successful
in Congress passing their resolution, however, in January 1944, President
Roosevelt created the War Refugee Board thereby making the resolution a
moot issue. The agency was charged with rescuing victims of Nazi oppression.
Roosevelt did so in part because the Treasury Department had presented him
with an indictment of the State Department’s continuous obstruction of all
rescue efforts.
Berlin Document Center – Was created after World War II by the U.S. Government. It
contains personal files on almost all Germans who belonged to the Nazi
party, the SS or to other National Socialist organizations.
Bermuda Conference – Anglo-American conference on refugees held on the Atlantic
island of Bermuda on 19-30 April 1943. It was marked mostly by
disagreements between the parties and the fear that concerted action to rescue
Jews from Nazi-controlled Europe would interfere with the Allied war effort.
The only substantive decision taken was to extend the mandate of the
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees that had been established at the
Evian Conference of 1938.
Bernheim Petition – It was a petition against Nazi anti-Jewish legislation in Upper
Silesia, signed by Franz Bernheim and submitted to the League of Nations
on May 17, 1933.
Berryer – Yiddish word meaning a women who has great housekeeping skills.
Bessarabia – Romanian-Soviet border region between the Prut and Dniester Rivers.
Mostly under Russian rule during the nineteenth century, it was awarded to
Romania by the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. Soviet forces annexed the
area in June 1940, but Romania reclaimed it in the wake of the German
invasion of the USSR a year later. In anticipation of the re-conquest, Romanian
dictator Antonescu secretly ordered mass killings of the province’s more than
200,000 Jews, who were charged with disloyalty. Well over half were killed in
combined Romanian-German operations during July-August 1941.
Bet Din (BAYT DIN) – Hebrew meaning “house of judgment. It is a rabbinical court
consisting of three rabbis who resolve business disputes under Jewish law and
determine a person’s wish to join the Jewish faith.
Bet hakenesset (BAYT-HA-K’NESS-et) – Hebrew word meaning “House of
Assembly,” referring to a synagogue.
Bet hamidrash (BAYT-HA-MID-rahsh) – Hebrew word meaning “House of study,”
again, another reference to a synagogue.
Bet Ya’acov – In Hebrew, “House of Jacob.”
BETAR (B’rith Trumpeldor) – Activist Zionist youth movement associated with
HA-ZOHAR, founded by Vladimir (Zev) Jabotinsky in 1923.
Bias – a personal and sometimes unreasonable judgment; prejudice.
Bigotry – A refusal to accept any opinion or idea different from your own.
Bimah – The raised dais in the synagogue from which the Torah is read. The Ark of the
Torah is the focal point with the Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) above. Both Rabbi
and Cantor’s lectern is on the bimah. It is the pulpit area of the synagogue.
Birkat ha-mazon (beer-KHAT-hah-mah-ZONE) Hebrew blessing for “grace after
meals.”
Bisl – Yiddish word meaning “a little bit.”
Black Madonna – the popular shrine of great national and religious significance to
Poland. It is located in the city of Czestochowa in the monastery of Jasna
Gora (Bright Mountain). The Black Madonna is a painting on wood that
depicts the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. Its origins are ancient and obscure.
The Monastery was founded on the mountain in 1382, and the painting came
there soon afterwards. The icon was damaged in 1430 by Hussites who slashed
the face of the portrait. The painting is credited with the miracle of having
protected the monastery from the invading Swedish army in 1655-56. The
shrine continues to be the focus of pilgrimages and a site for first communions,
confirmations and marriages.
Black Market – Buying and selling of goods or services through illegal means.
Blintzes – A Jewish culinary treat that is a fried, folded pancake usually filled with
sweetened cheese.
Blitzkrieg – German for “lightning war or attack.” Such an operation was first used by
the Germans during their invasion of Poland in September 1939.
Blood Libel – One of the false accusations that Christians leveled against the Jews. The
accusation was that Jews murdered Christian children and used their blood to
bake the unleavened bread (matzo) for Passover. The blood libels frequently
served as an excuse for pogroms against the Jews.
Bloody Monday – a famous pogrom when the German army entered Czestochowa,
Poland on September 3, 1939. The next day, later called “Bloody Monday,” a
pogrom was organized in which a few hundred Jews were murdered. On
December 25, 1939 a second pogrom took place and the Great Synagogue was
set on fire.
Blutkitt – German for “Blood Cement.” Hitler’s concept of bonding through shared
atrocities and horrible experiences. Probably derived from the writings of
Michael Prawdin and his two books on Genghis Khan.
Blut und Boden – German for “Blood and Soil.” Pseudo-mystical slogan of German
agrarian romanticism.
Blutzeuge – German for “Blood Witness.” A mystical National Socialist term that
carried considerable racial and ideological impact. It was celebrated each year
after the Nazis came to power as the “Day of National Solidarity” in honor of
the Nazi “martyrs” who had been shot down during the Munich putsch of
November 9, 1923. It was also on this same day each year that all new SS
candidates were first allowed to wear their black SS uniforms and took their
personal oaths of loyalty to Adolf Hitler. Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken
Glass pogrom) of November 9, 1938, is believed to have been planned well
in advance by Goebbels to coincide with Blutzeuge.
Bolshevik – A member of Lenin’s Communist party in Russia. The name comes from
the Russian word bolshinstvo, which means “majority.”
Bormann, Martin (June 17, 1900 - ?) – Adolf Hitler’s personal secretary. One of the
most powerful men in the Third Reich since he controlled access to Hitler. He
liked to work behind the scenes and to stay out of the public spotlight. Known
as “the Brown Eminence” and “the man in the shadows.” He helped the Fuhrer
with his personal finances. Hitler viewed him as an absolute devotee, but he
had high ambitions and kept his rivals from having access to Hitler. He was in
the bunker during Hitler’s last days. Bormann left the bunker on May 1, 1945
and his future has become one of the unsolved mysteries of the twentieth
century. Hermann Goering was his sworn enemy.
Bousquet, Rene (1909-1993) – secretary general of the French National Police in Vichy
responsible for ordering the Velodrome d’hiver roundup (July 1942). He was
shot in 1993 before being brought to trial for “crimes against humanity.”
Boychick – Yiddish word meaning “little boy.” From the English word “boy” and the
common Yiddish-German diminutive chik.
Boycott – Pertaining to April 1933 Germany. Nazi order to the German public to stop
all economic dealings with Jews.
Brecht, Bertholt (1898-1956) – He was born in Bavaria and studied medicine and served
in an army hospital during World War I. He developed a strong opposition to
capitalism and became a supporter of the KPD. Working in Berlin during most
of the Weimar years, he was involved in the movement to revolutionize the arts.
He wrote and staged musical plays, the most famous being The Three Penny
Opera (1928). In addition, Brecht wrote hundreds of poems that contained
political or social statements. After the NSDAP came to power in 1933, Brecht
went into exile to the United States. He lived there until 1947 when he was
forced to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He
returned to East Germany to live in Berlin again. He was awarded the Stalin
Peace Prize in 1955 and died the following year.
B’richa – The organized and illegal mass movement of Jews throughout Europe
following World War II.
Brit – Hebrew word for “covenant.” Also, a Jewish baby boy’s naming and
circumcision, whereby both father and son make a covenant with G-d to follow
His laws and commandments. This occurs on the boy’s eighth day of life,
known as Brit Milah, or bris, in Yiddish.
Brit ha-Biryonim – Hebrew words for “Covenant of Terrorists.” A secret Revisionist
Zionist organization in mandatory Palestine. The term was derived from a group
of Jewish terrorists in action against the Romans during the first century.
British Mandate – This was from 1922-1948. The British were entrusted by the
League of Nations after World War I to supervise Palestine until it became
self-sufficient (independent).
Broker – A person who acts as an agent for someone else buying or selling for him.
Brownshirts (aka SA, Sturmabteillung, Storm Troopers) – The Nazi militia created
by Hitler in 1921 that helped him rise to power but was eclipsed by the SS
after 1943; known as “Brownshirts” because of the color of the uniform.
Bruning, Heinrich (1885-1970) – Appointed by President Paul von Hindenburg in 1930,
he was the first chancellor under the new presidential system which ruled by
emergency decree rather than laws passed by the Reichstag.
Brunnlitz – It was the industrial town in German-occupied Czechoslovakia where Oskar
Schindler relocated his Jewish workers from his Krakow factory. It became a
sub-camp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp.
Bubbemyseh – Yiddish word meaning “nonsense,” an old wife’s tale, or long story.
Bubeleh – Yiddish for dear, or sweetheart. It is a term of endearment.
Bubbie – Yiddish word meaning “Grandma.” It could also be used as a term of
endearment (Bubballa).
Buchenwald – One of the first major concentration camps, opened in 1937; located on
the Ettersberg hillside overlooking Weimar, Germany. The first German and
Austrian Jewish prisoners arrived in 1938; German and Austrian Gypsy
prisoners deported there after July 1938. During the war political prisoners
came to dominate the camp in internal administration. Included the Little Camp,
an enclosure for prisoners evacuated from camps in the east. Shortly before it
was liberated by the U.S. Army on April 11, 1945, the prisoners themselves
seized control of the camp. Buchenwald developed more than 130 satellite
labor camps, including Langenstein-Zwieberge, code name “Malachit.” More
than 65,000 of the approximately 250,000 prisoners perished at Buchenwald.
Bukovina – Former Duchy of the Habsburg Empire, extending from the northeast end of
the Carpathian Mountains to the Dniester River, awarded to Romania by the
Treaty of St. Germain (1919). The USSR annexed the northern half of the
province in June 1940; Romania recovered it in June 1941. Like the Jews of
Bessarabia, Bukovinian Jews were charged by the Romanians with supporting
the Soviet enemy and subjected to revenge attacks by the Romanian army
(together with German forces). Local Ukrainians also instigated pogroms
against Jews. Over 20,000 Jews were killed in this fashion; another 57,000
were deported to Transnistria.
Buna - Also known at Auschwitz III, Monowitz and I.G. Farben. It was the work camp
facility utilizing forced labor for the manufacture of synthetic rubber products
and petroleum products.
Bund – A Jewish socialist party. This party sought to create social, political and cultural
autonomy for Jewish society in Poland. The party gathered strength during the 1930’s and was a prominent rival of the Zionist movement. Also, a German
word meaning organization or club.
Bund Deutscher Madel – German meaning League of German Girls. Female
equivalent of the Hitler Youth.
Bunker – Ghetto slang word for Jews’ hiding places within the ghettos.
Bupkes – Yiddish word meaning “absolutely nothing.” From the Russian word for
beans. Usually meant to convey disgust, as in “You know what kind of
Christmas bonus the boss gave me this year? Bupkes is what I got!”
Burgher – Word used for “citizen” some centuries ago.
Bystander – One who is present at some event without participating in it; neither a
perpetrator or a victim.
CE - Common Era (in the context of the calendar and time).
CV (Centralverein deutscher Staatsbuerger juedisches Glaubens) – German for
“Union of Jewish citizens of Germany.”
Cabaret – Large restaurant providing food, drink, music, a dance floor and floor show.
“Canada” – was a section of Auschwitz-Birkenau were the belongings of those deported
to the camp were sorted and stored in preparation for being shipped to Germany.
There were mountains of trunks, blankets, pots and pans, clothing and hundreds
of prams. The stolen items were destined to be sent to a blockaded Germany
to boost the morale of civilians. Prisoners who were assigned to Canada could
forage food from the booty and were allowed to wear regular civilian clothes.
Cantor – A role within formal Jewish religious worship which employs elaborate
musical chanting while leading a congregation in prayer. (See Hazzan).
Caricature – A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject’s
distinctive features are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or
grotesque effect.
Casimir the Great (1310-1370) – King of Poland, founded many villages and towns.
He built walls around 30 cities and built about 50 fortresses. In 1356 he
established a court of law in Krakow, and in 1364 he established the Jagiellonian
University there. In the time of Casimir the Great the charter for Jews in
Poland was expanded and confirmed.
Casualty – A person injured or killed in an accident or war.
Catholicism – A major branch of Christianity. The centrality of the Pope is one of the
important principles of the Catholic faith. The Pope is considered to be G-d’s
representative on earth. The place of Mary, mother of Jesus, is central in
Catholic belief and she is considered to be the mother of all. The Catholic
church has seven sacraments: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, the Rite of
Christian Initiation (Confirmation), Matrimony, Holy Orders and the Anointing
of the Sick. The ancient Greek word “Catholic” means generality and
universality. The Catholic Church defined itself with this term in contrast to
other churches that were established in the East.
Center (originally called the Christian People’s Party) – Founded during the latter part
of the 19th century, the Center, like its close ally, the Catholic Bavarian People’s
Party (BVP), drew support largely from Germany’s Roman Catholics. Center
voters came from different regions and different classes, but they were united in
their desire to protect their Catholic heritage from government interference.
Although Catholics were roughly 37% of Germany’s population, many of the
Weimar Republic’s chancellors were drawn from the ranks of the Center
leadership, largely to the loyalty of the Center’s supporters. As one Center
leader said, “one did not join the Center, one was born into it.” The political
and social outlook of the Center was dominated by traditional family-centered
religious values. The Center’s strong opposition to Marxism led party leaders
to regard the SPD with suspicion. During most of the Weimar period, Center
politicians went to great lengths to keep the SPD out of the government.
Central Museum of the Extinguished Jewish Race – A Nazi museum project in Prague
that was never completed.
Central Office for Jewish Emigration – Nazi-sponsored bureau established in Vienna
in August 1938 to increase the pace of Jewish emigration from Austria. A
similar bureau was established in Germany in January 1939 and in the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in July 1939.
Chag Sameach (KHAHG sah-MEYH-ahkh) – Hebrew meaning “Happy Holiday.” It
is used as a greeting.
Chai (KHAHY) – Hebrew word meaning “life.”
Challah (CHAH-luh) – The traditional braided Jewish egg bread.
Chamberlain, Neville (1869-1940) – British Prime Minister, 1937-1940. He concluded
the Munich Agreement (of appeasement) in 1938 with Adolf Hitler, which he
mistakenly believed would bring “peace in our time.”
Chambon-sur-Lignon, le – a small farming village in central France whose largely
Protestant population hid as many as 5000 Jews from the Nazis.
Chametz (KHUH-mitz) – Hebrew word meaning “leaven.” It is leavened grain
products, which may not be consumed by Jews during Passover.
Chancellor – Chief (prime) minister of Germany.
Charoset (khah-ROH-set) – Hebrew; It is a mixture of fruit, wine and nuts eaten at the
Passover seder to symbolize the mortar made by the Jewish slaves in Egypt.
Charter (“Privilegia”) – The charter was a document that gave dwelling and protection
rights to Jewish residents in Poland. The first charter was signed in 1264 by
Prince Bolislav of Kalish, and later the charter of Casmir the Great was signed
and extended.
Chaya – Yiddish word meaning, “an animal.” “Vilda Chaya,” or a wild animal is used
to describe misbehaving children.
Chazarei – Yiddish word to describe “junk food.”
Chazir – Yiddish word for “pig.”
Cheder – Hebrew word meaning, “room.” It usually refers to a one-room Hebrew
elementary or religious school.
Chelmno – Extermination camp situated seventy kilometers west of Lodz. It was the
first camp to murder Jews by gas, and the first site, outside the occupation of the
Soviet Union, to murder in the name of the Final Solution. Jews from Lodz and
the area of the Wartegau were deported to Chelmno. Chelmno had three gas
chambers. On the 7th of December 1941 Chelmno Extermination Camp became
operational. Around 320,000 people were murdered at Chelmno; about 98%
were Jewish. It temporarily closed in March 1943, however, resumed operation
between April and August 1944 during the liquidation of the Lodz ghetto.
Chevrah Kaddisha – Hebrew word meaning “Organization of Holiness.” It is the
voluntary group which coordinates a funeral cooperating with the local funeral
home/director.
Christianity – A monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on Hebrew
Scripture and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the Christian Scripture
and emphasizing the role of Jesus as the messiah (savior).
Choice – The act of choosing or selecting amongst alternatives.
Choiceless Choice – Condemned to choose in a situation that was in no way of the
victim’s own choosing, and in situations of life and death, the victim faced
abnormal options that existed in complete absence of humanly significant
alternatives.
Chumash – Hebrew word referring to the “book form” of the Five Books of Moses,
or the Torah.
Chuppah – Hebrew word meaning “canopy.” The wedding canopy used in a Jewish
wedding ceremony usually a temporary structure supported by four poles or
more traditionally a talit (prayer shawl) held up with four poles symbolizing
the new home of the bride and groom.
Churchill, Winston (1874-1964) – British Prime Minister 1940-1945. He succeeded
Chamberlain on May 10, 1940 at the height of Hitler’s conquest of Western
Europe. Churchill had been one of the very few western politicians who, early
on, recognized the threat that Hitler posed to Europe and strongly opposed
Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement.
Chutzpah – Yiddish word for “gall, presumptuousness, brashness or nerve” – although
sometimes it is used as a compliment. It comes from a Hebrew word meaning
audacity.
CIMADE, LA (Comite Inter-Mouvement aupres des Evacues) – French organization
responsible for rescuing Jews and taking them to neutral Switzerland.
Circumcision – It is the removal of the foreskin, a commandment in Judaism performed
on the eighth day of a male child’s life. In Hebrew, it is called “brit milah,” and
Yiddish, “bris.”
Civil rights – the nonpolitical rights of a citizen.
Clauberg, Dr. Carl – He was a notorious SS physician made infamous for his
Experiments sterilizing Jewish women at Auschwitz I, Barracks 11.
Coalition – is an alliance between entities, during which they cooperate in joint action,
each in their own self-interest. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of
convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant. A coalition
government, in a parliamentary system, is a government composed of a
coalition, or group of parties.
Collaborators – Persons who cooperate or willingly assist an enemy of one’s country,
or an occupying force. Example: Anyone who was not part of the Nazi
administration that perpetrated crimes but who cooperated and took part in
them. Sovereign countries such as Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Norway
can be considered collaborators. Individuals were collaborators if they
volunteered to serve as auxiliaries to the SS, joined in the persecutions on their
own free will, or passed information on to the authorities that supported the
persecution.
Comite de Defense des Juifs – French for “Jewish Defense Committee.” It was an
underground movement in Belgium established in 1942.
Commandments – Judaism teaches that G-d gave the Jews 613 commandments at Mt.
Sinai, which are binding on Jews, but not non-Jews.
Communism – A concept or system of society in which the collective community
shares ownership in resources and the means of production. In theory, such
societies provide for equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all
benefits, according to need. In 1848, Karl Marx, in collaboration with
Friedrich Engels, published the Communist Manifesto which provided the
theoretical impetus for the Russian Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.
Compulsory – Something the law requires one to do.
Concentration camp – A prison with barracks rather than cells, used by the Nazis to
house thousands of inmates en masse under intolerably inhuman conditions.
Concordat of July 20, 1933 – This was the treaty, or agreement, between the Vatican
and Nazi German government which was supposed to guarantee the Church’s
rights in Germany. The representative for the Vatican was the then Cardinal
Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pope Pius XII.
Confessing Church – Protestant church founded by Martin Niemoller, Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth and Eberhard Bethge to confront the Nazi-organized
“German Christian” movement.
Confirmation – A religious ceremony found in both the Catholic Church and Judaism.
It is a sacrament in the Catholic Church for young people generally between
seven and fourteen and in some movements of Judaism, confirmation
usually marks the end of one’s religious education about age fifteen.
Conscientious – one who gives himself completely to an idea or cause.
Conservatism – is a philosophy defined by Edmund Burke as “a disposition to preserve,
and an ability to improve.” Classical conservatism does not readily avail itself
to the ideology of objectives. It is a philosophy primarily concerned with means
over ends. To a classical conservative, the goal of change is less important than
the insistence that change be effected with a respect for the rule of law and
traditions of society. The traditional enemy of conservatism, therefore, is
radicalism (not, as is often asserted, liberalism).
Conservative Judaism – One of four contemporarily accepted sects of modern Judaism.
They strive to embrace Jewish observance, bringing open-mindedness to a
serious, critical evaluation of sacred texts, and a positive outlook on modern
culture. While Conservative Judaism holds forth that the laws of the Torah
are of divine origin, there is a human element that requires modern scholarship,
even if it means considering the influence of other ideas and cultures.
Conservatives also believe that G-d’s will is made known to humanity through
revelation in many ways and that it can happen even today. Among
Conservative innovations over the years are family seating in the synagogue,
the freedom to drive to synagogue on the Sabbath and major prayer book
reforms.
Conspiracy – An action by two or more persons to secretly plot to commit an unlawful
act.
Contra fact – A musical technique that places new lyrics into melodies of old songs.
This technique was used during the Holocaust, when lyrics were being written
faster than composers could generate the music.
Conversos – a Spanish word for one who changed their religion to become a Catholic.
Coughlin, Father Charles (1891-1979) – known as one of the most outspoken American
anti-Semites. He was one of the first public figures to make use of the airwaves,
and for a time was one of the most influential personalities on American radio.
At the height of his popularity in the early 1930s, 30 million listeners tuned in to
hear his emotional messages. Many of his speeches were rambling, repetitious,
disorganized, and increasingly became full of bigoted rhetoric. But as a
champion of the poor, a foe of big business and a critic of federal indifference
during the Depression, he spoke to the hopes and fears of lower-middle class
Americans. Eventually, the Bishop of Detroit was successful in muzzling the
anti-Semitic priest. Years later, a supporter remembered the excitement of his
rallies: “When he spoke it was a thrill like Hitler. And the magnetism was
uncanny. It was so intoxicating, there’s no use saying what he talked about…”
Council of Four Lands – Umbrella organization of the Jewish communities in the
Kingdom of Poland, operating during the 16th-18th centuries. The organization
was founded in order to collect taxes from the Jewish residents. The council
became the central leadership of Polish Jewry, unifying the Jewish communities
in Poland. The Council of Four Lands was a symbol of the peak of Jewish
political and economic autonomy in Poland.
Coup d’etat – is the sudden overthrow of a government against the volonte generale
formed by the majority of the citizenry, usually done by a smaller supposedly
weaker body that just replaces the top power figures. It may or may not be
violent in nature. It is different from a revolution, which is staged by a larger
group and radically changes the political system. The term is French for “a
sudden blow (or strike) to a state” (literally, coup, hit, and etat, state).
Covenant – in its most general sense, is a word for a solemn promise. The covenant is
an important concept in Jewish and Christian thinking, derived in the first
instance from the biblical covenant tradition.
Crematoria – An oven where the bodies of newly murdered prisoners of camps, and
those who died from other causes, were incinerated.
CRIF (Comite Representatif des Israelites de France) – French organizations
representing the major Jewish organizations.
Crimea – Peninsula in southern Ukraine, overrun by the German army in the fall
of 1941. Einsatzkommando D operated there and decided to include the
Krimchaks, Tartar-speaking Jews who had settled in Crimea as early as the
second century BCE, in the Final Solution.
Crimes Against Humanity – Acts of persecution against a group or groups so heinous
as to warrant punishment under international law. The term was first used in
the preamble of the Hague Convention of 1907 and subsequently used during
the Nuremberg Trials as a charge for actions during World War II – actions
that did not violate a specific treaty but were deemed to require punishment.
Croatia – Nazi puppet state in Yugoslavia; established with German encouragement in
1941. Of its population of 6.3 million, 40,000 were Jews and 30,000 were
Gypsies. The Ustachi, a local fascist movement, gained control of the
government and set out to rid Croatia of foreign elements, especially the Serbian
minority. They independently, and in collaboration with the Germans, killed
Serbs, Jews and Gypsies.
