Holocaust Definitions

Nazis – these were members of the German fascist political party controlled by Adolph Hiltler from 1933-1945. They believed that only pure Germans were worthy and that others such as Jews, the Roma people, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and people with mental or physical challenges were unworthy of life.

Ghetto – Many Jews were confined into tiny areas in the slums of the various cities under Nazi control, called ghettos, and held there by walls, barbed wire and armed guards. These were worse than prisons. Little food was let in, and what was let in didn’t do much to alleviate the hunger. Hygiene was almost non-existent and many died of disease. The population was constantly changing, as some were imported and others deported out or killed.

Concentration Camp – these were places where Nazis held prisoners in brutal and deadly conditions (no regard to food, clothing