Crusades – Military campaigns embarked upon in the name of Christianity to recover
the Holy Land from Muslim occupation during the eleventh, twelfth and
thirteenth centuries. Many times these campaigns included brutal and
murderous attacks on Jewish communities on the road to the Holy Land.
Cultural/spiritual resistance – Acts of opposition that are
usually related to cultural traditions and the preservation of human dignity,
intended to undermine an oppressor and inspire hope within the ranks of
the resistors. During the Holocaust, cultural/spiritual resistance was often
the only possible way to oppose Nazi tyranny. Examples of cultural
resistance included defying Nazi directives by creating schools in the
ghettos, maintaining religious customs, writing poems and songs, drawing,
painting, or keeping journals and other records of ghetto or camp life.
Culture – the customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious,
or social group; a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices.
Czerniakow, Adam (1880-1942) – Head of the Warsaw Judenrat. In July 1942 he
committed suicide rather than post an order for deporting Jewish children from
the Ghetto, although he did not warn Jews of the danger that faced them.
Czestochowa Ghetto – established on April 9, 1941, it was sealed off on August 23,
1941. The ghetto population suffered from overcrowding, hunger and
epidemics. On September 23, 1942 a large scale deportation (Aktion) began.
By October 5, 1942 about 39,000 people had been deported to Treblinka
extermination camp, while 2000 had been executed on the spot. The now
diminished ghetto within new borders was called the “small ghetto.” A
Jewish Fighting Organization was set up in December 1942. On January 4,
1943 it rose in armed resistance to the Nazis. The next day the Nazis shot
250 children and old people. On June 26, 1943, the Germans began liquidating
the “small ghetto.” The remaining 4000 Jews were transferred to two slave
labor camps organized at the city’s HASAG factories. Before leaving the city
on January 17, 1945, the Germans managed to deport almost 6000 inmates from
the HASAG factories to concentration camps inside Germany.
DAP (Austrian) – The Austrian group known as the German Workers’ Party (DAP) was
first organized in the northern Bohemian city of Aussig (Usti nad Labein) on
November 15, 1902, and officially founded at Trautenau (Trutnou) on August
15, 1904. Two of its first leaders were from Hitler’s hometown of Linz. In a
speech in 1920, Hitler declared, “the same movement that started in Austria in
1904, has just now begun to gain a footing in Germany.” In 1911 DAP
headquarters were located in the same Vienna neighborhood as Hitler’s
apartment. In August, 1918, under the leadership of its chairman, Dr. Walter
Riehl, the DAP changed its name to the German National Socialist Worker’s
Party (DNSAP) at a meeting in Vienna. In September 1919 Riehl sent copies
of the Austrian Nazi program to Anton Drexler, chairman of the new German
DAP and suggested that Drexler change the name of his German group to
coincide with that of Riehl’s Austrian Nazi Party (DNSAP). No one is sure
when Riehl and Hitler became acquainted, but between 1920 and 1923, Hitler
made a number of speeches in Austria – at Innsbruck, Hallein, Saint Polten and
Vienna among others. Some of these meetings were organized by Riehl’s group,
and Hitler is known to have written several articles for a newspaper published
by the Austrian DAP in Vienna. Hitler and Riehl are said to have split over
strategy and tactics in 1923.
DAP (German) – The German group known as the German Workers’ Party (DAP) was
formally founded in Munich at the Furstenfelder Hof tavern by Anton Drexler,
Karl Harrer and others on January 5, 1919. Drexler was elected chairman and
his constitution was accepted by 24 men, mostly from the locomotive works
where Drexler was employed. Drexler was also an active member of the Thule
Society (Germanenorden). In September 1919, Hitler, still in the German Army,
was assigned by his superiors to investigate the DAP, and soon was ordered to
become a member. He quickly became its most prominent organizer, pushing
Drexler and Harrer aside. On February 24, 1920, Hitler officially announced the
“Twenty-five Point Program” of the German DAP.
Dachau – The first concentration camp, near Munich, Germany. The camp opened on 20
March 1933. When the camp opened, only known political opponents were
interned. Gradually, more and more groups were incarcerated there. In Dachau
there was no mass extermination program, but out of the total number of over
206,000 registered prisoners, there were 31, 591 registered deaths. However, the
total number of deaths in Dachau, including the victims of individual and mass
executions and the final death marches, will never be known. On 29 April 1945
the camp was liberated.
Daily Page – One page of Gemara (Talmud) is dedicated to each day, and is studied
throughout the world. Every seven years a complete cycle of Talmud study is
completed. This project reflects two central ideas. One, the unity of Israel – the
entire Jewish world studies the same page on the same day; and second – to
resolve the difficulties of the layman in studying the whole Talmud.
Daimler-Benz AG – was a German manufacturer of automobiles and engines beginning
May 1, 1924. Although the company is best known for its Mercedes-Benz
automobile brand, it also created a notable series of aircraft, tank and submarine
engines during WWII. It is said that the company utilized slave labor provided
from Nazi concentration camps at that time.
Danzig – (Polish Gdansk), a city on the Baltic Sea, held alternatively by Germany and
Poland. After World War I Danzig was made a “free city” under the auspices
of the League of Nations. This gave Poland access to the sea and cut off East
Prussia from the rest of Germany. Over ninety percent of the population was
German and wanted to be reunited with Germany. In the elections of 1933 the
fascist National Socialists became the leading political power in Germany.
Anti-Semitic policies were enforced. Danzig was reunited with Germany on
September 1, 1939 with the outbreak of World War II.
Daven – Yiddish word for the verb “to pray.”
Dawes Plan – An Allied program for stabilizing German business conditions after World
War I. It also provided ways and means by which Germany could repay its
reparations to the Allies. The plan was named for Charles G. Dawes, later Vice
President of the United States, who headed the committee that drew it up. The
committee had two members each from Belgium, France, Great Britain, and
Italy and the U.S. The plan, accepted by the Reichstag in 1924, did much to
eliminate the spiraling inflation that had devastated the German economy in
1923.
Days of Awe – The ten days between Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) to
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is a time for introspection and considering
one’s sins during the previous year.
Death camps – Centers established in rural Poland designed specifically for mass
murder. Six death camps (Auschwitz, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor
and Treblinka) were established solely for the extermination of European Jewry.
Death marches – A term for the transportation of convoys of concentration camp
prisoners while under heavy guard, over long distances, in inhuman conditions
and on foot. During the death marches the accompanying guards abused the
prisoners and killed them. Even though death marches were quite common
throughout the war, the main death marches took place from the evacuation of
the concentration camps at the end of the war. The evacuation of the camps and
the death marches lasted until the last day of the Third Reich. It is estimated
that about a quarter of a million prisoners, among them many Jewish prisoners,
were killed or died during the death marches.
Degenerate art (Entartete Kunst) – Art which did not fit the Nazi ideal.
DEGESCH – A German subsidiary of the I.G. Farben chemical conglomerate; the
German firm that oversaw the distribution of Zyklon B gas.
Dehumanization – The Nazi policy of denying Jews basic civil rights such as practicing
religion, education and adequate housing.
Deicide – Latin word meaning “killing of G-d.” This had been the accusation towards
Jews by the Catholic Church blaming the Jewish people collectively of
killing Jesus Christ.
Democracy – A system of government in which the supreme power is vested in the
people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of
representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
Denomination – A religious group or movement.
Denounce – To turn in Jews and other groups considered undesirable to the SS. People
who were denounced were generally taken prisoner by the Nazis and deported
to concentration, or death camps.
Denazification – Removal of Nazis from important positions by the Allies at the end
of World War II.
Deportation – Expulsion, as of an undesirable alien, from a country. The forced
transport of people outside of the area where they live.
Der Angriff – Nazi newspaper founded by Joseph Goebbels in 1927. Mostly a
political pamphlet, the paper served as a vehicle for his venom until 1945.
Der Sturmer – German, for “The Storm.” A highly anti-Semitic, crude, virtually
pornographic paper published and edited by Julius Streicher from 1923 to 1945
Desecrating the Host – Jews were accused of defiling the Host, the sacred bread used
in the Eucharist ritual, with blood. The red substance that can grow on bread
which has a blood-like appearance is now known to be mold. This allegation
was used as the reason for a series of anti-Semitic attacks.
Deutsche Arbeitsfront – German meaning German Labor Front. Nazi organization
which coordinated labor activity.
Deutsche Mark – German mark was the official currency of Germany. It was first
issued under Allied occupation in 1948 replacing the Reichsmark, and
served as Germany’s official currency until 1999, when the mark was
replaced by the Euro. Its coins and banknotes remained in circulation,
defined in terms of Euros, until the introduction of Euro notes and coins in
early 2002, after which they were quickly withdrawn.
Diaspora – From the Greek word meaning “dispersion,” the term dates back to
556 B.C.E. when Nebuchadnezzar exiled the Judeans to Babylonia and
refers to the Jewish communities outside Israel.
Dictator – person who has absolute power or control of a government.
Die Juden sind under Ungluck! – German for “The Jews are our misfortune!”
Heinrich von Treitschke coined the phrase in 1879 in Preussische Jahbucher.
This phrase appeared at the bottom of the front page of each issue of the
Nazi weekly newspaper.
DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) – German Association for Scientific
Research.
Dilemma – A choice between equally unfavorable or disagreeable alternatives.
Din – Hebrew word meaning “law, or judgment.”
Discrimination – Being against a person on the basis of the group one belongs to,
not because of personal record.
Displaced Persons (DPs) – The upheavals of war left millions of soldiers and
civilians far from home. Millions of DPs had been eastern European
slave laborers for the Nazis. The tens of thousands of Jewish survivors of
Nazi camps either could not or did not want to return to their former homes
in Germany or Eastern Europe, and many lived in special DP camps while
awaiting emigration to the United States or Palestine.
Displaced Persons Camps – Camps set up by the Allies in Germany, Austria and Italy.
At first the occupation governments failed to acknowledge the problem of
displaced Jews, but later separate camps were set up for them. Teams from
UNRRA, the JDC and other Jewish aid organizations ran these camps. Life in
displaced persons camps was eventful and full of vitality despite the difficult
circumstances.
Displacement – The process, either official or unofficial, or people being involuntarily
moved from their homes because of war, government policies or other social
actions, requiring groups of people to find new places to live. Displacement is
a recurring theme in the history of the Jewish people.
Diversity – Variety, being different from one another, composed of distinct qualities.
DNSAP – The Austrian group that later became the German National Socialist
Workers’ Party (DNSAP) was first organized as the German Workers
Party (DAP) in 1904.
Dnepropetrovsk – the district capital of the Ukraine in the former Soviet Union. On
the eve of World War II it had a Jewish population of some 80,000 out of a
total population of 500,000. During World War II the northern Ukraine with
its wide expanses of forests and swamps became an area of extensive Soviet
partisan activity. The forest areas provided refuge to Jews who fled
extermination and to escaped Jewish prisoner-of-war. Jewish partisan groups
in the Ukraine were not able to maintain a separate Jewish identity but were
required to be incorporated within the Soviet units.
Dolchstoss – German term for “stab in the back.” It was commonly used to describe
the belief that the German Army had not been defeated in combat, but
betrayed by the “November Criminals” in the civilian government, traitorous
Jews and socialist revolutionaries at home.
Donitz, Karl (1891-1980) – was a naval leader in Germany during WWII. Although he
never joined the Nazi Party, Donitz attained the rank of Grand Admiral and
served as Commander of Submarines and later Commander-in-Chief of the
German Navy. He also served as Reich President for twenty days following
Adolf Hitler’s suicide. Donitz was charged and convicted of crimes against
peace and war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials and served a sentence of ten
years. He spent the rest of his life in a small village near Hamburg where he
died of a heart attack on Christmas Eve, 1980.
Drancy – Assembly center located in an unfinished housing project near the Paris
suburb of Drancy. Opened in December 1940, it became the largest transit
camp for the deportation of Jews from France. Sixty-two deportation trains
containing about 61,000 Jews left Drancy between July 1942 and August 1944;
most of the deportees perished in Auschwitz.
Dreck – Yiddish word meaning “worthless junk.” From the German word for
excrement.
Dreidel – A four sided top used by children as a game of chance during Hanukkah.
Dreyfus, Captain Alfred (1859-1935) – He was a Jewish officer in the French military
who was unjustly convicted of passing secrets to the Germans. His trial sparked
a wave of anti-semitism that inspired the early Zionist political movement.
Drobitski Yar (Drobitski Ravine) – Site, near Kharkov, of German massacres of Jews.
Dubinsky, David (1892-1982) – Labor leader and president of the International Ladies’
Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) in New York from 1932 to 1966. He
started as a fabric cutter. Under his leadership the ILGWU became one of the
most successful unions in America. In 1934, the ILGWU joined with other
organizations in forming the Jewish Labor Committee (JLC), which was
involved in anti-Nazi work in Europe and in post-war relief for child survivors.
Dysentery – An infectious disease that plagued camps and ghettos which caused
uncontrollable diarrhea and resulted in internal bleeding, ulcers and other
stomach problems.
Ebert, Friedrich (1871-1925) – He became an SPD activist in the 1890s. He also served
on the editorial staff of the SPD newspaper in Bremen. In 1913, he was elected
to the Reichstag and was chosen SPD party leader. Although he consistently
voted to finance the war effort, he strongly supported the peace resolution
introduced in February 1917. Ebert was a founding member of the Weimar
coalition and was elected as the Weimar Republic’s first president in 1919.
During the political turmoil of November 1918-January 1919, Ebert opposed
efforts to bring about radical economic or social change. He called on the army
to put down an uprising in Berlin led by the communist Spartacus League in
January 1919. During the crises of 1922-23, he invoked the emergency powers
of Article 48, which established a precedent later used by Adolf Hitler to
consolidate the NSDAP dictatorship. Ebert died suddenly on February 28, 1925
before his term as president had ended.
Eichmann, Adolf (1906-1962) – SS official, central architect of the German murder
program. In 1938-39 he headed the Central Offices for Jewish Emigration in
Vienna and Prague. Later he was appointed head of Jewish affairs for the
RSHA. He supervised the logistics of deporting Jews from throughout Europe
to the killing centers.
Einsatzgruppen –The mobile units of the Security Police and SS Security Service that
followed the German armies into the Soviet Union in June 1941. Their charge
was to kill all Jews as well as Soviet Commissars, the handicapped,
institutionalized psychiatric patients and Gypsies. They were supported by
units of the uniformed German Order Police and often used local auxiliaries
(Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian volunteers). The victims were
executed by mass shootings and buried in unmarked mass graves; later, the
bodies were dug up and burned to disguise all traces of what had occurred. At
least one million Jews were killed by the Einsatzgruppen. There were four
Einsatzgruppen (A,B,C and D) in the USSR and Baltic States, and they were
subdivided into subsidiary units, known as Einsatzkommandos.
Eisenhower, Dwight D.(1890-1970) – As Supreme Commander of the Allied
Expeditionary Forces, he commanded all Allied forces in Europe
beginning in 1942.
Elohim (eh-loe-HEEM) – a Hebrew word referencing “G-d.”
Elul – It is the twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Emancipation – the granting of one’s civil rights.
Emet – Hebrew word meaning “truth.” In the Yiddish, it is “Emes.”
Emunah – Hebrew word meaning “faith.”
Endlosung – German code name for the plan (Final Solution) to murder all the Jews
of Europe under Nazi control.
Equal opportunity – is a descriptive term for an approach intended to give equal access
to an environment or benefits, such as education, employment, health care, or
social welfare to all, often with emphasis on members of various social groups
who historically suffered from discrimination. Some protected groups include
gender, race or religion.
Eretz Yisrael EH-rets yis-rah-ALE) – Hebrew meaning, “Land of Israel.”
Erev – Hebrew word meaning “evening.” Applied to the day before a holy day, as when
Friday is called “erev Shabbat,” or Sabbath evening.
Ermachtigungsgesetz – German for “The Enabling Law” that was passed
March 24, 1933. This allowed for a four year suspension of the Weimar
Constitution thereby creating the loophole that Hitler needed to assume
dictatorial power legally and burying the Weimar Republic for good.
Erntefest – The “Harvest Festival” was the largest single killing fest, in which 42,000
Jews were killed.
Ess- Yiddish word meaning, “Eat.”
Ethnic – Belonging to or coming from the racial, religious or cultural customs of
long ago.
Ethnocentrism – Belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group.
Eugenics – The Social Darwinist principle of strengthening the qualities of a race by
controlling inherited characteristics. The term was coined by Francis Galton
in 1883.
European Jewry – Over 9.5 million European Jews in the pre-World War II period.
By 1948, there were only an estimated 3.7 million Jews remaining in Europe.
Euthanasia – Mercy Killing. A secret Nazi program designed to kill all those whom
the Nazis deemed undesirable to the German nation – mentally and physically
handicapped. In euthanasia institutions poison gas was used to murder the
victims. This program was started at the outbreak of war and was officially
stopped in September 1941, although it continued until the end of the war.
Around 100,000 people were murdered through the euthanasia program.
Evian Conference – International conference on refugees, July 1938. Representatives
of 32 countries came together in an effort to coordinate plans to absorb Jewish
and other refugees from Germany. The conference established the
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees, but it generated virtually no
practical results.
Exploitation – The act of utilizing something in an unjust, cruel or selfish manner for
one’s own advantage.
Extermination – Mass murder, in the context of the killing of Jews in a manner which
would be no less heinous than the killing of insects.
Extermination Camp – (also called death camp) A Nazi facility where victims were
killed on a mass industrialized scale and their bodies burned or buried in mass
graves. The Nazis operated six extermination camps: Auschwitz-Birkenau,
Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka.
Fanatic – a person whose extreme zeal goes beyond reason.
Farblunjit- Yiddish word meaning, “mixed up, or lost.”
Farmisht – Yiddish word meaning “mixed up and confused.” From the German to mix
or blend.
Farpitzt – Yiddish word meaning, “all dressed up.”
Fatherland – One’s native country. German citizens reference this often.
Faygala – Yiddish word meaning, literally, “little bird.” It is used to refer to a male
homosexual.
Fascism – A social and political ideology with the primary guiding principle that the
state or nation is the highest priority, rather than personal or individual
freedoms. The term and ideology was coined by Benito Mussolini of Italy.
Fercockt – Yiddish word meaning, “all messed up.”
Ferdraydt – Yiddish word meaning, “confused or dizzy.”
Ferklemp – Yiddish word meaning “bewildered.” Nearly interchangeable with
farmisht (as well as with certain other words like farblunjet).
Fershlugina – Yiddish word meaning, “Beaten up, messed up or no-good.”
Fershtay – Yiddish word asking, “Do you understand?”
Fershtinkiner – Yiddish word meaning, “a stinker or louse.”
Fertummelt – Yiddish word meaning, “confused or befuddled.”
Final Solution – The term used by the Nazis to describe their program of mass murder
of the Jewish people.
Four Questions – Asked near the beginning of a Passover Seder, traditionally asked/
recited by the youngest participant.
Fleishik (FLAYSH-ik) – Yiddish word describing food which contains meat or meat
derivatives. This pertains to Kashruth (kosher) dietary laws of separating meat
and dairy products.
Flossenburg – Bavarian camp established in 1938-39 mainly for political, particularly
foreign, prisoners.
Frank, Hans (1900-1946) – Governor-General of occupied Poland from 1939 to 1945.
Member of the Nazi Party from its earliest days and Hitler’s personal lawyer, he
announced, “Poland will be treated like a colony; the Poles will become slaves
of the Greater German Reich.” By 1942, more than 85% of the Jews in Poland
had been transported to extermination camps. Frank was tried at Nuremberg,
convicted and executed in 1946.
Freemasons – A worldwide organization whose members are joined together by shared
ideals of both a moral and metaphysical nature, and, in most of its branches, by
a common belief in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry is an esoteric art, in that
certain aspects of its internal work are not generally revealed to the public.
Masons give numerous reasons for this, one of which is that Freemasonry uses
an initiatory system of degrees to explore ethical and philosophical issues, and
this system is less effective if the observer knows beforehand what will happen.
It often calls itself “a peculiar system of morality veiled in allegory and
illustrated by symbols.”
Free Zone – the southern two-fifths of France not completely occupied by the Nazis
prior to 1943. Many Jews left Paris for the “free zone” where they sought
refuge from the Nazis and French police.
Freikorps – German, for “Peace Corps.” Para-military groups that sprang up all over
Germany after the First World War. Later, many joined the Nazis.
Freiwillige – German for, “volunteers.” They were non-German collaborators who
aided the SS in the mass murder of Jews.
Fress – Yiddish word meaning, “to eat like an animal.”
Frick, Wilhelm (1877-1946) – German Minister of the Interior in 1933 who enacted
Nazi racial laws and was executed as a war criminal at Nuremburg.
Frum – Yiddish word meaning “observant.” It is derived from the German for “pious.”
Fuhrer – A leader, especially one exercising the absolute power of a tyrant. Hitler’s
title as leader of the Nazi party, and Chief of the German state.
Fuhrerprinzip – German for “leadership principle.” Nazi concept that all power
belongs in the hands of the totalitarian leader.
Gabbai (GAH-bahy) – It is a lay person volunteer performing various duties to
coordinate the participants in the torah reading at Jewish religious services.
von Galen, Cardinal Clemens August Graf (1878-1946) – He was the Bishop of
Munster that publically denounced Hitler’s policies. Von Galen was
nicknamed the “Lion of Munster” for protesting Nazi euthanasia policies.
Gan Eden – Hebrew meaning “Garden of Eden.” It is, however, a place of spiritual
reward for the righteous dead. This is not the same “Garden of Eden” of
Adam and Eve. It is only a reference point.
Ganzenmuller, Albert (1905-1973) – He was the state secretary of the German Reich
Transportation Ministry 1942-1945 and was responsible for supervising the
German railway system when three million Jews were transported to the
death camps.
G-d – A way of avoiding writing a name for “the Eternal.” It is a sign of respect.
Gas chambers – Rooms constructed to be airtight so that poison gas introduced into
the room would kill large numbers of people.
Gau – The principal territorial unit (district) of Germany during the Nazi period.
Gauleiter – German for, “District leader.” Nazi party political leader of a Gau (district).
They were appointed by Hitler and responsible for political, economic and
labor activities; civil defense; and some police duties.
Gay avek- Yiddish expression meaning, “Go away,” or “get out of here.”
Gay ga zinta hate – Yiddish expression meaning, “Go in good health.
Gay shlafen – Yiddish phrase meaning, “Go to sleep.”
Gefanenschaft – German meaning “imprisonment.” This term was used to
describe life in Nazi concentration camps and Jewish ghettos.
Gefilte fish – Jewish delicacy. It is much like a “fish cake or salmon croquette.”
Generally consumed on holidays and traditionally accompanied with
red horseradish as the condiment.
Geheime Staatspolizei – German meaning “Secret State Police.” This was the Nazi
secret police, commonly known as the Gestapo.
Geheimrat – German word for a high civic rank. Councilor, both before and during
the Third Reich.
Gehinnom (g’hee-NOHM) – It is the place of spiritual punishment and/or
purification for a period of up to twelve (12) months after a humans death in the
Jewish faith.
Gelt – Yiddish word meaning “money.” From the German for money.
Gemara – The Rabbinical commentaries and analysis on the Mishnah. The Gemara,
together with the Mishnah, makes up the Talmud.
Gematriya – A discipline of Jewish mysticism devoted to finding hidden meanings of
words through numerology. Each Hebrew letter is given a numerical value, and
the values of the letters in words or phrases are added and compared to discover
meaningful relationships.
Generalkomissar – SS commander of a region.
General Government – The name of the administration that was established by the
Germans on the 26th of October 1939 to control the part of conquered Poland
that was not annexed to the Third Reich. The capital of the General
Government was Krakow and Hans Frank was the Governor General.
Genocide – (genos – people, kind; cide – murder) The use of deliberate, systematic
measures (as killing, bodily or mental injury, unlivable conditions, prevention
of births, forcible transfer of children of the group to another group) calculated
to bring about the destruction of a racial, political or cultural group or to destroy
the language, religion or culture of a group.
Gens, Jakob (1905-1943) – Head of the ghetto administration in Vilna, Lithuania during
Nazi occupation.
Gentile – A term referring to someone who is not Jewish.
Gerlier, Cardinal Pierre-Marie (1880-1965) – Archbishop of Lyon and “righteous
gentile” who ordered Catholic institutions to hide Jewish children.
Gerstein, Kurt (1905-1945) – He was responsible for obtaining gas for executions
but was part of the resistance. He funneled information to Swedish
representatives and Vatican papal nuncios and hanged himself in remorse
after the war.
Gestapo – (Geheime Staatspolizei) or Secret State Police, was formed in April 1933. It
was not accountable to any other civil authority, and was permitted to surveil,
question and imprison “suspects” without due process (brutal methods).
Gesundheit (g’-SUND-hahyt) – Yiddish word meaning “health.” This is the usual
response when one sneezes.
Get (GEHT) – Hebrew word referencing the religious document of divorce.
Gevalt – (guh-VAULT) Yiddish word meaning, “Oh G-d, how terrible!” It is a
frustrated, annoyed exclamation.
Ghetto – A section of a city in which Jews were required to live surround by walls.
In modern times, the term has come to mean sections of cities predominantly
inhabited by minority groups which may have socio-economic, rather than
physical barriers.
Gleichschaltung – German for “coordination.” Reorganizing all social, political and
cultural organizations to be controlled and run according to Nazi ideology
and policy.
Glick, Hirsch (1922-1944) – Lithuanian poet and partisan and author of “Zog Nit Keyn
Mol,” the anthem of the partisans. He was active in the artistic activities which
were being carried out in the ghetto and participated in the underground
movement which was preparing for a revolt. He was later deported to
concentration camps in Estonia where he continued to compose songs and
poems. In July 1944, with the Russians approaching, he escaped into the forest
to try to join up with the partisan fighters. He was never heard from again, and
it is presumed he was caught by the Germans and executed.
Globocnik, Odilo (1904-1945) – SS and Police Leader of the Lublin district from
November 1939; principal architect of Operation Reinhard.
Glucks, Richard (1889-1945) – He was responsible for the construction of
Auschwitz and the building of the gas chambers.
Goebbels, Joseph (1897-1945) – He was born into a Catholic family and he contracted
polio as a child that left him with a club foot and a pronounced limp. His
disability disqualified him from military service in 1914. Goebbels received
his doctorate in history and literature from the University of Heidelberg in
1922 and joined the NSDAP the same year. Founder of the party newspaper,
Der Angriff, in 1927, Goebbels displayed a gift for propaganda that effectively
promoted the NSDAP message of racism and militaristic nationalism. In 1928
he was elected to the Reichstag, and also played a major role in orchestrating
the NSDAP street demonstrations and brawls against political opponents.
Appointed minister of propaganda by Hitler in 1933, Goebbels used his
position to dominate German cultural life and mobilize the population behind
the Fuhrer. He committed suicide in Hitler’s Berlin bunker after killing his
wife and children on May 1, 1945, the day after Hitler’s suicide.
Goering, Hermann (1893-1946) – Principal Nazi leader after Hitler and Hitler’s
designated successor. Holding the title of Reich Marshal, he was interior
minister of Prussia, head of the Luftwaffe (German air force), plenipotentiary
of the Four-Year Plan for economic revival and minister of the economy.
Goeth, Amon (1908-1946) – Commandant of the Nazi concentration camp at Plaszow,
Poland (near Krakow, see Shindler’s List).
Goethe, Wolfgang (1749-1832) – Famous German poet and philosopher of the late
eighteenth century who valued tolerance, reason, international peace and
great ideas. He was an ideal for German Jews.
Gornisht – Yiddish word meaning, “nothing.”
Gonif – Hebrew and Yiddish word meaning “thief or scoundrel.”
Goy – Yiddish word referencing someone who is not Jewish. Interestingly, it is from a
Hebrew word meaning “nation.” It is really not derogatory, but sometimes is
mistaken that way. A male goy is a shaygets and a female goy is a shiksa.
Goyishkeit – Yiddish word referencing non Jewish culture and ideas.
Grabski, Wladyslaw (1874-1938) - The Polish Minister of Finance in the 1920s,
responsible for the imposition of taxes and anti-Jewish legislation in the period
between the two world wars and up to the establishment of the Pilsudski regime.
Grabski’s economic policy caused a large emigration from Poland (starting in
1924). About 80,000 Jews left Poland for Palestine at that time, as part of the
fourth aliyah which was nicknamed the “Grabski Aliyah.”
Great Depression – A deep, worldwide, economic contraction beginning the end of
1929 which caused particular hardship in Germany, which was already reeling
from huge reparation payments following World War I and hyperinflation.
Greenhorn – inexperienced people, particularly new immigrants, used affectionately
among the Holocaust survivors. The term comes from the Yiddish word
“grin” which means the color green.
Greps – Yiddish word meaning, “burp, or belch.”
Gross-Rosen – a concentration camp located near a granite quarry in Lower Silesia. The
working conditions involved backbreaking labor. The camp was expanded into
a network of 60 sub-camps involved in armaments production. The main camp
held 10,000 and the sub-camps 80,000 prisoners. The camp received an
uninterrupted flow of Jewish prisoners, including prisoners from the partially
evacuated Auschwitz camps. Gross-Rosen was evacuated in early February
1945 by rail and on death marches.
Grosz, George (1893-1959) – A Berliner by birth, Grosz was a gifted painter who
studied briefly in Paris before the outbreak of war. As a front-line soldier
during World War I, he suffered a breakdown and was sent to an asylum.
Grosz developed an intense hatred for Germany’s ruling class and military
leaders. Even before the war ended, Grosz was drawing pen-and-ink sketches
that ridiculed conservative, militaristic values. He quickly established a
reputation as one of Germany’s harshest social critics. During the Weimar
years, Grosz continued to attack conservative forces through his art. He was
also strongly critical of the Ebert government’s decision to suppress the
Spartacist uprising. Grosz left Germany in 1932 and settled in the United States.
He returned to Berlin shortly before his death in 1959.
Grynszpan, Herschel (1921-?) – a Polish Jewish youth who had emigrated to Paris. He
agonized over the fate of his parents who, in the course of a pre-war round up of
Polish Jews living in Germany were deported to Poland, where they were
shoved back and forth in the no-man’s land between the two countries. On
November 7, 1938, he went to the German Embassy and shot and mortally
wounded Third Secretary Ernst von Rath. The Nazis used this as an excuse for
Kristallnacht.
Guerrilla warfare – Fighting in which small independent bands of soldiers harass an
enemy through surprise raids, attacks on communications and the like
.
Gurs – location of the French internment camp used to house non-French Jews prior to
deportation. It was located on the Spanish-French border.
Gut Shabbes (GUT-SHAH-biss) – Yiddish meaning “good Sabbath.” A general
Shabbat (Sabbath) greeting.
Gut Yontiff (GUT YAHN-tiff) – Yiddish meaning “good holiday.” A general holiday
greeting.
Gypsies (Roma and Sinti) – The Roma and Sinti were among the groups persecuted by
the Nazi regime as an anti-social element. The Nazis usually imprisoned the
Sinti and Roma in the occupied territories in Europe and from there sent them to
Germany or Poland, for forced labor or death. The total number of Sinti and
Roma murdered is very hard to determine but estimations are about 500,000.
HASAG (Hugo Schneider Aktiengesellschaft-Metalwarenfabrik, Leipzig) – one of
the privately owned German industrial companies that used concentration camp
prisoners to manufacture armaments. HASAG was the third largest after I.G.
Farben and the Hermann Goring Werke. HASAG operated four camps in
Czestochowa, Poland. The largest held 7000 Jewish prisoners. In general, the
policy of Vernichtung durch Arbeit (“extermination through work”) was
applied. Selections were held when those no longer fit for work were killed.
From July 1944 to early 1945, HASAG transferred most of its equipment and
Jewish workers to Germany. HASAG personnel were put on trial by the Allies
in the later Nuremberg proceedings.
Haavara – Hebrew word meaning “transfer.” Also name used for a 1933 agreement
between the Nazi government and agencies of the Zionist movement allowing
German Jews emigrating to Palestine to take a portion of their assets with them.
Hadamar – A psychiatric hospital founded in 1906 at the site of an earlier workhouse
established in 1883 for debtors and alcoholics. The red brick clinic was located
in the town of Hadamar. In 1933 it was renamed as State Psychiatric Hospital
and Sanitarium. From 1941 to 1945, it was rented to T4 as the site of a
“euthanasia” killing center where more than 11,000 people were murdered.
Haftling – German word meaning “prisoner.”
Haftlingspersonalbogen – German referencing prisoner registration forms at the camps.
Haftorah – Hebrew word referencing the passage from the Prophets read in the
synagogue after the reading of the Torah. The word haftorah is derived
from the Aramaic word for “conclusion.” A reading from the second section
of the Scriptures, the books of Joshua through Malachai, is selected for each
Sabbath and festival throughout the year. Usually this reading is related to the
Torah portion of the day which it follows.
Haggadah – Hebrew word for “to tell.” Refers to the book used on Passover to recount
the story of the exodus from Egypt of the freed Hebrew slaves during the
special service of the seder, the home ceremony and meal. The Haggadah
also tells of the paschal lamb and its sacrifice in ancient days, and explains
why we eat matzo and maror, the bitter herb.
Haganah – Underground military organization, founded in 1920, by the Yishuv, the
Jewish community in Palestine. At various times, the Haganah cooperated with
the British Army (which controlled Palestine prior to Israeli independence), but
the group did help Jews illegally immigrate during the 1930s. After 1948,
the Haganah was transformed into the Israel Defense Forces, the Israeli army.
Haimish – Yiddish word meaning “comfortable, cozy, informal or friendly.”
Halachah – is the collective body of Jewish rabbinic law, custom and tradition. Like
the religious laws in many other cultures, Judaism classically drew no
distinction in its laws between religious and non-religious life. Hence,
Halachah guides not only religious practices and beliefs, but numerous aspects
of day-to-day life.
Hamantaschen – traditional poppy seed pastry eaten during the holiday of Purim. It is
symbolic of the three-sided hat worn by Haman.
Hamotzi – Hebrew blessing for bread; hence, grace before meals.
Hanukkah – Hebrew word meaning “dedication.” It is the eight day Jewish Feast of
Lights celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian-Greeks,
rededicating the Temple in Jerusalem.
Ha-Poel – A labor-oriented Zionist youth group.
Har HaBayit – Hebrew meaning “The Temple Mount.”
HaShem – Hebrew meaning “The Name.” It is traditionally used as a substitute for the
four-letter Hebrew name for G-d.
Hasidism – A social religious movement founded by the Baal Shem-Tov. Among the
principles of Hasidism: intention, devotion and happiness in prayer and
performing G-d’s commandments. Hasidism gives a central role to the “Tsadik”
who gathers around him a group of Hasidic followers (a “court”). The
movement spread throughout Eastern Europe from the 18th century, and has
become a prominent and influential trend in Judaism to this day.
Hazzan – Hebrew word meaning “cantor” of the liturgy during worship services.
Hate crime – A criminal offense committed against a person or property which is
motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against the victim’s
race, religion, disability, ethnic origin, national origin or sexual orientation.
Hate group – A group whose worldview is based significantly on strong intolerance or
hatred of a certain group(s) of people based on race, ethnicity, religion or
sexual orientation. Hate groups usually, but not always, claim superiority
to those whom they oppose. They often advocate separation; removing
themselves from the presence of the people they hate, or removing the people
they hate from their presence. They sometimes advocate elimination; killing
those people whom they hate.
Hatikvah – Hebrew word meaning “hope.” It is the title of the Israeli national anthem.
Havdalah – short Jewish service marking the end of Shabbat on Saturday at sundown.
Hazzan – A Hebrew word referring to the “cantor” chanting the liturgy of religious
services.
Heaven – It is the place of spiritual reward for the righteous Jewish dead. Judaism does
not refer to it as such, but as Olam Ha-Ba (The World to Come) or Gan Eden
Garden of Eden.
Hebrew – The ancient language of the Torah and of prayer and the language that many
Zionists hoped to revive establishing a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
Heil – German word meaning “hail.” The greeting used was “Heil Hitler.”
Heksher – Hebrew word referencing “Kosher certification,” of food.
Hell – It is the place of spiritual punishment and /or purification for the wicked dead
Jews. Judaism does not refer to it as hell, but as Gehinnom. According to most
sources, the period of punishment or purification is limited to twelve months
(12), at which time the soul ascends to Olam Ha-Ba or is destroyed.
Hesed – Hebrew word meaning “kindness.”
Heshvan – It is the second month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Hess, Rudolf (April 26, 1894 – August 17, 1987) – Deputy to the Fuhrer, Reich
Minister Without Portfolio and successor-designate after Hermann Goering.
Important role using geopolitics to gain land. Involved in the Anschluss of
Austria and the administration of the Sudetenland. Worshipped and devoted
to Hitler. In a plea for Hitler’s favor, Hess flew to Scotland on May 10, 1940
(without the Fuhrer’s approval) in an effort to make a peace agreement with
Britain. Britain and Germany denounced him as crazy. Sentenced to life
imprisonment. Sole prisoner at Spandau Prison after 1966. In 1987, he was
found in his cell, hanged with an electric cord at age 93.
Heydrich, Reinhard (1904-1942) – Head of the RSHA, Protector of Bohemia and
Moravia and organizer of the Einsatzgruppen. Heydrich was one of the
primary planners and executors of the Nazi mass murder campaign.
Hidden Jews – for Jews to hide in Christian society was a daunting task.
Access-reaching the Christian world required an illegal departure from a ghetto,
a transport or a camp; Abandonment-hiding often meant breaking up a family
unit; Documents-passing required several types of official documents or
forgeries; Familiarity with the Christian religion-a new identity required being
familiar with Christian religious customs of which Jews had no knowledge;
Appearance-Jews with the physical characteristics of curly black hair, dark
eyes, dark complexion, a long nose were in special jeopardy; CircumcisionJewish males were invariably circumcised while Polish and many European
Christians were not, this provided a certain method of identifying Jewish men;
Language-most Jews spoke Polish with an accent or used expressions derived
from Yiddish which gave them away; Help-hiding often meant relying on
Christian rescuers who were willing to risk death or being sent to a
concentration camp; Money-or items of value were needed to pay those rescuers
who required payment, to purchase food on the black market (hidden Jews did
not have ration books), to purchase counterfeit documents and to pay bribes to
blackmailers; Enemies-Germans, Polish police, even Jewish police and
blackmailers were a threat. Some Poles practiced blackmail as an occupation,
the activity of blackmail was known as Szmalcownik (from the Polish word
“szmalec” which means “fat”).
High Holidays – The holidays of Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur
(Day of Atonement) and the ten days in between (the Days of Awe).
Himmler, Heinrich (1900-1945) – Head of the SS; along with Hitler and Goering the
most powerful leader of the Third Reich. He oversaw the planning and
execution of the murder campaign, supervising the work of Heydrich and
Eichmann.
Hindenburg, Paul von (1847-1934) – He was born into a noble, landowning family
in West Prussia that chose a military career. He was appointed to the General
Staff in 1879 after service in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian
War. The most significant military victory of his career was at the Battle of
Tannenberg in 1914, where he led outnumbered German forces to victory
against the Russian army. He was appointed supreme commander of the entire
German army in 1916. Along with General Ludendorff, Hindenburg headed a
virtual military dictatorship that governed until the end of the war. He retired
from military service after the Kaiser’s abdication. After Ebert’s death in 1925,
he was elected president of the Weimar Republic. Although he was a
monarchist and anti-socialist, Hindenburg committed himself to the Weimar
system until the onset of economic depression. He began invoking emergency
powers of Article 48 in the Weimar constitution. Hindenburg had a low opinion
of the NSDAP and Hitler and reluctantly appointed him chancellor in 1933.
From that point on, he assumed a largely ceremonial role until his death in 1934
Hitler, Adolf – (April 20, 1889-April 30, 1945) was the Chancellor of Germany from
1933, and Fuhrer und Reichskanzler (Leader and chancellor) of Germany
from 1934, to his death. He was leader of the National Socialist German
Workers Party (NSDSP), better known as the Nazi Party. Under Hitler’s
leadership Germany ascended from the depths of post-World War I defeat
to rebuild its economy and decimated military. At the height of their power
during World War II the armies of Nazi Germany and its Axis Powers
dominated much of Europe. The racial policies that Hitler directed culminated
in a massive number of deaths, commonly cited as at least 11 million peopleincluding 6 million Jews – in a genocide now known as the Holocaust.
Ultimately, Germany was defeated by the Allied powers in 1945 and during
the final days of the war Hitler committed suicide in his underground bunker.
Hitlerjugend – German for, “Hitler Youth.” Nazi youth organization for boys 14 to 18,
founded in 1922. Membership in this paramilitary indoctrination body was
made compulsory in 1939.
Hlinka Guard – Militia organized by the Slovak People’s Party that reigned from 1938
to 1945. It was named after Slovakian Fascist Andrej Hlinka.
Hok Me A Chainik – Yiddish expression meaning, “Driving me crazy,” or
“Talking too much,” or “You’re talking nonsense.”
Holocaust – Literally, “fire that causes destruction,” has been used to designate the
destruction of six million Jews by the Nazis during World War II.
Holocaust Denial – the attempt to “disprove” that the Holocaust actually happened by
means of spurious evidence and historical analysis, often by neo-fascists posing
as academics or experts. A notable group is The Institute for Historical Review
and notable figures include Arthur Butz, Ernst Zundel and Fred Leuchter.
Holocaust Orchestra – Concentration and death camp orchestras established by the
Nazis during World War II to greet incoming prisoners, thus providing a
false sense of security and to entertain the Nazi officers.
Homophobia – Fear of homosexuals.
Homosexual – A person who is emotionally and physically attracted to individuals
of his or her own gender.
Horah – traditional Israeli folk dance in which people dance in a circle holding hands.
Horthy, Miklos (1868-1957) – Regent of Hungary, 1920-44. Although he resisted
German demands to turn responsibility for Hungarian Jews over to the SS,
his withdrawl from active political involvement between March and July 1944
opened the way for 430,000 Jews to be deported from Hungary to Auschwitz.
“Horst Wessel” – The official anthem of the Nazi Party and the second national anthem
of the Third Reich, whose lyrics were taken from a poem written by Horst
Wessel, a member of the Storm Troopers (SA).
Hoss, Rudolf (1900-1947) – He was the commandant of Auschwitz where he oversaw
the death of as many as 1.5 million victims. He was hanged in Auschwitz
in 1947 for his crimes.
Hungarian Jews – the tragedy of the destruction of Hungarian Jewry is that it came late
in the war. The deaths of approximately 550,000 Hungarian Jews occurred
between May and July 1944; most of them were gassed at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Germany occupied Hungary on March 19, 1944 in response to the threat of the
approaching Soviet Army. Prior to that time the authoritarian government of
Hungary, although allied with Nazi Germany, resisted German demands to
implement the Final Solution. The occupation forces included a Sondercommando unit headed by Adolf Eichmann. Swedish diplomat Raoul
Wallenberg saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews in Budapest be creating
safe houses and distributing protective passports, the so-called Swedish
Schutz-Passes.
Hyperinflation – inflation which is “out of control,” a condition in which prices
increase rapidly as a currency loses its value. No precise definition of
hyperinflation is universally accepted. One simple definition requires a
monthly inflation rate of 50% or more. The definition used by most
economists is “an inflationary cycle without any tendency toward
equilibrium.” Although there is a great deal of debate about the root causes
of hyperinflation, it becomes visible when there is an unchecked increase in
the money supply.
Indictment – To charge with a crime by the finding or presentment of a grand jury.
Indifference – Having or showing no interest or concern, apathetic, unmoved.
Inflation – is a change in some important measure of money which says either real or
apparent value is falling. Examples: If the cost of goods and services are
getting higher. If the money is worth less, compared to foreign money. Or if
the government increases the money supply, other than just to replace old
money it destroys.
I.G. Farben (IGF) – Powerful German industrial conglomerate, comprising eight
leading German chemical manufacturers. Benefited enormously under
Hitler’s Four-Year Plan to revitalize Germany’s economy for war. Established
an installation near Auschwitz known as Buna, taking advantage of the cheap
conscript labor there. Zyklon-B gas, used in Auschwitz for the killing of Jews,
was a product of DEGESCH, a firm in which IGF had a major share. After
the war, the monopoly exercised by this company over the chemical industry
was ended during what was called “decartelization” when it was broken up
into a number of smaller, successor companies
Inhumanity – Cruel or barbarous act.
Inquisition – Thirteenth (13th) century Roman Catholic torture and murder of Jews and
Muslims in an attempt to suppress heresy against the Church.
Insurgent – Rising in revolt against established authority, especially a government
or the leadership of a political party.
International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) – formed in 1909 in
response to a strike in New York when 20,000 women shirtwaist makers
protested sweatshop conditions. In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist
factory killed 146 workers, many of them young immigrant girls. An inquiry
revealed that the fire exits had been locked to prevent the girls from taking long
work breaks. The tragedy gave an impetus to the movement for laws to protect
workers. David Dubinsky was elected president in 1932 and boosted union
membership from 24,000 to 217,000 in three years. Just before the U.S. entered
WWII David Dubinsky was instrumental in creating the Jewish Labor
Committee. The JLC publicized the plight of European Jewry, raised
emergency funds for partisan forces and ghetto fighters. The JLC was actively
involved in relief and rehabilitation work for the survivors. A special program
entailed so-called adoptions, wherein American groups sponsored the cost of
sustaining child survivors in the aftermath of the war.
Internment camp – A camp in which foreigners, prisoners of war or others considered
Dangerous to pursuing a war effort are confined during wartime.
International Military Tribunal – The United States, Great Britain, France and the
Soviet Union charted this court to prosecute Nazi war criminals.
Irgun Zvai Leumi (IZL) – Underground Jewish paramilitary group that broke away
from the Hagana in 1931 and became entirely independent in 1937. Primarily
noted for its violence and terrorism.
Iron Guard - Romanian Fascist party. A paramilitary and political anti-Semitic
Organization, founded by Corneliu Codreanu in 1927.
Intentionalist/functionalist debate – Historiographical controversy concerning (among
other things) the origins of the Holocaust. Intentionalists argue that systematic
mass killing of Jews was Hitler’s plan before he came to power; functionalists
argue that the idea of mass killing evolved only after the invasion of the USSR
in 1941.
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees – Body established by the Evian
Conference in 1938. In 1939 it negotiated an arrangement allowing German
Jews leaving the country to take their assets with them. The arrangement was
not implemented due to the outbreak of war. During the war it was largely
inactive.
Israel – An area in the Middle East along the Mediterranean Sea which became an
independent nation in May 1948, almost a year after being designated by
the United Nations as a homeland for the Jewish people.
Iyar – It is the eighth month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Jedwabne – A Polish town, northeast of Warsaw. On July 10, 1941, 1600 of Jedwabne’s
Jews were murdered by their Polish neighbors. The truth about this exceptional
event has recently received international attention, which in turn has provoked
a public debate in Polish society, which has regarded itself only as a victim of
the Nazis and not as murderers of Jews.
Jehovah’s Witnesses – A religious sect. In 1933, the Witnesses had about 20,000
members in Germany. Although they were outlawed in several German states
beginning in 1933, it was only when the Witnesses refused to use the Heil
Hitler salute, and, after 1935, to serve in the army, that they were seen as
enemies of the Nazi state. The Witnesses also refused to salute the flag, bear
arms in war or participate in the affairs of government. These beliefs led to the
first wave of arrests and imprisonment in concentration camps in 1936 and
1937. At all times the Witnesses in the concentration camps were a relatively
small group of prisoners (not exceeding several hundred per camp), mostly of
German nationality. About 10,000 Witnesses were imprisoned in the
concentration camps; and of these, about 2500 died.
Jew – From the Hebrew word for Yehudi, meaning Judean, which was a member of the
tribe of Judah shortly after the death of King Solomon. A person whose mother
was a Jew or became a Jew by choice.
Jewish Agency for Palestine – Body created in 1929 to represent the Jewish community
of Palestine in political matters. Though including non-Zionists, it was closely
associated with the Zionist movement.
Jewish Badge – A distinctive sign which Jews were compelled to wear in Nazi Germany
and in Nazi-occupied countries. It usually took the form of a yellow Star of
David.
Jewish Brigade – a brigade composed of Jewish volunteers from Palestine who
enlisted in the British Army. They fought in Italy and were the only regular
Jewish formation to fight in WWII under the Jewish flag, recognized as
representing the Jewish people.
Jewish Fighting Organization (ZOB) – Established in the Warsaw Ghetto on the
28th of July 1942. Members of youth movements formed the group during the
Great Deportation from the ghetto. After the deportation more people joined
the group. The organization sent couriers to other ghettos to share ideas of
resistance, and to forge ties with the Aryan side in order to obtain weapons.
The ZOB stood at the head of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and during the
Uprising the Jewish fighters fought against the great German force for a month.
Most of the fighters fell in the Uprising, including their commander,
Mordecai Anielewicz.
Jewish Police – The enforcement arm of the Judenrat or Jewish Council inside the
ghettos, they were unarmed and usually without uniform beyond an armband,
an insignia on their caps and they usually carried a short, wooden stick
Jewish reservation – Idea floated within the Nazi regime in 1939-40, involving mass
concentration of Jews in a single location. Proposed locations were Nisko,
Poland and the island of Madagascar off the coast of southeast Africa.
Jodl, Alfred (1890-1946) – Wehrmacht leader and during WWII he was Chief of the
Operations Staff and deputy to Wilhelm Keitel. Jodl was a key figure in
German military operations, supplying advice and technical information to
Hitler. It was Jodl who signed the unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945
in Reims as the representative for Karl Donitz. He was then arrested and put
on trial at Nuremberg where he was found guilty and hung on October 16, 1946.
Joy division – Group of attractive female prisoners kept for the pleasure of soldiers.
Judaica – material item or art object related to the Jewish religion and/or culture.
Judaism – The Jewish faith, the first to be centered on a belief in one just G-d.
Jude – German word meaning “Jew.”
Judenfrei – German for “free of Jews.” Nazi euphemism for ethnic cleansing of an area
by deportation or murder. An alternate term was Judenrein.
Judengelb – German for “Jewish yellow.” Term for the yellow Star of David badge
that Jews were ordered to wear.
Judenrat – German for “Jewish Councils.” Jewish groups appointed by the Nazis in
occupied territories to represent Jewish interests. The Germans used the
Judenrat to pass on their orders to the Jewish public, and the Judenrat, for its
part, tried to represent the Jewish community to the Germans. The Judenrat
faced its most severe dilemma in light of the German’s order to supply quotas of
Jews for deportation to the death camps.
Juden raus! – German for “Jews out!” A dreaded phrase shouted by the Nazis
throughout the ghettos when they were trying to force the Jews from their
hiding places. Term also used in the camps.
Judenrein – German expression meaning “cleansed” of Jews.
Judischer Ordnungsdienst – German for, “Jewish Order Service.” Jewish police in
ghettos. They caused resentment among other Jews since they aided in
roundups and deportations.
KPD (Communist Party of Germany) – Founded at the time of the failed Spartacist
uprising in 1919, the KPD rejected the legitimacy of the Weimar system and
continually attacked its leaders. The KPD’s support was found primarily among
factory workers and the unemployed in large cities. The KPD had little strength
in the countryside. Although both the KPD and the SPD directed their appeal to
working class, the two parties were bitter enemies. Alone among Weimar
Germany’s major political parties, the KPD called for the violent overthrow of
capitalism and the establishment of a workers state, as had occurred in Russia in
1917. By the late 1920s, the KPD was closely following the direction of Joseph
Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union. From 1929 to 1932, the KPD secretly
cooperated with the NSDAP to bring down the Weimar Republic. Each
extremist party believed that it would emerge victorious from the ashes of the
Weimar system’s destruction. Like the NSDAP, the KPD had paramilitary
forces numbering in the tens of thousands. The KPD forces disrupted the
meetings of their political opponents and fought street battles against the S.A.,
the NSDAP paramilitary organization, for control of neighborhoods. The KPD
also shared the NSDAP’s attention to the recruitment of young people. KPD
clubs were established to involve teenagers in recreational activities.
Kabbalah – Hebrew word for “tradition.” Refers to all Jewish mystical beliefs,
traditions, practices and stories.
Kaddish – (Mourners) Hebrew prayer for the dead. It has become the traditional Jewish
affirmation of faith at the time of death and a remembrance of the departed.
Kadoshim – Hebrew word (plural) literally meaning “sacred ones,” or “holy ones,”
from Kadosh meaning holy.
Kampfzeit – German word meaning “time of struggle,” referring to the period when
Hitler executed the plans spelled out in Mein Kampf.
Kapo – The nickname of the Jewish leaders in each labor unit in the camps, appointed
by the SS. Sometimes the word refers to collaborators in general, or to
prisoners with different roles in the camps. The Nazis gave the Kapos a role in
the discipline and terror apparatus in the camps. In practice, there were those
among them who were quite cruel, whereas others demonstrated compassion
whenever possible.
Karski, Jan (1914-2000) – Polish underground courier. In 1940 and 1942 he transmitted
eyewitness testimony about the fate of Polish Jews to the Polish governmentin-exile. In 1942-43 he also informed British and U.S. leaders about the
systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews.
Kasha varnishkes – Accoutrement (side dish) with a Jewish dinner. It is a casserole of
buckwheat (groats) and bow-tie pasta, sometimes with sautéed onions and
mushrooms.
Kashrut – A Hebrew word (Kosher, in English) referring to the laws that make food
religiously acceptable to an observant Jew. Also, reference to the fitness of the
food, that the food is ritually clean, that is also slaughtered according to
Jewish law. The literal translation is “fit,” and “proper.”
Kaas, Ludwig (1881-1952) – Born into a lower middle-class Catholic family, Kaas
studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1906. In 1921, Monsignor Kaas
was elected to the Reichstag as a member of the Center Party. In 1928, he
publicly condemned the policies of Foreign Minister Gustav Stresemann, who
had been attempting to convince the French and British that an economically
strong Germany would not pose a threat to their security. Kaas advocated a
more forceful foreign policy. Assuming the leadership of the Center in 1928
and continuing in this position until 1933, Kaas moved his party to the right. He
espoused traditional, conservative Catholic values and fought the social welfare
policies of the SPD. Kaas supported efforts to bring the NSDAP into the
government after the July 1932 parliamentary elections. In 1933, he led the
Center delegation in the Reichstag in voting for the Enabling Law, giving Hitler
the power to establish a dictatorship. Shortly thereafter, Kaas moved to Rome,
where he worked at the Vatican. He played a major role in negotiating an
agreement between the Vatican and Nazi Germany in 1933.
Kasserine Pass – Site of decisive battles in Tunisia in 1943 that helped turn the tide of
battle against the Germans in North Africa. After initial setbacks on 14 February
1943, Allied forces regained the initiative on 26 February 1943.
Katyn Forest Massacre – In 1940 more than 4000 Polish army officers were murdered
at Katyn, a small town near Smolensk. Both the Soviet Union and Germany
denied responsibility and blamed the other for the massacre, but it is now
believed that the NKVD (the Soviet secret police) was responsible. In 1943, the
Polish government-in-exile in London charged the Soviets with responsibility
for the massacre, and the Soviet Union severed relations with the London Poles
on 25 April 1943.
Kehilla – The organized Jewish community, or the council running a local Jewish
community.
Keitel, Wilhelm (1882-1946) – a German Field Marshal and a senior military leader
during WWII. On May 8, 1945, Keitel signed Nazi Germany’s surrender to
the Red Army. Four days later he was arrested and placed on trial at
Nuremberg. He was found guilty on all charges and was hanged on
October 16, 1946.
Ketubah – A Jewish wedding contract. It is a marriage agreement and a formal
document.
Kibitz – Yiddish word meaning “to joke around or tease.” From the German, closely
related to busybody, or someone providing unwanted advice.
Kibbutz(im) – A Hebrew word for Israeli agricultural communes in which all members
work at assigned tasks and share equally in what is produced.
Kiddush – A Hebrew word meaning “making holy.” It is the blessing said over a cup of
wine at the start of Shabbat (Sabbath) or festivals.
Kiddush Hashem – a Hebrew term meaning “sanctifying the Name [of G-d]”, denotes
exemplary conduct in connection with religious martyrdom. Historically, the
choice of accepting martyrdom was an option, and conversion or expulsion
were alternatives. The Holocaust eliminated the element of choice. Where
rescue was impossible and resistance would be futile there are numerous
accounts of Jews going to their deaths with dignity.
Kiddushin – Hebrew word meaning “betrothal or marriage.”
Kielce – site of a pogrom in 1946 where 42 Holocaust survivors were killed by a mob.
The massacre at Kielce convinced most survivors that they had no future in
Poland. Kielce is a medium-sized city in southeast Poland. 22,000 Jews lived
there before WWII. When the city was liberated by the Red army, only 2 Jews
remained. Gradually, about 150 former residents came back, and they lived in
the Jewish community building. At the beginning of July 1946 anti-Semitic
rumors spread through the town. It was said that a missing Polish boy had been
killed by the Jews to use his blood to make matzo. His body was said to be in
the basement of the Jewish community building. On July 4th a mob attacked
and killed 42 Jews and wounded 50 more. Order was restored by the central
government in Warsaw. Seven of the main instigators and killers were tried
and executed, and the missing Polish boy was later found in a nearby village.
The pogrom was a turning point in the attempt to rebuild a Jewish community
in Poland. Kielce convinced most survivors that Poland had no future for them.
Kiev – Capital of the Ukraine. Occupied by the Germans from September 19, 1941
until November 1943. A week after the occupation, the Germans decided to
put to death the Jews of Kiev in retaliation for alleged attacks on German-held
installations. In the months that followed, Jews were taken to the Babi Yar
ravine and executed. Gypsies, Soviet POWs and some local disabled and
institutionalized patients were also murdered at Babi Yar. It is estimated that
about 100,000 people died at Babi Yar.
Killing centers – Term referring to six German-established locations in Poland
(Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek and Birkenau) to which Jews
were transported from across Europe to be killed.
Kineahora – Yiddish expression, loosely meaning, “ Don’t say anything good, or it will
turn bad.”
Kindertransport – The name given to a rescue operation carried out by British Jews for
Jewish children from Greater Germany, following Kristallnacht, and the British
government’s declared willingness to allow 10,000 children to enter England.
Kippah (Yarmulke) – A Hebrew word for the little skull cap worn by male Jews
showing an outward sign of respect to G-d.
Kishka – In Jewish cuisine, it is an accoutrement (side-dish), a stuffing made with
potato, carrots, other vegetables and matzo meal, then baked inside the casing
of beef intestines.
Kislev – It is the third month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Klal Yisrael – Hebrew referencing the Jewish community as a whole (worldwide).
Klezmer – The style of music in Yiddish culture originating in Eastern Europe often
including a violin and clarinet.
Klutz – Yiddish word meaning a clumsy or awkward person.
Knaydelach (KNAY-duhl-ahka) – Yiddish word meaning “dumpling.” In English,
known as matzo balls.
Knesset – The Israeli parliament.
Knish – Yiddish word referring to a flour and potato dumpling stuffed traditionally
with potato and onions.
Kohen – Hebrew word meaning “priest.” A descendant of Aaron, and thus of the
priests of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Kol Nidre (KOHL-NIDray) – Hebrew meaning “all vows.” It is the chanted prayer
that initiates the evening Yom Kippur service.
Kolbe, Maximilian Saint (1894-1941) – “The Saint of Auschwitz” was canonized by
Pope John Paul II in 1982. Arrested by the Gestapo in early 1941 for publicly
speaking out against the Nazis, Kolbe was sent to Auschwitz I. When a
prisoner in his block was reported as an escapee, the Nazis selected ten of
Kolbe’s block to be starved to death in retaliation to the “escape.” Kolbe was
not one of the original ten selected to be starved to death, however, the priest
volunteered himself instead of one of the chosen Jewish inmates. After two
weeks of starvation in the notorious Block 11, only four of the original ten
survived to that point. Kolbe and the other three were executed with an
injection of carbonic acid in the heart on August 14, 1941.
Kollwitz, Kaethe (1867-1945) – Born into a middle-class socialist family in East Prussia,
Kollwitz studied painting and sculpture in Berlin and Munich. She became one
of Germany’s foremost graphic artists of the 1890-1910 period by reviving the
art of etching. Her works, which often focused on the plight of the poor and
oppressed, were remarkable for their powerful emotion. Kollwitz’s life changed
after her youngest son was killed in battle in 1914. Following this, she
redoubled her efforts to achieve peace and social justice. She welcomed both
the communist revolution in Russia in 1917 and the worker’s uprisings in
Germany in late 1918. The first woman elected to the Prussian Academy of
Arts, she headed the Graphic Arts Studio from 1928 until 1933. An outspoken
opponent of fascism and the NSDAP, Kollwitz remained in Germany after the
Nazi takeover, even though her works were removed from public exhibition.
Her personal tragedy was compounded during World War II by the death of her
grandson in battle and by the destruction of much of her life’s work in an Allied
bombing raid. Kollwitz died shortly before the war ended.
Kommissar Befehl – German meaning Commissar Order: Nazi command to summarily
kill Communist political operatives in the Soviet Army.
Kommando – German for “labor squads” made up of camp prisoners.
Konzentrationslager – German word meaning concentration camp.
Korczak, Dr. Janusz, born Henryk Goldszmit (1878-1942) – Educator, author,
physician and director of a Jewish orphanage in Warsaw. Despite the
possibility of personal freedom, he refused to abandon his orphans and went
with them to the gas chamber in Treblinka.
Kosher – food that is permissible to eat under Jewish dietary laws; can also describe
any other ritual object that is fit for use according to Jewish law.
Kovner, Abba (1918-1987) – Leader of the United Partisan Organization in the Vilna
ghetto. Kovner was the first Jew known to have deduced the German murder
plan and the first to call for Jewish armed resistance.
Kovno – City in central Lithuania, important Jewish spiritual and cultural center. In
1939 approximately 40,000 Jews (one-fourth of the city’s total population) lived
in Kovno. The Germans occupied Kovno in June 1941. Ten thousand Jews
were killed in June and July 1941, and the ghetto was sealed off in August,
trapping the remaining 30,000 Jews. In autumn 1943 the Kovno ghetto became
a central concentration camp for Austrian and some French Jews. As the
Soviet Army approached, many of the Jews were transferred to concentration
camps inside Germany. Only 90 Jews were alive in Kovno when the Soviet
Army liberated the city on 1 August 1944.
Kracow – A historic city in southern Poland, once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
before 1918. In October 1939 the Germans made Kracow the capital of the
General Government. On 3 March 1941, a decree establishing the ghetto was
published. At the end of May 1942, the Germans began deporting the ghettos
60,000 Jews to extermination camps. Most of the deportees were sent to Belzec,
the rest to Auschwitz, and some to Plaszow concentration camp located inside
the Kracow city limits.
Krasnodar – a city in the Ukraine located near the Black Sea. By the time of its
occupation on August 9, 1942, thousands of refugees had fled there to
escape the advancing German army. During its occupation Sonderkommando
10a of Einsatzgruppe D operated in the city murdering thousands of Jews.
Kreplach – In Jewish cuisine, it is a fried dumpling filled with meat. It is then placed
in a pot of chicken soup.
Kriegsmarine – German word meaning The German Navy.
Kriminalpolizei (KRIPO) – German Criminal Police headed by Arthur Nebe.
Kristallnacht – In German, “Night of Broken Glass.” A nationwide night or rioting
and looting throughout Germany organized by Joseph Goebbels on November
9, 1938. Hundreds of Jewish schools, businesses and synagogues were
destroyed. The Jews were blamed for the riots, because the Nazis claimed it
was a spontaneous public demonstration against the murder of Ernst von Rath,
a minor German embassy official in Paris, by Israel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old
Jewish youth born in Hanover. As many as 30,000 Jews were arrested and
deported to Dachau and other concentration camps; thousands more immigrated
overseas. According to many historians, Kristallnacht demonstrated for the first
time that the Nazis sought to solve the “Jewish Question” through violence.
Krupp family – a prominent 400-year-old Germany dynasty became famous for their
steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. After
Hitler came to power in 1933, the Krupp works became the center for German
rearmament. The company reverted to a family holding and Alfred Krupp took
over management. After Germany’s defeat, the U.S. Nuremberg Military
Tribunal convicted Alfred as a war criminal for his company’s use of slave
labor. It sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment and ordered him to sell 75%
of his holdings. In 1951, as the Cold War developed and no buyer came
forward, the authorities released him, and in 1953 resumed control of the firm.
Kugel – In Jewish cuisine, it is a casserole of egg noodles, nutmeg, raisins, sugar and
cinnamon. This is served as an accoutrement (side dish) with dinner. There are
literally thousands of variations and family recipes in the world. It is commonly
known as “noodle pudding,” sometime can be made of potatoes in a casserole.
Ku Klux Klan – A secret society founded shortly after the conclusion of the American
Civil War in Tennessee. Reorganized in Georgia in 1915 to reassert white
Supremacy by means of terrorism.
Kvell – Yiddish word meaning ,”to beam with pride and joy,” especially when discussing
one’s child/children or grandchild/grandchildren.
Kvetch – Yiddish word meaning “to complain.”
L’Chaim – Hebrew word meaning “to life.” It is used as a toast at special events.
Labor camp – A prison camp where the prisoners were used as slave labor for German
industry and war machine.
Labor Front – The sole labor union organization in the Third Reich. Set up in 1933, it
came to control al aspects of the German workforce.
Ladino (Luh-DEE-noh) – The “common language” of Sephardic Jews. It is based
primarily on Spanish, with words taken from Hebrew, Arabic and other
languages as well. It is the spoken and written language of Hispanic Jews
originating on the Iberian peninsula of Europe.
Lager – German for “camp” as in concentration camp or death camp.
Lagerfuhrer – commandant (commander) of a concentration camp.
Lagersystem – German for “system of camps” that supported the death camps.
Landsman – Yiddish word meaning “Fellow Jew.”
Latkes – Jewish delicacy that consists of potatoes, onion, eggs and matzo meal. It is then
fried to become “potato latkes” or potato pancakes. Traditional food at
Chanukkah served with apples sauce, sour cream and sometimes sugar and
cinnamon.
Laval, Pierre (1883-1945) – Four-time Premier of the Third French Republic,
and Vice-Premier of the Vichy government appointed in 1942. He was
responsible for deporting men, women and children to their deaths.
Subsequently, Laval was tried by a French court and hanged as a war
criminal in 1945.
Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service – The first major piece of
Nazi anti-Jewish legislation. Adopted in April 1933, it removed Jewish
government employees from their positions.
League of German Girls (Bund Deutscher Madel) – Female counterpart of the
Hitler Youth formed in 1927 but not formerly integrated by Hitler until 1932.
Leap Year – In the Hebrew calendar, it is when an entire month is added to the year
to align the Hebrew lunar calendar to the secular lunar calendar.
Lebensborn – German word: Kidnapping by SS of “desirable” foreign children.
Lebensraum – German, meaning “Living Space.” Adolf Hitler developed the
belief that Germany required Lebensraum in order to survive. The conviction
that this living space could be gained only in the east, and specifically from
Poland and Russia, formed the core of this idea, and shaped his policy after his
take-over of power in Germany in 1933.
Lebensunwertes Lebens – German term meaning “life unworthy of life.” Term
derived from the work “The Permission to Destroy Life Unworthy of Life”
(“Die Freigabe der Vernichtung lebensunwerten Lebens”) by Karl Binding
and Alfred Hoche, published in 1920. This work was referring to the mentally
and physically handicapped and regarded the killing of these segments of
society as a “healing treatment.” This term and this work became a base for
the right of the state to kill unwanted segments of the population.
Left-wing politics – term that refers to the segment of the political spectrum typically
associated with any of several strains of socialism or social democracy/social
liberalism. The term originated from the French Revolution, when liberal
deputies from the Third Estate generally sat to the left of the president’s chair,
a habit which began in the estates General of 1789. The nobility, members of
the Second Estate, generally sat to the right.
Leftist – A person who favors radical or great changes in a country’s system of
government.
Lemkin, Raphael (1901-1959) – Polish Jewish refugee legal scholar who coined the
term ‘genocide’ in 1944.
Leshanah haba’ah beyerushalayim – Hebrew for, “Next year in Jerusalem.”
Traditional closing line of the Passover seder. A type of “greeting.”
Leshanah tovah tikatevu – Hebrew for, “May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for
a good year.” Traditional Rosh Hashanah (New Year) greeting.
Lessing, Gotthold (1729-1781) – Like Goethe, Lessing was an enlightenment
philosopher and writer during the eighteenth century. He advocated reason,
tolerance, equal rights and peace. His play Nathan The Wise about a wise Jew
became famous in Germany.
Libel – To attack someone’s good name or reputation falsely.
Liberalism – an ideology, philosophy, political tradition and current of political
thought, which holds liberty as the primary political value. Broadly speaking,
liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals,
limitations on the power of government and religion, the rule of law, the free
exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports private enterprise and a
system of government that is transparent. This form of government favors
liberal democracy with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal
rights by law.
Liberation – The process of an army driving conquerors out of an occupied territory.
Holocaust survivors and citizens of occupied Europe used the word “liberation”
to refer to the moment they were freed from German control. Individuals and/or
nations involved in the liberation are referred to as “liberators.”
Lida (Lidris) – a town 60 miles south of Vilna. Between the World Wars it was part of
Poland. In September 1939 it was annexed to the Soviet Union. On June 30,
1941, it was occupied by the Germans. A ghetto was created there. In the
period July through November 1941, when mass murder was taking place in
Vilna, Lida was relatively calm and many Jews tried to flee there. In May 1942,
an “Aktion” was carried out in Lida and 5670 Jews were killed. A partisan
organization was formed. Young Jews began to escape to the forests. On the
evening of September 17, 1943, a group of partisans came into the ghetto to get
Jews into the forest. However, the next day the ghetto was liquidated and the
inhabitants were sent to the Majdanek extermination camp. The partisans were
caught in this liquidation. Only a few managed to escape at the last minute.
Altogether, 500 Jews fled from Lida into the forest.
Lidice – A Czech mining village of 700. In reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard
Heydrich, the Nazis “liquidated” the village in 1942. They shot the men and
older boys, deported the women and children to concentration camps, razed
the village to the ground and struck its name from the map. After World War II
a new village was built near the site of the old Lidice, which is now a national
park and memorial.
Life – It is valued above almost all else in Judaism. Almost any commandment can be
broken to save a life.
Life After Death – Contrary to popular belief, Judaism does believe in an afterlife.
However, it is the focus of the faith.
Liquidated – A Nazi euphemism for eliminating a ghetto and its inhabitants by
conducting massive deportations to concentration and extermination camps, or
by murdering Jews on the outskirts of town.
Liquidationsanstalt – German for “extermination center.” Under the control of T4, a
number of institutions were created or designated for killing adult patients
during the euthanasia program.
Lithuanian Jews – due to the tangled history of the Vilna region the Polish Jews who
came from Lithuania were accorded better treatment than the other Jews held by
the Germans. The city of Vilna had been taken by Poland in 1920 from
independent Lithuania during the Polish-Soviet war of 1919-20. The August
1939 Non-Aggression Pact recognized Vilna as being an area of Poland that
was under the Soviet sphere of influence. Poland was invaded by Germany on
September 1, 1939. On September 17, 1939 the Soviet Union pursuant to the
Non-Aggression Pact occupied parts of Poland within its sphere of influence,
including Vilna. The Soviet Union returned Vilna to then independent
Lithuania. However, on August 3, 1940 the Soviet Union annexed Lithuania.
Litvak – Lithuanian Jew.
Loch In Kop – Yiddish phrase literally meaning , “a hole in the head.”
Lodz – City in western Poland, where the first major Jewish ghetto was created in
April 1940. By September 1941 the ghetto’s population already faced severe
overcrowding; nevertheless, in October 1941, more than 20,000 Jews from
Germany, Austria and the Protectorate were also sent to the Lodz ghetto.
During 1942 and from June to July 1944, there were massive deportations
from Lodz to the “killing center” at Chelmno. In August-September 1944 the
Lodz ghetto was dissolved and the remaining 60,000 Jews were sent to
Auschwitz.
Lodz Ghetto Chronicle – A daily chronicle of events in the Lodz ghetto that was written
at the initiative of the archivist in the Judenrat. The compiling of the chronicles
by writers and intellectuals in the ghetto continued uninterrupted from January
1941 until July 30, 1944. The writing was cautious, since Chaim Rumkowski,
the head of the Judenrat, and the Germans themselves oversaw what was written
Long, Breckenridge (1881-1958) – During the Holocaust years, while the Nazis were
killing thousands of Jews daily, the U.S. State Department official in charge of
matters concerning European refugees was Breckenridge Long. He was an
extreme nativist with a particular suspicion for Eastern Europeans and Italians.
Long was extremely paranoid and came to believe that he was constantly under
attack from “the communists, extreme radicals, Jewish professional agitators
and refugee enthusiasts.” In 1940, Long became the Assistant Secretary of
State in charge of the Visa division. He deliberately blocked Jewish
immigration. He said, “We can delay and effectively stop for a temporary
period of indefinite length the number of immigrants into the United States.
We could do this by simply advising our consuls to put every obstacle in the
way and to require additional evidence and to resort to various administrative
devices which would postpone and postpone and postpone the granting of the
visas.” 90 percent of the quota places available to immigrants from countries
under German and Italian control were never filled.
Lox – It is smoked salmon and a bedrock of Jewish cuisine! Lox is referred to in both
the singular and plural! This is not the dry smoked like Norwegian smoked
salmon, rather the kind that is marinated in a brine. It is really the world’s first
taste of Sushi!
Luach – Hebrew word meaning “calendar.”
Lubaczow Ghetto – located in the town of Lubaczow near Przemysl, Poland. The ghetto
was established in October 1942 and liquidated in January 1943. 7000 Jews
were kept in apartments located in the center of town with 5-6 families living in
each apartment. 2500 were shipped to the Belzec extermination camp. The rest
were shot and buried in Lubaczow.
Lubavitcher (luh-BUH-vitsh-er) – This is a sect of Hasidic Judaism that is active in
outreach to other Jews.
Lublin – the Majdanek death camp was located in Lublin. The headquarters of the SS
and the SD were located in Lublin approximately 3 miles northeast of Majdanek
Luftwaffe – The German Air Force.
Luftmensch – Yiddish word meaning, “a person who daydreams.”
Luzzem – Yiddish term meaning, “Leave him/her alone.
Ma’ariv – Hebrew referencing the evening prayer service.
MacDonald White Paper – Issued by Great Britain on May 17, 1939, it limited the
immigration to Palestine to 15,000 persons a year. After five years, no Jewish
immigration was permitted without Arab consent.
Mach Shnel – German and Yiddish phrase meaning, “Hurry up!”
Macher – Yiddish wording meaning “important person, or big shot.”
Machtergreifung – German for “seizure of power.” Term used when referring to the
Nazi’s seizure of power in 1933.
Machzor – The traditional Jewish prayer book for the High Holy Days and for the
festivals.
Madagascar Plan – Nazi plan to create a Jewish reservation on the east African island of
Madagascar. Developed by the SS and the German foreign ministry, it received
much attention within the Nazi regime in 1940, but it was abandoned late in the
year, when the decision was taken to invade the Soviet Union.
Magen David – Hebrew for “Star of David.”
Majdanek – Nazi death camp located in Eastern Poland at Lublin. More than 250,000
Jews died there before being liberated by the Soviet Army in July 1944.
Maquis – French anti-Nazi guerrilla fighting organization during World War II.
Maly Trostinets – Concentration camp in eastern Byelorussia, near Minsk. Jews from
the final operations in Minsk were murdered and buried at Maly Trostinets in
July 1942 and in October 1943. Also during 1942 Jews from the Protectorate,
Austria, Germany, Holland and Poland were transported to Maly Trostinets to
be killed. It is believed that there were 65,000 bodies at Maly Trostinets,
including those of about 39,000 Jews from the final operations in Minsk. Most
of the victims were lined up in front of pits 164 feet long and 10 feet deep, and
shot to death. After the execution the pits containing the victims were leveled
by tractors.
Mamzer (MAHM-zer) – Yiddish word meaning “bastard.”
Mandate – The authority that was given to a nation to govern land that belonged to
Turkey or Germany, who had lost World War I. The land was not owned by
the new country, but was to be governed for the League of Nations.
Marranos – Spanish word for Jews who had been converted to Christianity, but who
were still Jews at heart.
Marx, Wilhelm (1863-1946) – Born into a devout Catholic family in Cologne, Marx
began his public career as a doctor of law and a respected judge. He was
elected to the Reichstag in 1910 as a member of a small Catholic party allied
with the Center Party. In 1922, he became chairman of the Center and
continued in the position until 1928, serving as chancellor on four occasions.
During the economic crisis of 1923, Marx governed through emergency
decrees issued by President Ebert. While heading the Center delegation in the
Reichstag, Marx led efforts to keep the SDP out of the government and instead
sought coalition partners for the Center among conservative parties. Marx was
associated with much of the key legislation produced during the Weimar
Republic.
Martyr – Greek word meaning “witness.” It is a term describing people that endure
persecution, usually resulting in death for their religious beliefs.
Mashgiach – An informed, pious Orthodox Jew who supervises the kashrut of the food
at a restaurant, hotel or catering establishment.
Mashiach (mah-SHEE-akh) – Hebrew word meaning, “the anointed one,” referencing
Messiah.
Master Race – those people called “Aryans” by the Nazis who would rule for a
thousand years; those people of “pure blood.”
Matzo – The unleavened bread that Jews eat at Passover.
Matzo balls – In Jewish cuisine, they are the light and airy dumplings that accompany
chicken soup. They consist of eggs, chicken fat (shmaltz), matzo meal and salt.
Mauthausen – A concentration camp for men opened in August 1938 near Linz, Austria.
The camp was established to exploit nearby stone quarries, and was classified by
the SS as a camp of utmost severity. Conditions at Mauthausen were brutal,
even by concentration camp standards. Many prisoners were killed by being
pushed from 300-foot cliffs into the quarries. Liberated on May 5, 1945 by the
U.S. Army.
Maven – Yiddish word for “expert or know it all.” From the Hebrew word for
understanding.
Mazel – Yiddish and Hebrew word meaning, “luck.”
Mazel Tov – Hebrew literally meaning, “Good luck!” Also used in Yiddish for
“Congratulations!”
Mechelen (in French: Malines) – A city in Belgium, midway between Antwerp and
Brussels, which served as an assembly center and transit camp for the Jews of
Belgium. The Germans utilized its convenient rail connections to the
concentration and extermination camps of eastern Europe.
Medieval – Referring to the style of life or thought of the Middle Ages of European
history, especially the years from about 1000 to about 1500.
Meeskait – Yiddish word referencing and “ugly” person.
Megillah – Hebrew word meaning “scroll.” It is also what is known as the “Book of
Esther” read on the holiday of Purim. In Yiddish it refers to “a long and
complicated story.”
Mein Kampf – German for, “My Struggle.” Adolf Hitler’s autobiography and
philosophical/political creed, written in 1924 with the aid of his secretary,
Rudolf Hess, in Landsberg Prison. It spelled out his plans for the Jews.
Mendelssohn, Moses (1729-1786) – Like his friend Lessing, Mendelssohn was an
eighteenth century philosopher and writer. He was the “first German Jew,”
assimilating by writing, dressing and discussing German but still maintaining
his Jewish identity. He thus served as a model for Jews that followed.
Mengele, Josef, (1911-1978?) – A doctor and SS officer, who became known as the
Auschwitz Angel of Death. From June 1940 he served in the medical corps
of the Waffen SS. In May 1943 he began working in the Auschwitz death
camp, where he served until its evacuation. Mengele was ostensibly involved
in medical experiments, and carried out selections among the Jews that were
brought to the camp. In his experiments, Mengele concentrated mainly on twins
and dwarfs, using them as lab rats. After the evacuation of Auschwitz he
moved to Mauthausen concentration camp. After the liberation of Mauthausen
all traces of him disappeared.
Menorah – Hebrew word for “candelabra.” Primarily associated today with
Chanukkah and having nine candles, one for each day of the holiday plus the
shamesh (leader) candle which lights the others.
Mensch – Yiddish word meaning “an honorable, admirable or worthy person,” an upright
man, or a decent human being. From the German word meaning “person.”
Mercenaries – People who work as professional soldiers, usually for a foreign power.
Merchant ship – a freighter or cargo ship, or passenger liner that carries goods and
materials, and/or passengers from one port to another. They are not military
ships.
Meshugunah – Yiddish word describing “a crazy person.”
Messianic Judaism – They believe that G-d chose the Jewish people to bring His
knowledge, standards, grace and power of forgiveness and redemption to
the world through the Messiah. A Messianic Jew is one who is Jewish by
birth and accepts that Yeshua (Jesus) is the long-awaited Messiah. Messianic
Jews believe that both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures comprise the
complete, infallible and literal word of G-d, and they base their faith and
practice on the life of Yeshua and his disciples. Mainstream Jews do not
recognize Messianic Jews as being Jewish in any way. Mainstream Judaism
maintains that those who believe that redemption from sin can come only
through a commitment to Jesus as the son of G-d are not Jews but Christians.
Mezuzah – Hebrew word for “doorpost.” A tiny container in which is kept a scroll of
parchment, onto which is written a portion from Deuteronomy (6:4-9 and 11:1321). It is affixed to the doorpost as a sign of a Jewish home and to ask G-d’s
blessing thereupon.
Midrash – Multi-volume work of interpretation and embellishment of the Torah,
usually of ethical importance, often fanciful, much of it quite ancient.
Mikveh – Hebrew word meaning “ritual bath” used for an immersion in a purification
ceremony. Its main use nowadays is by Jewish women to achieve ritual purity
after menstruation or childbirth. Immersion in a mikveh is also required during
a traditional conversion to Judaism.
Mikveh Israel – A Hebrew expression meaning “the gathering of the people Israel.”
Mila 18 – It was literally a Warsaw address that housed the underground bunker that
became the command post for the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The groups young
leader, Mordecai Anielewicz was killed there. Today a monument stands at
the exact site of Mila 18.
Milchig - Yiddish word describing food which contains dairy or dairy derivatives. This
pertains to Kashruth (kosher) dietary laws of separating meat and dairy products
Mincha – Hebrew referencing the afternoon prayer service.
Minhag – A Hebrew word meaning “custom” or procedure.
Minority rights – The rights of racial, religious or ethnic groups who are different from
the majority group in a country – where there is true democracy all should have
equal rights.
Minsk – Capital of Byelorussia and a center of Yiddish culture and literature. On
July 20, 1941 the Germans ordered the establishment of the Minsk ghetto.
Altogether, 100,000 persons were rounded up and sealed behind the walls.
Later, there was also a second separate ghetto for Jews from Germany deported
to Minsk between November 1941 and October 1942. On March 2, 1942, after
the Jewish Council (Judenrat) failed to hand over 5000 Jews as ordered, the
Germans rounded up more than 5000 from the ghetto streets and the orphanages,
carried them off and killed them. The last 4000 Jews from Minsk were killed
in October 1943.
Minyan – A Hebrew word referring to the number who must be present for a public
worship service, a quorum of ten Jewish adult males, over the age of thirteen.
Mischlinge – German for, “Mixed breed.” The offspring of mixed marriages between
Jews and non-Jews. First degree half-castes or half-Jews were defined as those
who had two Jewish grandparents, did not belong to the Jewish religion, and on
September 15, 1935 were not married to a Jew. The Nazis wanted to make the
status of the first degree Mischlinge the same as that of the Jews.
Mishigas – Yiddish word for “craziness, madness or insanity.” From the Hebrew
word for insane.
Mishnah – A Hebrew word meaning “repetition,” it is a major source of rabbinic
Judaism’s religious texts. It is the first recording of the oral law of the Jewish
people. The Mishnah and the Gemara together form the Talmud.
Mishpocha – Yiddish word meaning “family, or extended family.”
Mitnagdim – This Jewish religious movement defined itself in contrast to the Hasidim.
The Mitnagdim centered their world around profound study of the Torah. This
movement was led by the Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu, one of the most important rabbis
in Lithuania in the 18th century. Consequently, Vilna became the center of the
Mitnagdim movement.
Mitzvah – Hebrew word meaning “commandment” – often refers to a “good deed.”
Mohel – Hebrew word for the person who performs the ritual circumcisions.
Molotov Cocktail – A makeshift bomb made of a breakable container, filled with
flammable liquid, and provided with a rag wick that is lighted just before
being hurled at its target.
Monastery – A place where persons who have taken religious vows in the Catholic
Church live together as a group.
Monks – In Christianity, men who have joined a religious group and have taken vows
to live together.
Monowitz - Also known at Auschwitz III, Buna and I.G. Farben. It was the work camp
facility utilizing forced labor for the manufacture of synthetic rubber products
and petroleum products.
Morganthau, Henry Jr. (1891-1967) – He was the Secretary of the Treasury for FDR.
A second generation German-Jew, Morganthau was a wealthy “gentleman”
farmer in Duchess County, New York, where he became acquainted with his
neighbors, the Roosevelt’s. Morganthau, although did not have much authority
in the administration in foreign affairs, did eventually influence the president in
regard to the Nazi murder of European Jewry. Through all this, Morganthau’s
Treasury Department butted heads directly with the State Department as State
continued to make immigration to the U.S. by Jews nearly impossible. After
Morganthau received an eighteen page critique of the Administration’s failure
to help the Jews of Europe entitled “Report to the Secretary on the
Acquiescence of This Government in the of the Jews, he encouraged FDR
to set up an organization to deal with the refugee crisis. In January 1944, the
War Refugee Board was established. The president avoided a possible political
scandal as congress was very close to establishing an agency on their own.
Moyl – The ritual circumciser who performs the “briss” at the boy’s eighth day of
life and where he is officially named.
Multiculturalism – Relating to/reflecting diverse cultures of a society and valuing
their strengths.
Munich Agreement (1938) – Appeasement policy of England and France, which
permitted Hitler to take part of Czechoslovakia.
Musselman – A common name among the concentration camp prisoners for a prisoner
on the verge of death due to hunger, exhaustion and acceptance of his fate. The
characteristics of a Musselman were: no flesh on his body, skin stretched tight
over his bones, a bewildered and expressionless stare and the inability to stand
up steadily.
Mutterkreuz – German word meaning “mother’s cross.” It refers to a program that
encouraged German women to have Aryan children, for which they could
receive gold, silver or bronze crosses for giving birth to eight, six or four
children, respectively.
Naches – Yiddish word describing “pride or joy.”
Nacht and Nebel – In German, “Night and Fog.” Code name for the rounding up of
suspected members of the anti-Nazi resistance in occupied Western Europe.
Napolas – Elite schools for training the future government and military leadership
of the Nazi state.
Narrishkeit – Yiddish word meaning “foolishness.”
Nationalism – A movement, as in the arts, based on the folk idioms, history,
aspirations, etc. of a nation.
National Socialist Women’s Association – The NS Frauenschaft was an
organization intended to recruit an elite group of women for the Nazis.
National Socialist Bund – Dutch Nazi party.
Nauengamme – Concentration camp located just southeast of Hamburg, opened in 1940
Nazi (National Socialism) – The abbreviation for the National Socialist German
Worker’s Party (NSDAP), the political party led by Adolf Hitler in Germany
from 1933-1945. The full name of the Nazi Party was Nationalsozialistische
Deutsche Arbeiterpartei.
Nazism – an ideology based on the Master Race theory and complete one party control
of Germany.
Nebbish – Yiddish word for “an unfortunate, inadequate loser.”
Nefesh (NEH-fesh) – Hebrew word meaning, “soul.”
Neo-Nazis – Literally “New Nazis.” Yet, in reality, there is nothing new about these
racists and antisemites. Their ideology of hatred and violence differs little
from their World War II counterparts.
Ner Tamid – Hebrew word meaning, “Eternal Light,” it hangs over the Ark which
houses the Torah in the synagogue.
Neshoma – Yiddish word for “soul.”
Niemoller, Rev. Martin (1892-1984) – He was a World War I submariner that became
an Evangelical Pastor in the Confessing Church of Germany. He eventually
spoke out against Hitler and the Nazis and spent World War II in concentration
camps as “personal prisoner of the Fuhrer.”
Night and Fog Decree – An order on December 7, 1941 to capture “persons endangering
German security” and make them vanish without a trace into night and fog.
Night of the Long Knives – A June 30, 1934 blood purge of top SA officers, including
Ernst Roehm and Gregor Strasser, that took place due to the efforts of selected
SS troops. Hitler ordered the execution of individuals considered to be
“enemies of the regime.” All tolled, some 1000 were killed that night.
Ninth Fort – A 19th century fortress in Kovno used as a prison under independent
Lithuania. It was here that more than 50,000 Jews from Kovno, Austria and
France were slaughtered between June 1941 and summer 1944. In autumn 1943,
Special Unit (Sonderkommando) 1005 was charged with the task of obliterating
all traces of mass murder. Sixty-four prisoners were able to organize their
escape from the fort on 24 December 1943.
Nissan – It is the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Nisko and Lublin Plan – A Nazi plan, devised around the fall of 1939, to be a
territorial solution to the “Jewish Problem.” This plan consisted of deporting
Jews from the Third Reich to the area of Lublin. A few thousand Jews were
deported to Nisko, but the plan was cancelled in the spring of 1940 due to
technical problems and objections by the civilian government in Poland to
thousands more Jews coming in to the territory of the General Government.
Nordics – A type of human having tall stature, blond hair, blue eyes and a longish
head; many such people have come from Scandinavia.
Non-Aggression Pact – an agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union on
the eve of WWII. The pact was a temporary alliance of adversaries which
secured Hitler’s eastern front and bought time for the Soviet military
preparedness. The agreement was breached by Germany’s invasion of the
Soviet Union less than 2 years later. The Pact was signed one week before
Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939. It divided Poland into two
spheres of influence with the eastern parts being of interest of the Soviet Union
and the western parts being in the sphere of influence of Nazi Germany. The
dividing line as along the Narw, Vistula and San rivers. By a special protocol
the Baltic states were recognized as part of the Soviet sphere, with Lithuania’s
claim to Vilna acknowledged by the Germans. The Pact which was supposed
to last ten years was terminated by the invasion of the Soviet Union by
Germany on June 22, 1941.
Nosh – Yiddish word for “snack.”
Notgemeinschaft Deutscher Wissenschaft (NDW) – Association for the Emergency
Funding of German Science. Its name was changed to DFG in 1936.
November 9th – Date of the Nazi party’s most “sacred” national holiday. Established
in 1933 to memorialize the Nazi “martyrs” who had been killed on November 9,
1923, during the Munich putsch. Most historians believe it is only a bizarre
coincidence that the Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989. Neo-Nazis
claim otherwise.
Nu? – Yiddish. This is an exclamation used in the same sense as “well”, “eh”, or “hey.”
Nudge – Yiddish word describing someone that “bothers” you.
Nudnik – Yiddish word meaning “bother,” referencing an annoying person, a pest.
Numerus Clausus – Laws and regulations in Germany establishing a percentage quota
limiting the number of Jews and other minorities admitted to schools,
universities, government positions and the professions. Usually based on the
minority’s percentage of the total population.
Nuremberg Laws – Two laws issued in 1935 to further the legal exclusion from German
life of persons considered alien, drawing distinctions between Aryans (persons
with “German or related blood”) and non-Aryans. The first law removed the
citizenship of non-Aryans, and the second law defined them and prohibited
them from engaging in sexual relations with Germans. The laws were
proclaimed at the annual Nazi party rally in Nuremberg on September 15, 1935.
The term non-Aryan referred to all non-Germanic peoples, but was usually
applied to and implemented against Jews, Gypsies and Afro-Germans.
Nuremberg Trials – A series of trials held in Nuremberg, Germany, conducted by
the victorious Allies 1946-1948, which charged high-ranking Nazis and German
leaders with war crimes and “crimes against humanity.”
Oberdienstleiter – A title indicating a high rank in the central hierarchy in Berlin of the
Nazi Party.
Occupation – The invasion, conquest and control of a nation or territory by foreign
armed forces.
Odessa – Secret escape organization of the SS, founded after Germany’s defeat in 1945.
High-level Nazis used it to escape justice.
OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres) – High command of the German Army.
OKL (Obercommando des Luftwaffe) – High command of the German Air Force.
OKM (Obercommando der Kreigsmarine – High command of the German Navy.
OKW (Obercommando des Wehrmacht) – High command of the German armed
forces. In 1938, Hitler created the OKW as the supreme High Command of
the entire Wehrmacht. This single organization controlled the High Commands
of the Army (OKH), Navy (OKK), and the Air Force (OKL), and was directly
responsible to Hitler as Commander in Chief.
ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training) – an international
organization for developing skilled trades and agriculture among Jews. ORT
established a vocational training network for Jewish Displaced Persons after
World War II.
Olam ha-ba – Hebrew referencing “the world to come.”
Omer – Hebrew meaning “sheaf.” It was the offering brought to the Temple on the 16th
day of the Hebrew month of Nissan and thus the name of the 50-day period
counted between Passover (Pesach) and Pentecost (Shavot).
Oneg Shabbat – In Hebrew meaning, “Joy of the Sabbath.” It is a reception following
Shabbat services. However, Oneg Shabbat was the code name given to the
underground archive founded and operated by Dr. Emmanuel Ringelbaum in
Warsaw during the period of occupation and the ghetto (also called the
“Ringelbaum Archive”). Ringelbaum started the archive at the beginning of the
war. The archive strove to systematically collect evidence of what was
happening in the Warsaw ghetto and in occupied Poland. In the midst of the
Great Action (deportations) in the ghetto, in August 1942, the archive documents
were hidden. The archive was sealed in metal containers and milk cans and was
hidden in different places around the ghetto. Two of the three parts of the
archive was discovered a few years after the war. These unique documents
are kept in the Jewish Institute of History in Warsaw.
Ongepotchket – Yiddish phrase meaning “messed up,” or “over done/decorated.”
Open society – a system in which people of different racial, religious and ethnic
backgrounds mingle together freely and equally.
Operation Barbarossa – The German code name given to the invasion of the Soviet
Union on June 22, 1941. With the invasion of the Soviet Union, the mass
extermination of Jews in the areas occupied by the German forces began.
Operation Reinhard – The code name given to the extermination of Jews in the area of
the General Government in occupied Poland, in the framework of the “Final
Solution.” As part of the operation, three death camps were set up: Belzec,
Sobibor and Treblinka. The camps were set up near railroads, in isolated areas,
and near the eastern border of Poland. The operation took place between
March 1942 and November 1943, during which time over two million of the
Jews from the General Government were murdered.
Orchestra – There were 6 orchestras at Auschwitz including a women’s orchestra at
Birkenau and a male orchestra at Auschwitz I which consisted of 100 musicians.
Their activities included playing music for the prisoners who were marching to
work and for the arrival of important guests at the camp. In addition, they
played at parties for the SS and gave formal concerts for the camp staff.
Various survivors mention the orchestra’s playing for the arrival of deportees to
give them a false sense of comfort. There were orchestras at most of the major
concentration and extermination camps.
Ordnungsdienst – German for “order service.” These were the ghetto police who were
made up of Jewish ghetto residents.
Organize – A camp slang for prisoners acquiring materials illicitly from the Nazis.
Original Sin – Judaism completely rejects the doctrine of original sin.
Orthodox Jews – Very traditional Jews, originally found in shtetls of Eastern Europe.
The unifying feature among all Orthodox Jews is an unfailing belief in the
written and oral laws and practices of the Torah. Like the terms Conservative
and Reform, Orthodox is a rather new invention; in the past, one either was
religious or one was not. Today, even within Orthodoxy there are several
movements, including the Hasidic and Yeshiva movements. The two most
important features of Orthodox Judaism is that the Torah is the precise word of
G-d that does not represent any human influence and that it is appropriate to ask
what G-d requires of us only if we are willing to look for the answer among the
laws, values and narratives He gave us.
Ostland – The eastern European territories occupied by the Nazis, consisting of the
Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and the western half of Byelorussia.
Ostara – A series of anti-Semitic pamphlets published by Lanz von Liebenfels between
1907 and 1910. Hitler purchased them regularly.
Ostland – Occupied areas by Nazi Germany of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, western
Belorussia and the western Minsk area.
Oswiecim – Polish town where the Auschwitz concentration camps are located.
Oy-Yoy-Yoy – Yiddish expression of sorrow.
Oy Vey – Yiddish expression meaning, “Oh how terrible…”
Oy Vez Mear – Yiddish expression meaning, “Oh, woe is me!”
Pale of Settlement – The area in the western part of the Russian Empire in which
Russian Jews were allowed to live from 1835-1917.
Palestine – Land in the Middle East acquired by the British Empire after the defeat of the
Ottoman Empire which, in 1947, was partitioned by the UN between Arabs and
Jews, and which provoked an invasion by five Arab armies in 1948. The defeat
of these armies by the Jews led to the establishment of the State of Israel.
Pan-German League (Alldeutscher Verband) – Influential group of prominent
German super-Nationalists founded in September 1890 by Alfred Hugenberger
and others. Its total membership during the Second Reich never reached more
than 40,000, but the names of its members read like a “who’s who” of German
academic, industrial and political life. Its primary focus was unification of all
German-speaking peoples into one empire; members from Austria-Hungary
composed a large percentage of its membership. Racial mystics such as Lanz
von Liebenfels and Guido von List were active and popular within its ranks,
and the Pan-Germans became one of the most effective groups in spreading
hatred and fear of Jews, demanding restrictions on Jewish press, enactment of
laws barring Jews from key professions, and prohibitions against “mixed”
marriages.
Papen, Franz von (1879-1969) – a German Catholic politician and diplomat, who
served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932. After having a military career,
Papen entered politics as a leader of the Catholic Center Party. Being a
monarchist in the Weimar Republic, he was part of the Center’s right wing.
Because Papen supported Hindenburg in the 1925 presidential elections, he
was appointed Chancellor in 1932. It was Papen’s advice to Hindenburg that
brought Hitler to become Chancellor on January 30, 1933 thinking that he,
Papen could control Hitler and the Nazis. Papen lost his power struggle with
Hitler almost immediately. However, Papen served Hitler as a foreign
ambassador all throughout WWII. Papen was tried at Nuremberg and acquitted.
Paramilitary – a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. It is
something not quite military performing military duties.
Pareve - Yiddish word describing food which is neutral containing neither dairy nor
meat products. This pertains to Kashruth (kosher) dietary laws of separating
meat and dairy products. For example, vegetables.
Parasha (pah-rah-SHAH) – Hebrew word referencing the weekly Torah portion.
Partisans – Guerrilla fights; also known in France as “maquis,” a word that was
originally coined in Corsica.
Passive Resistance – It is opposition to oppression by means other than force, such as
spiritual, cultural or religious resistance.
Passover – Jewish festival in remembrance of when the Jews were led by Moses out
of slavery in ancient Egypt. The holiday of redemption. The celebration of
freedom. The birthday of the Jewish people. At the Passover Seder, Jews
retell the story of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt and of Moses leading them to
the promised land. In Hebrew, the festival is called Pesach (PEH-sahkh)
meaning exemption.
Payos – Yiddish wording meaning “side-curls or ear-locks.” Many strictly observant
Jewish men (Orthodox and Hasidic) wear their ear-locks long in accordance
with a passage in the Torah.
Pentecost – It is the festival commemorating the giving of the Torah from G-d to
Moses at Mt. Sinai and the harvest of the first fruits, known to Jews as the
festival of Shavu’ot.
Perpetrators – Those who do something that is morally wrong or criminal.
Persecuted – People who are oppressed or injured or harmed because they believe in a
religion or ideas that is unpopular.
Persecution – The act or practice of persecuting, especially those who differ in origin,
religion or culture, et.; the condition of being persecuted, harassed or annoyed.
Petain, Marshal Henri Philippe (1856-1951) – After the fall of France to the Nazis in
June 1940, voted Petain as Head of State. The new government of Unoccupied
France moved its capital to the southern resort town of Vichy. Petain became a
collaborator of the Nazis and was convicted of treason after the war.
Philanthropist – Showing affection for mankind by giving money or property to people
or organizations for the good of society.
Phylacteries – They are leather pouches containing scrolls of scripture, used to fulfill the
commandment to bind the commandments to the hands and between the eyes.
Jews call them Tefillin. The Greek term phylacteries literally means amulets.
Pikuach Nefesh – Hebrew word meaning “the preservation of life.” This has always
been a cardinal rule of Judaism.
Pilsudski, Joseph (1867-1935) – One of Poland’s most important political, military and
social figures of the independence movement. Pilsudski fought against the
division of Poland and was one of the figures who led the way for the
establishment of an independent Poland. From 1926 until his death in 1935 he
was the leader of independent Poland. Pilsudski objected to restrictive
proposals regarding minorities in Poland, amongst them the Jews. He believed
in the ability to maintain a democratic regime, tolerant of minorities, even in a
state in which 40% of the citizens were not Polish. For the sake of democratic
leadership Pilsudski sometimes acted in an undemocratic way and with a firm
hand, but during his regime Poland gained strength and a social and economic
balance was achieved.
Pisher – Yiddish word literally meaning, “one that urinates.” However, it is used to
describe a young or inexperienced person.
Plaszow – Concentration camp near Kracow, Poland opened in 1942 (re:
Schindler’s List).
Plotz – Yiddish word meaning “to faint with exhaustion, die from laughing, burst with
frustration.” Also commonly used referencing “to die.”
Pluralism – A condition in which minority groups participate fully in the dominant
society, yet maintain their cultural differences.
Pogroms – A Russian word for organized attacks on people – it was most often
against Jews. Originally a Russian word meaning “devastation.”
Pogroms of 1648-49 – Pogroms committed by Ukrainian farmers under the leadership
of Bogdan Chmielnitzki. Tens of thousands of Jews were killed during these
pogroms and their homes were destroyed and their property stolen. These
pogroms changed the composition of the Jewish population. The pogroms of
1648-49 were carved into Jewish history as the physical and cultural destruction
of the Jewish community in Poland.
Political spectrum – a way of comparing or visualizing different political positions.
It does this by placing them upon one or more geometric axes.
Ponary – Mass extermination site near Vilna, Lithuania. Originally, large pits were dug
by Soviet authorities for fuel storage tanks. Between July 1941 and July 1944,
during the German occupation, between 70,000 and 100,000 people, mostly
Jews, were murdered there. In September 1943 the Germans used special units
to evacuate the site and burn the corpses in an attempt to destroy all physical
evidence of mass murder.
Popular culture – is the vernacular (people’s) culture that prevails in any given society.
The content of pop culture is determined by the daily interactions, needs and
desires and cultural ‘moments’ that make up the everyday lives of the
mainstream. It can include any number of practices, including those pertaining
to cooking, clothing, mass media and the many facets of entertainment such as
sports, literature, music, film and television.
Porrajmos – A Romani (Gypsy) term referring to the Holocaust that means, “the
devouring.”
Potch – Yiddish word to spank, slap or smack someone.
Potchke – Yiddish word meaning, “to fool around.”
Prayer – Prayer is a central part of Judaism. Observant Jews pray three times daily and
say prayers over just about anything.
Prejudice – An unfavorable opinion about people formed even before knowing or
understanding them.
Presidential decree – style of government allowing quick, unchallenged creation of law
by a single person.
Propaganda – A specific type of message presentation aimed at serving an agenda. At
its root, the denotation of propaganda is ‘to propagate (actively spread) a
philosophy or point of view.’ The most common use of the term (historically)
is in political contexts; in particular to refer to certain efforts sponsored by
governments or political groups.
Prophecy – It can mean making a prediction about what is to come in the future – or it
can refer to a statement made by a divinely inspired religious person.
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia – German administrative unit established in the
Czech lands following the conquest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. Though
officially run by Czechs, sole political authority actually rested with the German
Protector and his officials.
Protectors – non-Jews who aided Jews to hide or escape from the Nazis; also known as
Righteous Gentiles.
Protocols of the Elders of Zion – Antisemitic forgery claiming an international plot by
Jews to attain world domination.
Purim – Jewish holiday, The Feast of Esther. It is a joyous holiday that commemorates
the deliverance of Persian Jews from the plot of the evil Haman to exterminate
them. Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar.
Putsch – German world meaning “attempted coup d’etat.”
Putz – Yiddish vulgarism referring to a specific part of the male anatomy. It is used as a
term of contempt towards someone.
Quicklime – An alkali chemical also known as calcium oxide or caustic lime. A
colorless or white powder which burns human skin on contact. Several
inches of this powder were placed in the bottom of the cattle cars prior to
loading in Jews and other victims of Nazi roundups.
Quisling – A pejorative or insult directed at a citizen of one of the conquered nations
who collaborated with the Germans. The term was taken from the name of
Vidkun Quisling, the pro-Nazi Norwegian leader.
Rabbi – Hebrew word for “master.” Jewish religious leader and teacher, spiritual
leader of a congregation. Reserved for individuals who are competent to
decide questions of Jewish law and lead the Jewish community, and
professionally ordained to do so.
Rabbi Elimelech of Lijansk (1717-1787) – One of the leaders of Hasidism in Poland, a
third generation descendant of the Baal Shem-Tov. The belief amongst the
Hasidim that the Tsadik had the power to connect and mediate between man and
G-d was attributed to Rabbi Elimelech. Amongst his students was the Seer of
Lublin.
Rachmones – Yiddish word meaning, “compassion,” referencing a person with heart.
Racism – any program or practice of racial discrimination, segregation, persecution and
domination, based on race.
Radical – one who believes the system should be thoroughly changed, even if it is to be
done by force.
Radom – a city in central Poland of about 100,000 before WWII, approximately onethird Jewish. After Radom was seized by the German army on September 8,
1939 it was incorporated within the Generalgouvernement. The
Generalgouvernement was a German administrative unit which was organized
in occupied central and southern Poland but not directly incorporated into the
German Reich. Anti-Jewish persecutions and abductions to forced labor
preceded the establishment in March, 1941 of the Radom ghetto. Allotted
rations in the ghetto were 100 grams (3.5 oz) of bread daily per person.
Hundreds were shot attempting to smuggle food from the outside. Eventually,
most of the ghetto residents were deported to Treblinka extermination camp.
Ragnarok – Ancient Nordic term for the time at the end of the world.
Rampa – A Polish word for the railway platform for arriving trains at a concentration
or extermination camp.
Rassenhygienische und bevolkerungbiologiche Forschungsstelle – Translated from
the German as “Section for Research on Race-hygiene and Population
Biology.” An agency of the Reich Department of Health (Ministry of the
Interior) supported to a large extent by the Reich Ministry of Science through
the DFG. Dr. Ritter as head of this section worked on the identification and
classification of Gypsies.
Rassenkunde – German word meaning “racial science.”
Rassenpolitisches Amt der NSDAP (Race-policy Bureau of the Nazi Party) – Its
function was to decide on theoretical questions about race and racial
propaganda on behalf of the Nazi Party.
Rassenschande – In German, “race defilement.” Nazi term for sexual contact or liaison
between an Aryan and a Jew.
Rath, Ernst vom (1909-1938) – Third Secretary at the German Embassy in Paris,
who was shot by Herschel Grynszpan on November 7, 1938. His murder
was the excuse for Kristallnacht.
Rathenau, Walter (1867-1922) – Born the son of Germany’s wealthiest Jewish
industrialist, Rathenau earned a doctorate in physics and worked as an
engineer in his family’s firm. Taking over the family business in 1915,
Rathenau played a major role in organizing Germany’s industrial potential
for the war effort. While his support for the war was unshakable, he
opposed territorial annexations and unrestricted submarine warfare. A
widely read man whose philosophical interests and utopian ideals made it
difficult for him to identify with party politics, Rathenau was nevertheless
respected for his economic expertise and influence. He was appointed
foreign minister in January 1922 and argued that Germany had no choice but
to fully comply with the terms of the unpopular Versailles Treaty. Rathenau’s
position on the treaty and his Jewish background made him a target of hatred
by ultra-nationalists. On June 24, 1922, he was assassinated by members of
an extreme right-wing terrorist group.
Ravensbruck – Concentration camp for women opened near Furstenberg (56 miles
north of Berlin) in May 1939. It was constructed on reclaimed swamp land
by inmates from Sachsenhausen during the winter of 1938-1939. Designed
to hold 15,000 prisoners, it eventually housed more than 120,000 women from
23 nations. The prisoners included political prisoners, Jews, Gypsies and
Jehovah’s Witnesses. It later included a separate men’s camp, a children’s
camp at Uckermark and from January to April 1945 an extermination
installation for women. It was liberated by the Soviet Army in late April 1945.
Razzia – A roundup of Jews, or also, a raid for finding dissidents or members of the
resistance.
Rebbe – the chief rabbi of a Chassidic group. He is treated with veneration and often
consulted in a wide variety of matters, including business, marriage and
religious concerns. The position is often inherited, and many dynasties were
named for the cities in Poland and Russia in which Chassidim resided.
Rebbitzen – Yiddish word meaning “Rabbi’s wife.”
Reconstructionist Judaism – Puts forth the idea that Jewish tradition must be
reconstructed by each generation to reflect new understandings about our
world and the world of our ancestors. Founded in 1968, Reconstructionism
strives to find ways to enable American Jews to live fully in two culturesAmerican and Jewish-by adapting and embracing rational thought and
believing in the power of nature and the universe over more traditional
concepts of G-d. Reconstructionist synagogues are known for their creativity,
experimentation and egalitarian approach to religious life and learning.
Red Army – The Soviet Army which, after Germany’s defeat in “Leningrad,” eventually
re-conquered all its lands lost to the Germans and continued on to Berlin.
Reform Judaism – The largest of the four accepted contemporary sects of Judaism
today. Originally organized in Germany in the mid-nineteenth century, it was
a way for Jews to assimilate into their host nations. Reform Jews believe that,
as heirs to the vast body of beliefs and practices embodied in the Torah, Jews
are in fact created in G-d’s image and dedicated to the improvement of the
world. But Reform Jews also recognize that it is a heritage that has evolved
over the centuries, capable of evolution and reform. It does not demand
uniformity of belief or practice among all Jews for them to be good Jews. It
is important to study the traditions but not necessarily to follow those that have
little or no meaning for us today.
Refu’ah shelemah – Hebrew meaning, “a complete recovery.” Literally a get-well wish.
Refugees – People who have fled from their homes or countries to escape danger.
Rehabilitated – Restored to a condition of good health, or to a former rank or position.
Reich – In German, “empire.” The Nazi state was known as the Third Reich and,
sometimes as the Thousand-Year Reich.
Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD) – The Reich Labor Service. By a law of June 26, 1933,
the RAD enforced six months’ labor service for all males between the ages of
19 and 25. This was later extended to women also.
Reichsausschuss zur wissenschaftlichen Erfassung von erb-und anlagebedingten
schweren Leiden – The Reich Commission for the Scientific Registration of
Hereditary and Constitutional Severe Disorders, abbreviated in the text as the
‘Reich Commission for Registration of Severe Disorders in Childhood.’ Created
in 1939, this Commission consisted of Professor Catel and Dr. Wentzler, who
were pediatricians, and Professor Heinze, a child-psychiatrist. It was directly
responsible to the Hitler’s Chancellery. Beginning in August 1939, midwives
were required to report all cases of handicapped and malformed live-born
infants. All physicians were required, in addition, to report children under the
age of four years with the same specified range of defects. The Commission
then decided after examination of the completed registration forms whether the
infant should be killed, as part of the euthanasia program. Later, the
Commission also made decisions about killing of older children. Dr. Wentzler
subsequently extended his role to signing requests by Gypsies for voluntary
sterilization as an alternative to commitment to a concentration camp. His
signature gave a semblance of legality to the procedure, and legality was an
obsession.
Reichsbahn – The German state railways.
Reichsfuehrer-SS (Reich Leader of the SS) – Heinrich Himmler’s primary title as
leader of the SS. His full title was Der Chef der Polizei und Reichsfuehrer
der SS (Chief of Police and Leader of the SS). As a result of this double role,
each regional organization contained some SS-officers.
Reichskammern – Reich government departments.
Reichsmarschall – A title specially created for Hermann Goering, the Chief of the
Luftwaffe, on 19 July 1940, when he became the senior serving military officer.
Reichsregierung – The Reich Cabinet, the collection of leaders who aided Hitler.
Reichssippenamt (Reich Kinship Bureau) – An agency of the Ministry of the Interior
which decided on all questions of classification of Jews and part-Jews. In some
cases, it asked for racial expert opinions or reports (Gutachten) from qualified
investigators and institutes.
Reichstag – The lower house of the German parliament during the Second Reich and the
Weimar Republic. During the Republic, one deputy represented 60,000 persons.
Membership in the Reichstag fluctuated from 475 to 600, according to the size
of the popular vote. During the Nazi regime, the Reichstag lost most of its
power and served mainly as a forum for Hitler’s speeches. After World War II,
the lower house of the West German parliament become known as the
Bundestag.
Reichstag fire – One month after Hitler became Chancellor, the Reichstag building burnt
to the ground. The next day President Hindenburg suspended all civil liberties,
and this decree became law in March. This made Hitler dictator and Germany
de facto a police state. Though the communist Marius van der Lubbe was tried,
convicted and executed for the crime, it is suspected that an SA detachment
may have started the fire.
Reichsvereinigung und Reichsvertretung – Names of the central organizations of
German Jewry under Nazi rule. The Reichsvertretung der deutschen Juden
(Reich Representation of German Jews) was a voluntary social welfare
organization; in 1935 it was ordered to change its name to the Reichsvertretung
der Juden in Deutschland (Reich Representation of the Jews in Germany) –
the Nuremberg Laws having made the term ‘German Jews’ untenable. In 1939
the Reichsvertretung was converted by government action into the
Reichsvereinigung der Juden in Deutschland (Reich Association of the Jews
in Germany); it became the legally recognized official administration of the
German Jewish community and was charged with effectuating mass Jewish
emigration.
Reichswehr – The army of 100,000 men allowed to the Weimar Republic by the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles.
Reincarnation – Reincarnation is not in conflict with Judaism. Many Hasidic Jews
believe in it.
Reparation – compensation. War reparation is payments from one country to another,
possibly as compensation for starting a war under a peace treaty (for example
those made by Germany to the Allies under the Treaty of Versailles).
Republic – a state whose political organization rests on the principle that the citizens or
electorate constitutes the ultimate root of legitimacy and sovereignty.
Repugnant – Distasteful, offensive, objectionable.
Rescue – To deliver someone from danger or imprisonment.
Resettlement – German euphemism for deportation to killing centers in Poland.
Resistance – The act of resisting, opposing, withstanding rebellion and attempts to
escape.
Ressortes – The name given by the Jews in the Lodz ghetto to the factories that mostly
manufactured materials for the Reich’s war economy (from the German
Arbeitsressorte meaning “work section”).
Resurrection – Eventual resurrection of the dead is a common belief among traditional
Jews.
“Return to Life” – A term referring to how Holocaust survivors began to rebuild their
lives following the Holocaust.
Revisionists – Those who deny that the Holocaust ever happened.
Rhineland – is the general name for the land on both sides of the Rhine River in the west
of Germany. Following World War I, the western part of the Rhineland was
occupied by Entente forces, then demilitarized under the Treaty of Versailles.
German forces reoccupied the territory in 1936.
Ribbentrop, Joachim von (1893-1946) – was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938
until 1945. He became a Nazi later on and became fanatical. His diplomatic
style was erratic and inconsistent. Ribbentrop was found to have culpability in
the Holocaust on the grounds that he persuaded the leaders of satellite countries
of the Third Reich to deport Jews to the Nazi extermination camps. He
championed the so-called Madagascar Plan in June 1940 to deport all of
Europe’s Jews. However, as the war went on, Ribbentrop’s influence declined.
His last significant foreign policy move was the coup on October 15, 1944 that
deposed Admiral Miklos Horthy of Hungary for attempting to seek a separate
peace with the Allies. Ribbentrop was arrested after the war and tried at
Nuremberg where he was found guilty of his crimes and hanged.
Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact – The Non-Aggression Pact and economic contract between
the Soviet Union and Germany that was signed on the eve of World War II.
The pact included a secret intention, to divide areas in Eastern Europe between
the two countries. The agreement was to divide Poland between them. The
agreement lasted less than two years, until the invasion of the Soviet Union by
Germany in June 1941.
Riefenstahl, Leni (1902-2003) – Nazi film director chosen personally by Hitler to make
propaganda films for the Nazi regime, which include The Triumph of the Will
(1935), Olympia (1938) and Reichsparteitag (1935).
Rienzi – Composer Richard Wagner’s first opera, originally produced in Dresden in the
nineteenth century. Hitler was so taken with Rienzi that after an evening
performance at the Linz opera house in November 1906, he went into a trancelike possession on a nearby hilltop. Soon afterward, he became an ardent
admirer of Wagner’s music and racist, theoretical writings. During the 1930s,
Hitler told Wagner’s widow, Cosima, that “it all started…on that night” in 1906.
Right wing politics – term that refers to the segment of the political spectrum often
associated with any of several strains of conservatism, the religious right, or
simply the opposite of left-wing politics. In some contexts, the term right-wing
also can include authoritarian nationalism. The term comes originally from the
legislative seating arrangement during the French Revolution, when monarchists
who supported the Ancien Regime were commonly referred to as rightists
because they sat on the right side of successive legislative assemblies.
Righteous Among the Nations – Gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews and who
are honored at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.
Ringelblum, Emmanuel (1900-1944) – Jewish historian and social worker from Warsaw
A leader of the Jewish self-help effort in the Warsaw ghetto, he established a
clandestine information service and archive, which has become a principal
source of information about how Jews in the ghetto lived under Nazi
occupation. He was instrumental in gather, collating and transmitting
information about mass murders of Jews.
Rohm Ernst (1887-1934) – Nazi leader of the SA and early associate of Hitler.
Rohm was assassinated on July 2, 1934, known as “The Night of Long
Knives,” when the Nazi party purged itself and consolidated power.
Roma – An ethnic group that originated in India but has lived in Europe for more than
five-hundred (500) years. They were originally nomadic and referred to as
“Gypsies,” and were a target victim group by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
Romanticism – A stream of thought in culture, the arts, and politics, which had a
noticeable influence on the shaping of Polish identity. Among the wellknown romantic figures in Poland were the composer Friedrich Chopin and
the national poet Adam Mickiewicz. Romanticism flourished during the
periods of division in Poland and the period of Polish independence. The
saying “for our freedom and for yours” was the motto of Romanticism, placing
man as a freedom fighter in every place in the world.
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (1882-1945) – Thirty-second president of the United
States, serving from 1933-1945.
Rosenberg, Alfred (1893-1946) – Reich Minister for Occupied Eastern Territories,
Nazi politician and skilled promoter of Nazi ideology. He was convicted at
the Nuremburg trials and executed as a war criminal.
Rosh Chodesh – Hebrew meaning “Head of the month.” It is literally the first day of
the new month in the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Rosh Hashanah – Hebrew for “Head of the Year.” Holiday-Jewish New Year. The
birth of the world. Judgment day. Jewish acknowledgment of G-d as King and
Redeemer. On this day, Jews commemorate G-d’s greatest gift to the world-its
very creation-and pray that they should all be inscribed in the Book of Life
for the coming year. The shofar (ram’s horn) is blown by the rabbi to
knowledge the Creator, to remind Jews that they are His to be judged, and to
signify the beginning of a ten-day period of spiritual self-evaluation. The
shofar is blown to remind Jews of the story of Abraham and Isaac. G-d
commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a sign of his devotion, but
as Abraham was about to do so, G-d stopped him and told him to sacrifice a
ram instead. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of what is referred to as “The
High Holy Days.”
Ruach – Hebrew word meaning “spirit.”
Rugelach – Yiddish word meaning “royal.” A traditional Jewish pastry/cookie made
with cinnamon, sugar and nuts.
RSHA (Reichssicherheitshauptamt) – Reich Security Head Office. Agency of the SS.
RuSHA (Rasse-und Siedlungshauptamt) – Head Office for Race and Settlement. An
agency of the SS. Among the functions of the Race Bureau were to decide on
the ‘Aryan qualities’ of individuals belonging to conquered nations and their
potential for ‘Germanization.’ The Marriage Bureau conducted medical
examinations of SS candidates and of their brides before marriage. In both
cases, applicants were required to produce documentation of Aryan ancestry
going back to 1700.
Rumkowski, Mordechai Hayim (1877-1944) – ‘Eldest of the Jews’ (head of the
Judenrat in the Lodz ghetto.
SA (Sturm-Abteilung) – The so-called “Storm Troopers” also known as the
“Brownshirts.” Until Hitler came to power, the SA was the most important
paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party, and his strongest supporters. In
early 1934, Heinrich Himmler, ambitious head of the SS, successfully
conspired against SA Chief of Staff Ernst Roehm, resulting in his summary
execution along with most of his top lieutenants during the “Night of the Long
Knives” on June 30, 1934. Using a rumored “Roehm Putsch” as his excuse,
Himmler destroyed the SA as a rival to the SS. It later became little more than
a military sports association under Roehm’s successor, Viktor Lutze. Hitler
was prompted to go along with the SA murders because of mounting pressure
from Hindenburg and the leadership of the German army.
SD – The security service of the SS, the SD was the intelligence service of the Nazi
party and a central arm in the execution of the “Final Solution.” In 1931
Himmler set up a core intelligence service group, headed by Reinhard Heydrich.
A year later this body became the security service of the SS. The SD’s main
role was defined as tracking down and tracing enemies of the party. In 1935
the “Jewish Section” in the SD began to form a policy and methods action,
with the view that Jews were by nature enemies of the state and the regime.
SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) - Founded during the latter part of the
19th century, the SPD was Germany’s largest party until 1932. Its strength was
based in the growing industrial working class. The leaders of the major nonCatholic labor unions largely shaped SPD policies. Except for a brief period
from 1928 to 1930, the SPD was not a formal partner in a Weimar governing
coalition after 1922. Nonetheless, the SPD was a powerful force in the
Reichstag. The SPD led efforts to pass legislation that established the eighthour workday, laid down rules for settling employer-employee disputes,
protected labor unions and created social programs that benefited for the
working class. Both the SPD and the KPD drew from the teachings of Karl
Marx, but the SPD firmly rejected violent, revolutionary means to change
German society. Rather, SPD leaders were committed to working within
the system to improve the status of workers and to achieve what they called
“economic democracy.”
SS (Schutzstaffel) – The Defense Corps (black-shirts) which was the paramilitary
organization of the Nazi government which evolved out of the S.A. It was
under the direction of Heinrich Himmler. At its inception the SS was a unit
of Hitler’s bodyguards, and over time became the “most racially pure” guard
unit and the main implement of terror in the Third Reich. Recruits had to prove
that they were “racially pure” going back to 1700, and membership in the
organization was conditional upon an “Aryan” appearance.
SS St. Louis – A German ocean liner, dramatically highlights the difficulties faced by
many people trying to escape Nazi terror. In May 1939, 937 passengers, mostly
Jewish refugees, left Hamburg, Germany, en route to Cuba. Most of them
planned eventually to emigrate to the United States and were on the waiting list
for admission. All passengers held landing certificates admitting them entry to
Cuba, but when the St. Louis reached the port of Havana, the President of Cuba
refused to honor the documents. After the ship left Havana, it sailed so close
to the Florida coast that the passengers could see the lights of Miami. The
captain appealed for help, but in vain. U.S. Coast Guard ships patrolled the
waters to make sure that no one jumped to freedom and did not allow the ship
to dock in the U.S. The St. Louis turned back to Europe. Belgium, the
Netherlands, England and France admitted the passengers. But within months,
the Germans overran Western Europe. Most of those passengers eventually
fell victim to the Nazi “Final Solution.”
Saar – A region rich in resources in Western Germany that became re-incorporated as an
integral part of Hitler’s Germany on March 1, 1935 by popular vote under the
auspices of the League of Nations.
Sabra – Hebrew word defining a “native born Israeli citizen.”
Sacrament – It is a formal religious rite in the Catholic Church (e.g., baptism,
the Eucharist, marriage, and holy orders). Protestants believe that
sacraments are merely symbols or signs, and not necessarily reality.
Sachsenhausen – Concentration camp for men opened in 1936. Located in
Oranienburg, a suburb of Berlin. It was adjacent to the Inspectorate of the
concentration Camps. It held about 200,000 prisoners, of whom 100,000
perished. It was liberated by the Soviet Army in late April 1945.
Sacrifice – Latin word meaning “performing a sacred act.” It generally is when
something of value is given up for religious purposes.
Salonika – Main port city of Macedonian Greece with an ancient Jewish community
of 50,000 people. Conquered in 1941 and in 1943 at least 43,850 Jews were
deported from Salonika to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where most were gassed upon
arrival.
Salvation through work – Survival strategy employed by several Judenrat heads.
It involved intensive Jewish-initiated exploitation of the industrial and labor
resources of the ghettos for German war production, in the hope that the
Germans would regard Jews as too valuable to the German war effort to
be killed.
Sanhedrin – The High Court in ancient Israel.
Sauckel, Fritz (1894-1946) – He was head of the labor mobilization of millions of slave
laborers for building the Nazi war machine. Sauckel caused the death of
thousands of Jews in Poland and for his culpability, he was tried, convicted
and hanged as a war criminal October 16, 1946.
Saykhel – Yiddish word referring to “one’s common sense.”
Scapegoat – Person or group of people blamed for crimes committed by others.
Schindler, Oskar (1908-1974) – was an industrialist who saved his Jewish workers
from the Holocaust. He saved up to 1100 employed Jews by having them
work in his munitions factory located in what is now Poland. Schindler
purposely produced faulty ammunition in an attempt to put the German
military at a disadvantage during the war.
Schlachta – In Polish meaning aristocracy. The aristocracy in Poland had considerable
influence over the church and the common people, among them the Jews. The
Polish schlachta owned estates, property and lands throughout the kingdom.
The farmers were subordinate to its laws, and more than once Jews served as
mediators between the aristocracy and the farmers. The aristocracy created
cultural and social customs and frameworks that influence Poland to this day.
Schlep – Yiddish word meaning “to drag.”
Schlup – Yiddish word referring to an unattractive, or unkempt person.
Schmo – Yiddish word describing a stupid person.
Schmooze – Hebrew word meaning “small talk.”
Schmuck – Yiddish vulgarism, again referring to a specific part of the male anatomy.
Schnook – Yiddish word describing a gullible person.
Sect – It is a general designation for a definable sub-group.
Secular – Latin word meaning “of this world.” It is a general term indicating
non-religious or the opposite of religious.
Seder – A Hebrew word for the special dinner on the first night of Passover; actually
means “order.”
Sedition – is a deprecated term of law to refer to non-overt conduct such as speech and
organization that is deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection
against the established order.
“Seer of Lublin,” Rabbi Ya’acov Yitzhak Horovitz (1745-1815) – Among the leaders
of the Hasidim in Poland, he was call the “seer” as it was said that he could see
on a person’s forehead the roots of his soul, his former incarnations, and his sins.
The Seer of Lublin was regarded as the founder of popular Hasidism in Poland,
opening up the court of the Tsadik (the righteous leader) to every Jew.
Segregation – a way of separating different groups of people, based on ethnicity, etc.
within society. Segregation is utilized as a tool of discrimination.
Sejm – The Polish parliament.
Selection – The process of selecting Jewish deportees immediately after arrival at an
extermination camp, separating those assigned to forced labor and those to
be killed. The term also refers to the selection of Jews for deportation from the
Ghettos.
Self-determination – is a theoretical principle that a people ought to be able to determine
their own governmental forms and structures. It is the core basis of ethnic
nationalism. The right to self-determination is also one of the key principles of
human rights theory in general, but at the same time notoriously difficult to
define and apply.
Seminary – A school for educating people for the rabbinate (or priesthood or
ministry).
Sennesh, Hannah (1921-1944) – A Palestinian Jew of Hungarian descent who fought as
a partisan against the Nazis. She was captured at the close of the war and
executed by the Nazis in Budapest.
Sephardim – Descendants of the Jews of Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the
Middle East.
Seraphim – Angels or heavenly beings, often pictured as having a child’s head
surrounded by wings.
Sexism – Prejudice and/or discrimination based on gender.
Shabbat – Hebrew word for the Jewish day of rest on Saturday, the Sabbath,
the seventh day of the week.
Shabbat Shalom! – Hebrew meaning “Sabbath Peace.” It is the greeting people give
one another on Shabbat.
Shacharit – Hebrew word referencing the morning prayer service.
Shadkhen – Yiddish word describing “the matchmaker.”
Shaddai – Hebrew word meaning, “Almighty.”
Shalom – Hebrew word meaning “peace.” It is also used in Israel as “hello” and
“goodbye.”
Shanda – Yiddish word meaning, “scandal, or shame.”
Shavua Tov – Hebrew greeting meaning “Have a good week.”
Shavuot – major Jewish holiday also known as The Feast of Weeks. Greek speaking
Jews gave it the name of Pentecost since it occurs fifty days after Passover. In
the Hebrew Bible it is called The Feast of Harvest, also known as the “Day of
the First Fruits.” It is the Jewish festival commemorating the gift of the Torah.
Shaygets – Yiddish slang word describing a “non-Jewish male.”
Shayna – Yiddish word for “pretty.”
Sheitel – Yiddish word meaning, “wig.” Orthodox wives keep their heads covered
at all times except in complete privacy. Some achieve this by wearing a
kerchief over their heads; many by wearing a sheitel.
Shema – A Hebrew word meaning “Hear,” the first word of a most important prayer
Shema Yisroel Adonai Elohanu Adonai Echad. (Hear O Israel, the Lord our
G-d, the Lord is One).
“She’erit Hapleta” – Holocaust Survivors – After the war this name was given to the
Jewish survivors and refugees who refused to rebuild their lives in Europe,
especially in Eastern Europe, due to anti-Semitism. Most of them gathered in
displaced persons’ camps, demanding to emigrate from Europe, mainly to Israel.
Shevat – It is the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Shiddach – Yiddish word referencing an “arranged marriage.”
Shikker – Yiddish word meaning “to be drunk/intoxicated”.
Shiksa – Yiddish slang word describing a “non-Jewish woman.”
Shiva – Hebrew word for “seven.” Reference to the Jewish mourning period, seven
days. A Jew “sits” shiva. After seven days, one’s life resumes with restrictions.
Shlemiel – Yiddish word for “fool, a clumsy person or gullible victim.” Said to come
from Shlumiel, a character in the Book of Numbers, a general who was always
losing his battles. A schlemiel trips, spills, falls, misplaces, mixes up, screws
up, misspeaks.
Shlimazel – Yiddish word for “a loser.” Often confused with schlemiel, nebbish,
shlump, shnook, shmendrick and shmegegge, although there are slight
differences among them. Shlimazel is a combination of the German shlimm,
meaning bad, and the Hebrew mazel, meaning luck.
Shlock – Yiddish word meaning “cheap merchandise.” From the German schlag,
meaning a blow.
Shmaltz – Yiddish word meaning “corny.” From the German word for melted fat.
Shmatta – Yiddish word meaning “rag or referencing cheap clothing.” From the Polish
word for rag.
Shmeer – Yiddish word meaning “to spread.” From the German meaning to grease.
Shmegegee – Yiddish word meaning “a nobody, a dolt;” less than a shlemiel.
Shmendrick – Yiddish word referencing the small stature of a man.
Shmooz – Yiddish expression meaning “to hang out with,” or “talk to someone.”
Shmutz – Yiddish word for “dirt.”
Shnorrer – Yiddish word for “beggar,” or one that mooches off another person.
Shnoz – Yiddish slang meaning “nose.” From the German for snout.
Shoah – A Hebrew word many Jews prefer when referring to the Holocaust. It is found
in Isaiah 10:3 and means destruction complete ruination.
Shochet – A Hebrew word for the person who slaughters animals for food according to
rabbinic law. He must pass a stiff examination in Jewish law, animal anatomy
and in personal observance before he is allowed to practice.
Shofar – The ram’s horn sounded on the High Holy Days.
Shomer Shabbos – Yiddish referencing “an observant Jew of the Sabbath.”
Shtetl – Yiddish word for the small towns in which Jews lived close to each other
in Eastern European countries. They became the symbol of economic
degradation and yet spiritual attainment.
Shtik – Yiddish word for “a piece of something.” It describes the way a person is
perceived or an entertainer’s “act.”
Shul – Yiddish word for a synagogue. From the German word for “school.”
Shtunk – Yiddish word referring to “a stinker, or a nasty person.”
Shtup – Yiddish word to “stuff,” generally used in a sexual connotation.
Shvitz – Yiddish word meaning, “to sweat, or perspire.”
Siddur – Hebrew word meaning, “prayer book.” Generally used throughout the week.
Simcha – Hebrew word meaning “rejoicing,” such as an occasion.
Sinti and Roma – The two largest European Gypsy groups, distinguished by language.
Sinti were more numerous in Germany, Roma throughout Europe. The origins
of both groups can be traced to India, and their presence was noted in Europe
from the fifteenth century. There are many similarities between the treatment
of Jews by the Third Reich and the treatment of Gypsies. Gypsies were
victims of mass murder; estimates of the number killed range from 200,000 to
1,000,000.
Sivan – It is the ninth month of the Hebrew Calendar (luach).
Sobibor – A death camp set up as part of Operation Reinhard in the eastern part of the
Lublin district in Poland. Extermination in the camp began in May 1942, and
during the period of its operation about 260,000 Jews were murdered there. A
few escape attempts from the camp succeeded. An uprising broke out in
Sobibor on October 14, 1943 during which 11 SS men and a few Ukrainians
were killed. About 300 prisoners escaped, but most of them were killed during
the pursuit. After the uprising the camp was dismantled and in its place an
agricultural farm was built.
Social class – refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in
societies or cultures. While anthropologists, historians and sociologists
identify class as a social structure emerging from pre-history, the idea of
social class entered the English lexicon about the 1770s. Social classes with
more power usually subordinate classes with less power. Social classes with
a great deal of power are usually viewed as elites.
Social Darwinism – A concept based on the idea of “survival of the fittest.” Based on
Social Darwinism, Nazis created a pseudo-scientific brand of racism which was
most virulent when directed against the Jews, but other, particularly Slavs, were
not exempt.
Socialism – A theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and
control of land, capital, industry, etc. by the community as a whole. In Marxist
theory it represents the stage following capitalism in a state transforming to
communism.
Solidarity – A Polish protest movement that started under the leadership of Lech Walesa,
who later became the president of independent Poland in 1990. The movement
began as an underground movement against the communist regime and brought
together three elements of Polish society: the laborers, the church and the
intelligentsia. The heart of its struggle was Poland’s independence from the
Soviet Union.
Sondenbehandlung – German word meaning “special treatment.” A euphemism for
the killing of Jews and other concentration camp prisoners.
Sonderkommando – German for “Special Unit.” These units, comprised mainly of SS,
had special missions in the Final Solution: murdering Jews and covering up the
murders. The name Sonderkommando is also given to a group of Jewish forced
labor prisoners in the death camps who had the gruesome task of going into the
gas chambers and removing the corpses and taking them to be burned or buried.
A unit of the Jewish Sonderkommando organized a revolt in Birkenau in
October 1944.
Sovereignty – is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political authority over a
geographic region, group of people or oneself.
“Special Treatment” – It was the Nazi euphemism used for Jewish men, women and
children that were to be methodically killed by gassing. The German word for
“special treatment” is sondenbehandlung.
Speer, Albert (1905-1981) – Hitler’s architect and Minister of Armaments. He was
convicted at the Nuremburg trials and served twenty years at Spandau Prison.
Spiel – Yiddish word literally meaning, “to play.” It also refers to a “sale’s pitch.
Spiritual resistance – Resistance that includes maintaining human dignity in the
dehumanizing conditions of the ghettos and camps.
Stalemate – is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no legal
moves but is not in check. Stalemate ends the game, with the result a draw.
Stalemate has also become a widely used metaphor where there is a conflict
between two parties, such as a war or political negotiations, and neither side is
able to achieve a victory. Stalemate often refers to a temporary impasse that is
ultimately resolved.
Stalin, Joseph (1879-1953) – Secretary General of the Communist Party 1922-53
and Premier of the Soviet Union from 1941-1953 during the Second World
War. Life under Stalin’s brutally oppressive regime was hard and often
dangerous.
Star of David – A six-pointed star which is the symbol of Judaism. During the
Holocaust, Jews throughout Europe were required to wear Stars of David
on their sleeves or fronts and backs of their shirts and jackets.
Steerage – A part of a passenger ship where people traveled at the least expensive rate.
Steerage was considered third class passage.
Stereotype – a simple generalization about a group of people based on an opinion,
attitude or belief; usually negative, stereotypes are often learned or culturally
transmitted, and make no allowance for differences between individuals of a
certain group.
Streimel – a round fur hat worn by Chassidic Jewish men.
Stereotype – Biased generalizations about a group based on hearsay, opinions, and
distorted, preconceived ideas.
Storm Troopers - (See Brownshirts).
Streicher, Julius (1885-1946) – was a prominent Nazi prior to and during WWII. He
was the publisher of the Nazi Der Sturmer newspaper, which was to become
a part of the Nazi propaganda machine. The newspaper was controversial even
in Nazi circles because of its pornographic obsessions and sensationalism. His
publishing firm released three anti-Semitic children’s books. After the war, he
was convicted of crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials and hanged.
Streicher was not a military man or part of the planning of the Holocaust, the
invasion of Poland or the Soviet invasion. Yet his role in inciting the
extermination of Jews was significant enough to include him in the indictment
at the Nuremberg Trials. This decision is still debated because of its
implications for speech and the press.
“Strength through Joy” – Successful and popular Nazi scheme for the leisure and
pleasure or workers. Sports and leisure activities gave ordinary Germans access
to foreign travel, tourist areas and entertainment. It was of great propaganda
value to the Third Reich.
Stresemann, Gustav (1878-1929) – Born in Berlin, Stresemann’s intellectual gifts
enabled him to receive a doctorate in economics. A member of the National
Liberty Party, Stresemann was elected to the Reichstag in 1907. Although
a vocal monarchist and expansionist during the war, his views changed
sharply with the German defeat. In November 1918, he founded the German
People’s Party (DVP). Under Stresemann’s leadership, the DVP held 14%
of the Reichstag’s seats from 1920-24 and occupied an important role at the
center of Weimar politics. Stresemann himself served as chancellor from
August to November 1923. Serving as foreign minister from August 1923
until October 1929, he continued Rathenau’s policies and worked effectively
to improve relations with France. Stresemann helped to restore Germany’s
position in Europe. In 1926, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Like many
German conservatives, Stresemann favored Germany’s territorial expansion in
Eastern Europe, particularly at the expense of Poland. After his death in 1929,
his party lost strength as most of the DVP’s supporters turned to the NSDAP.
Stroop, Jurgen (1895-1951) – was the SS major general responsible for the destruction
of the Warsaw ghetto in 1943. Later that year, as Higher SS and Police Leader
in Greece, he supervised the deportation of thousands of Jews from Salonika.
He was sentenced to death and executed in Poland in 1951.
Stutthof – Concentration camp founded in 1939 in what is now northern Poland.
Sub-camp – auxiliary forced labor camp linked administratively to one of the major
concentration camps. There were thousands of sub-camps in the concentration
camp system, which numbered nearly 3000 camps.
Subversion – to ruin; overthrow.
Sudetenland – Formerly Austrian German-speaking territories in Bohemia which were
incorporated into Czechoslovakia after World War I.
Sukkot – The Jewish harvest festival. The Feast of the Tabernacles. A time of joy.
A homecoming. Thanksgiving. A truly festive holiday, Sukkot commemorates
the joy the people of Israel felt in being protected by G-d while wandering in
the desert after escaping Egypt. The nine-day festival is renowned for its use
of the sukkah, which means covering, symbolizing the thatched huts the
Israelites used throughout the desert. The last day, Simchat Torah, marks the
completion of the annual reading of the Torah for the new year. Sukkot brings
Jews closer to G-d and reminds them how dependent they are to Him, to nature
and to each other.
Supersession – In the early Catholic Church, it was promulgated that the church had
replaced, or superseded the Jews as the “new Israel” because the church had
accepted Jesus as the new moshiach/covenant.
Survivors – Persons who survived persecution at the hands of the Nazis from 1933-1945.
Swastika – An ancient symbol appropriated by the Nazis as their emblem.
Synagogue – from the Greek, in Hebrew means “place of assembly” literally “meeting,
assembly” is a Jewish house of prayer and study. The Hebrew term for
synagogue is Bet Knesset (House of Assembly). It is the sanctuary.
Synod – Church council.
Szpilman, Wladyslaw (1911-2000) – was a Polish pianist, the subject of Roman
Polanski’s film, The Pianist.
T4 – German code name for the office directing the Nazi euthanasia program. It’s name
was derived from Tiergartenstrasse 4, the address of the villa in Berlin, once
the home of a Jewish family, where the office was situated from April 1940.
Created in 1939, the office was initially directly responsible to Hitler’s
Chancellery. From September 1941 onwards, it was also responsible to the
Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Public Health and Hygiene. In 1941,
T4 collaborated with Himmler to initiate a program under the code name
14 f 13, to free the concentration camps of the burden of “valueless lives.”
Such individuals were selected for killing by a board of physicians. Children
were not, in general, killed in the death camps under the control of T4.
Instead, there were some thirty “pediatric departments” (Kinderfachanstalten)
in other institutions which participated in the killing of children.
Tallit – Hebrew word for the “prayer shawl” with fringes worn by Jewish adult males
when praying, Tallis in Yiddish.
Tallit Katan – Hebrew meaning “small tallit.” This is the four-cornered garment worn
under one’s clothing in fulfillment of the commandment about wearing
“tzitzit” (fringes).
Talmud – is considered an authoritative record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law,
Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories. It is a fundamental source of
legislation, customs, case histories and moral exhortations. The Talmud has
two components, the Mishnah, and the Gemara.
Tammuz – It is the tenth month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Tanach (tah-NACH) – Hebrew word for “bible,” or Hebrew Scripture. It is an
acronym for the three sections that make up the bible.
Tariff – is a tax on imported goods.
Tchotchke – Yiddish word meaning “inexpensive trinket.” Its Slavic origin means to
play pranks.
Tefilah – Hebrew word meaning “prayer.”
Tefillin (phylacteries) – small leather boxes which are bound to the arm and the head
with leather straps during morning prayers. They contain parchments on which
are hand lettered four passages from the Torah. The passages recite the
commandments to place a sign on the hand, upon the heart and between the eyes
Temple – Central building for worship of Jews in Jerusalem originally build in
586 B.C.E. and destroyed a second, and final time by the Romans in 70 C.E.
Currently, many Reform Jewish congregations refer to their synagogues as
“temples.”
Temporal – Having to do with, or concerned with this world; in the Christian sense
the word usually means something temporary.
Teshuvah – Hebrew word meaning “repentance,” or return.
Tevet – It is the fourth month of the Hebrew calendar (luach).
Thaelmann, Ernst (1886-1944) – Born in Hamburg, Thaelmann joined the SPD in 1903.
He quickly became active in union and SPD affairs. He was drafted into the
military in 1915. Wounded twice on the western front, he deserted in1918.
Thaelmann left the SPD after the Spartacist uprising in January 1919 and was
elected to the central committee of the newly formed KPD in December 1920.
He visited Moscow in early 1921. Thaelmann received support from the Soviet
regime. In turn, he carried out Moscow’s policies throughout his political
career. In 1924, Thaelmann was elected to the Reichstag and one year later
chosen to be chairman of the KPD. He also led their paramilitary organization,
the Red Front Fighters’ League. Thaelmann and the KPD secretly cooperated
with the NSDAP to bring down the Weimar system. Thaelmann was arrested
by the Nazis in March 1933, after the KPD was outlawed, and sent to a
concentration camp. He was executed eleven years later.
Thanatology – The science of producing death; description given during the
Nuremberg trials to the medical experiments performed during the Holocaust.
Theresienstadt (Terezin) – Before 1918 this town, located about forty miles from
Prague, was known as Theresienstadt. When Czechoslovakia was created as a
country after World War I, the name was changed to Terezin. The town was
again renamed Theresienstadt under German occupation; inhabitants were
relocated, and the town was made into a ghetto for Jewish deportees from the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, the
Netherlands and Denmark. The SS used the ghetto to show the Red Cross
investigators how well Jews were being treated. Most Jews held there were
deported and killed in the extermination camps in Poland. Barely 2000 of
the 15,000 children incarcerated in the ghetto survived. On 8 May 1945 the
Soviet Army liberated Theresienstadt. Bauschowitz (in Czech, Bohusovice)
was the train station closest to the ghetto, and deportees had to march about
two miles from this station to the ghetto.
Third Reich – The semi-official name of the Nazi-German state established by Adolf
Hitler in 1933. The First Reich was said to be the Holy Roman Empire which
ceased to exist in 1806. The Second Reich created by Otto von Bismark
spanned only 47 years, from 1871 to 1918. Hitler’s Third Reich, which he
proclaimed would last a thousand years, survived for little more than twelve.
Thule Society – Mysterious secret society that began operating in Munich shortly before
the end of World War I. Many leading members of the Nazi Party were later
said to be among its members. Although the Thule Society represented itself as
a literary society for Germanic studies, it was in reality the center of the
counter-revolutionary movement, a hot-bed of ultra-nationalism and PanGermanic mysticism. Some researchers believe its inner circle was a coven
of occultists led by Dietrich Eckart and that Adolf Hitler was a “visiting”
member.
Tikkun Olam – Hebrew meaning “Repairing the world.” It is an action promoting
social justice.
Tisha b-Av – Hebrew meaning the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av; Jewish
holiday coinciding usually in August with the destructions of the first Temple
by the Babylonians in 586BCE and of the second Temple by the Romans in
70CE.
Tishri – It is the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (luach), generally coinciding in
September.
Tolerance – The capacity for or the practice of recognizing the respecting the
differences of others
Todah Rabah – Hebrew meaning “Thank you, very much.”
Torah – A Hebrew word meaning “teaching”, “instruction” or especially “law.” It
primarily refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Five Books
of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). It is
considered to be the written law.
Totalitarianism – is a typology employed by political scientists, especially those in the
field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state
regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior.
Total war – is a 20th century term to describe a war in which countries or nations use all
of their resources to destroy another organized country’s or nation’s ability to
engage in war. The practice of total war has been in use for centuries, but it was
only in the middle of late nineteenth century that total war was recognized as a
separate class of warfare.
Totenkopf – In German, “Death’s Head.” Detachments of the SS which operated the
concentration and extermination camps. Members wore the skull and
crossbones on their hats and collar patches.
Transliteration – It is writing from the Hebrew alephbet, into the English alphabet.
Transnistria – Province in the southern Ukraine occupied and governed by Romania,
Germany’s ally from 1941 to 1944. Tens of thousands of Romanian Jews were
deported to concentration camps in Transnistria and killed there under brutal
conditions.
Trawniki – Labor camp southeast of Lublin, Poland created in autumn 1941 for Soviet
POWs and Polish Jews. In early 1942 German, Austrian and Czech Jews were
bought to Trawniki, where many died of starvation or were deported to Belzec.
With the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto in 1943, 10,000 Schultz factory Jews,
including tailors, furriers and broom makers, were brought to Trawniki.
Following the uprising at Sobibor, the Germans, concerned about further revolts,
killed 43,000 Jews in early November 1943, 10,000 of them at Trawniki.
Treaty of Versailles – Germany and the Allies signed a peace treaty at the end of World
War I. The United States, Great Britain, France and Italy negotiated the treaty
at the Peace Conference held in Versailles beginning on January 18, 1919. The
German Republic government which replaced the imperial administration was
excluded from the deliberations. The treaty created the Covenant of the League
of Nations, outlined Germany’s disarmament, exacted massive reparation
payments from Germany and forced Germany to cede large tracts of territory to
various European nations.
Treblinka – One of the three death camps active in “Operation Reinhard.” In July 1942
with the deportations from Warsaw, the murder of the Jews began in Treblinka.
The camp was modeled upon the Belzec and Sobibor camps, and was similar in
its use of poison gas as a method of extermination. Jews from Warsaw and other
areas of Poland were brought to Treblinka, as were the Jews from Slovakia and
Thereseinstadt. 2000 Gypsies were also deported to Treblinka. In August 1943,
a revolt broke out in the camp and shortly after this the Germans destroyed the
camp. Around 870,000 Jews were murdered at Treblinka.
Trench warfare – is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of
fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. Trench warfare arose
when there was a revolution in firepower without similar advances in mobility
and communications.
Treif – Yiddish word meaning “non-Kosher food.”
Triangle – a color badge worn on the clothes of a concentration camp inmate that
disclosed the reason for their incarceration. Green was for criminals; yellow
for Jews; red for political prisoners; purple for Jehovah’s Witnesses; pink for
homosexuals; black for Roma (Gypsies) and “asocials”; and blue was for
emigrants.
Trocme, Reverend Andre – (1901-1971) – the French Protestant leader of Chambonsur-Lignon, the village that saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis.
Tsorris – Yiddish word referring to one’s “headaches or troubles.”
Tuchis – Yiddish word referring to one’s “buttocks or backside.” From the Hebrew
word meaning under, or beneath.
Tumel – Yiddish word meaning “disorder, commotion or craziness.” A tumbler is a
jokester, prankster or clown, creating tumel.
Tush – Yiddish word also referring to one’s “buttocks or backside.”
Typhus – A disease transmitted by lice or fleas which was epidemic in Nazi
concentration camps.
Tyranny – A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power or
control through the use of threats and violence.
Tzaddik – Hebrew word referencing a pious man, the “soul of the world.”
Tzedakah – Hebrew word meaning “righteous,” which generally translates today into
“charity.”
Tzimmes – Yiddish word with several definitions. First of all, a tzimmes is a Jewish
culinary creation, much like a stew, or a slow cooking combination of meat,
vegetables and/or fruits. Second, it refers to “making a big deal out of nothing”
in the context of a discussion of one’s daily life.
Tzitzit – Hebrew word meaning “fringes.” It is the fringes of the tallit (prayer shawl)
extending beyond the edges of the outer garments in order to remind the
wearer of the commandments of G-d.
Tzuris – Yiddish word meaning “headache.” It is used to describe difficulties, trouble
or problems.
USHMM – The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national
institution for the documentation, study and interpretation of Holocaust history,
and serves as this country’s memorial to the millions of people murdered during
the Holocaust. www.ushmm.org.
U-Boats (Unterseeboot) – In German, “submarines.”
Ultimatum – a final demand, with a threat, made without intent of negotiation, for
example before war, before killing hostages, etc.
Umschlagplatz – The area bordering the Warsaw Ghetto where trains arrived. Jews
were transported from the Umschlagplatz and deported to concentration and
extermination camps. Fences enclosed the area. The train’s cars were sealed
and brought the ghetto’s Jews to the death camps, primarily Treblinka.
Underground – a system in which people helped Jews and other persecuted people
escape from the Nazis.
Ungabluzum – Yiddish term referencing a person “who looks sad, unhappy, or about
to cry.
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) - Refugee relief
agency formed by the Allies in 1943, mainly with American finds. After World
War II, under the direction of former New York City mayor, Fiorello
La Guardia, it aided displaced persons.
Untermenschen – German word meaning “sub-human.” This was the way Nazis
described peoples from Eastern Europe, especially Jews.
Ustasa – Croatian ultranationalist Fascist party that came to power in April 1941 with
Nazi support. It was responsible for the mass murder of Serbs, Jews and
Gypsies.
Va’ad Leumi – In Hebrew, The National Council of Palestinian Jewry established in
1920 under the British Mandate.
Velodrome d-hiver – An indoor bicycle arena in Paris where more than 13,000 Jews
were kept after being rounded up on July 16/17, 1942. After being held three
days, the Jews were deported to Auschwitz. The roundup of the Vel d’hiv has
become a symbol of French collaboration in the deportation and deaths of Jews
living in France.
Venerable – Worthy of respect because of age, high office or dignified appearance.
Venerated – Regarded with deep respect.
Vernichtungslager – German word meaning either “extermination camp” or
“death camp.”
Vichy – A pro-Nazi regime was established in the southern part of France after the fall
of France in June 1940 and was led by Marshal Petain. In October 1940 Vichy
anti-Jewish legislation, the “Jewish statute” was initiated. The Vichy regime
attempted the Aryanization of Jewish property and during the deportations even
collaborated with the Germans, first deporting foreign Jews and later also
deporting French Jewish citizens.
Victim – One who is targeted for persecution or death by another.
Vilna (Vilnius) – Capital of Lithuania. Of the 57,000 Jews living in Vilna when the
Nazis occupied it, between 2000 and 3000 were still alive in July 1944. About
one-third of the survivors had taken refuge in the forests.
Visual history testimony – As defined by the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History
Foundation, visual history testimony is videotaped account of one person’s
experiences of life before, during and after the Holocaust. Visual history
testimony offers a deeper understanding of these events as they were lived,
filtered through the reflections of one person.
Volk – In German, word for “nation, race or people.”
Volkisch – A German adjective meaning, “national, ethnic or racial.”
Volksdeutscher – In German, meaning “German person.” It was a Nazi term for a
person of German ancestry living outside of Germany. They did not have
German or Austiran citizenship as defined by the Nazi term of
Reichsdeutscher. Nazi Germany made great efforts to enlist the support of
the Volksdeutsche, who constituted minorities in several countries. Nazi
Germany did receive support from the Volksdeutsche; hundreds of
thousands joined the German armed forces, including the SS.
Volksgemeinschaft – German word meaning “ethnic/national community.”
Volksgenossen – Members of the Volk (race or people). Racial comrades.
Volkssturm – Last-ditch defense units of the Third Reich, formed in October 1944. All
males between the ages of 16 and 60 were organized in their districts, though
they were given little training and had few weapons or uniforms.
Vokswagen – Hitler’s attempt to manufacture affordable automobiles for Germans.
Vught – Concentration and transit camp in the Netherlands opened in January 1943.
Vus Machs Du? – Yiddish phrase asking, “What’s happening?, What’s up?, or How’s it
going?”
Waffen-SS – Armed military SS units serving with the German Army.
Wallenberg, Raoul (1912-?) – Special representative sent by the Swedish Foreign
Ministry and U.S. War Refugee Board to Budapest in 1944 to offer protection
to Hungarian Jews threatened with death. By distributing special Swedish
passports and establishing special Jewish hostels, Wallenberg managed to
prevent the deportation or shooting of perhaps as many as 100,000 Jews.
Wannsee Conference – A one and one-half hour meeting on January 20, 1942 in
Wannsee, a Berlin suburb, at which the details of the “Final Solution” were
worked out. The meeting was convened by Reinhard Heydrich, who was the
head of the SS main office and SS Chief Heinrich Himmler’s top aide. The
purpose of the meeting was to coordinate the Nazi bureaucracy required to carry
out the “Final Solution,” which provided for the deportation of Jews to killing
centers, immediate death for those who were unable to work (the very young,
old, and the weak), segregation by gender of the remaining Jews, decimation
through forced labor with insufficient nourishment, and eventual death for the
remnant.
War Crimes – Even warfare has rules, and the violation of basic standards for
treatment of prisoners and civilians can be prosecuted. Such violations are
codified in the Geneva Convention.
War Refugee Board – U.S. government agency established in January 1944 to explore
possibilities for rescuing European Jews.
Warsaw – Before World War II, the capital of Poland. After Poland was defeated by the
Nazis, it became a city in the General Government. Krakow became the capital
of the Nazi’s General Government.
Warsaw Ghetto – Established in November 1940, it was surrounded by a wall and held
about 500,000 Jews. More than 45,000 died there in 1941 alone, as a result of
overcrowding, hard labor, lack of sanitation, insufficient food and disease.
During 1942 most of the ghetto residents were deported to Treblinka, leaving
only about 30,000 Jews in the ghetto. In April 1943, when German troops,
commanded by SS Major General Jurgen Stroop, attempted to deport the
remaining inhabitants to Treblinka, the desperate Jews, armed with only a
handful of weapons, revolted. The Jewish defense forces, commanded by
Mordecai Anielewicz and including members from all Jewish political parties,
fought tenaciously. The bitter fighting continued for twenty-eight days, ending
with the ghetto being completely destroyed. The few surviving Jews were sent
to camps where nearly all were gassed.
Wehrmacht – The combined German armed forces, including the army, navy and
air force.
Weimar Republic – Name commonly used to designate the German republic established
in February 1919. Fourteen years later it gave way to the Third Reich. It was,
however, Germany’s first, although, failed attempt at democratic government.
Weiss, Martin (1903-?) – SS-Haptscharfuhrer assigned to the Vilna ghetto, the socalled “Boss of Ponary.” For a time he was the SS liaison in charge of a
Lithuanian executioner unit. This unit, consisting of 45 to 150 volunteers,
was responsible for killing at least 48,000 Jews at Ponary. In February 1950,
Weiss was tried before a court in Wurzburg, Germany and was sentenced to
life imprisonment.
Weitzman, Chaim (1874-1952) – He was a founder of the Zionist political movement
and the first president of Israel in 1948.
Weltanschauung – German meaning, “world view,” and ideology, i.e. Aryan superiority,
or that the Jews were the enemies of the world.
Weltdienst - In German, “World Service,” a German antisemitic news service.
Western Wall – Also known as the Wailing Wall. It is all the remains of the Temple in
Jerusalem and sacred to Jews.
Westerbork – A transit camp in northeast Holland created by the Dutch Ministry of
Interior in October 1939. It initially held 750 German Jews interned for illegal
border crossings in 1939, but between July 1942, when the Germans took
command of the camp, and December 1943, more than ninety trains left
Westerbork for Auschwitz, Sobibor, Bergen-Belsen and Theresienstadt.
These trains carried 88,363 Dutch and German Jews and some 500 Dutch
Gypsies to their deaths.
White Paper – statement issued by the British government on May 17, 1939 that
severely limited immigration into their Mandate of Palestine. (Quotas).
White Rose – The small group of students at the University of Munich, led by Hans
Scholl and his sister Sophie, who produced five illegal leaflets against Nazism
and painted graffiti on the walls of the university buildings in protest against
Nazism. Affiliated with a similar student protest group in Hamburg, the
students were arrested, tried by a People’s Court, and executed in 1943.
Wiesel, Elie (September 30, 1928-) – A world renowned writer whose books emphasize
the remembrance of the Holocaust tragedy. He is a survivor himself and is the
1986 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Wiesenthal, Simon (1908-2005) – A Holocaust survivor whose life goal was dedicated
to gathering evidence to prosecute Germans as well as other war criminals.
Wise, Rabbi Stephen S. (1874-1949) – Born into a politically liberal and conservative
Orthodox Jewish family of rabbis and businessmen. Wises’ father sent him to
New York as a teen to be educated at Columbia and was ordained as a Reform
Jewish rabbi taking him to Portland, Oregon. Wise was politically active and
and an ardent Zionist. Rabbi Wise was considered the major Jewish spokesperson of his generation and shared a friendship with FDR. Wise was one of
the first Americans to be outspoken against Nazi Germany. Although he was
not the person credited with influencing the president to rescue European Jewry,
nonetheless, Wise was extremely vocal and a leader of the American Jewish
community until his death.
World Jewish Congress – This is a coordinator of Jewish agencies. During the war, it
worked from its offices in Switzerland to rescue Jews.
Xenophobia – An unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers. The Nazis
played on this fear to stir up anti-Semitism.
Yad Vashem – Hebrew meaning “Eternal Memorial.” The Holocaust Martyrs and
Heroes Remembrance Authority. This center for Holocaust archives, museum
and memorial in Jerusalem was established in 1962 by the Israeli government.
Yahrzeit – Yiddish word referring “The anniversary of one’s death.” A 24-hour
Yahrzeit (memorial) candle is lit to commemorate the death anniversary of a
close relative. Yahrzeit is observed and candles lit on the holy days when
Yizkor (prayer of remembrance) is recited.
Yarmulka – Yiddish word meaning “skullcap,” worn by men. The Hebrew word
is kippah.
Yenta – Yiddish word referring to a “gossip or blabbermouth.” Its origins are unknown,
although it is generally believed to be a distortion of a French or Spanish name.
Nobody wants to be called a yenta (busybody).
Yellow Star of David – Jews were forced to wear a yellow Star of David in Nazicontrolled Europe. The patch had to be sewn on all visible clothing.
Yeshiva – Hebrew word referencing a Jewish institution of learning, specifically for the
study of Torah and Talmud.
Yeshiva Bocher – Yiddish referencing a Yeshiva student.
Yeshua – Hebrew name for Jesus.
Yiddish – the language of Eastern European Jewry. It is mainly a combination of
German and Hebrew. Yiddish was created in Germany by the Ashkenazi Jews
who were influenced on the one hand by the German language spoken around
them and the desire to create a language different and distinct from that of the
Germans on the other. Along with the different migrations to Italy, France, and
later Poland, Yiddish also “migrated,” and for a while served as a link between
the Jews living in these countries. From the 18th century, Yiddish disappeared
in Western Europe but remained the language of Eastern European Jews.
Yiddishkeit – Yiddish word referencing Jewish culture and idea.
Yishuv – The Jewish settlement in Palestine prior to the founding of Israel.
Yizkor – Hebrew word meaning “may He remember.” It refers to the Memorial Service.
Yom HaShoah – Hebrew meaning “Day of the Holocaust,” a day established to
commemorate the Holocaust and the six million Jews who perished; it is the
anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19).
Yom Kippur – In Judaism, The Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day of the Hebrew
calendar. The day is spent fasting and with communal prayer in the synagogue.
Yom Tov – Hebrew meaning, “Good Day.” Greeting for any Jewish festival day.
Yontif – Yiddish word meaning “holiday.”
Yutz – Yiddish word meaning a person that is a “fool.”
Zayde – Yiddish word meaning “grandpa.”
Zaftig – Yiddish word meaning “plump, buxom or full-figured.” From the German word
for juicy.
Zie Gezunt – Yiddish phrase used when departing, “wishing a person good health.”
Zegota – Code name for the Council for Aid to Jews, established under the aegis of the
Polish underground in December 1942. It assisted some 4000 Polish Jews to
maintain themselves in hiding or under cover of false identity during the
German occupation.
Zentralstelle fur Judische Auswanderung – German for “Central Office for Jewish
Emigration.” It was set up in Vienna on August 26, 1938 under Adolf
Eichmann.
Zetz – Yiddish word meaning “to smack or hit” someone/something.
Zionism – The nationalistic movement of the Jewish people. In modern times, it referred
to the establishment of a Jewish homeland in what is now the modern state of
Israel. The word Zion comes from the name of a hill in Jerusalem where the
royal Palace of King David once stood. Modern Zionism was formally founded
by Theodore Herzl of Vienna at an international congress held at Basel,
Switzerland in 1897.
Zachor – Hebrew word meaning “remember.”
Zohar – The mystical commentary on the Torah.
Zog Nit Keyn Mol – Zog nit keyn mol, az du geyst dem letsten veg (“Never say that you
are on the final road”), the so-called Partisan Song, written by Hirsh Glick. In
April 1943 when news of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising reached the Vilna ghetto,
Hirsh Glick wrote this defiant anthem. It has become the universal Hymn of the
Holocaust Survivors.
Zyklon B – A cyanide gas developed to kill Jews at Auschwitz in a manner which was
more efficient than using carbon monoxide gas. A brand-name of pesticide
distributed by DEGESCH, a German subsidiary of the I.G. Farben chemical
conglomerate.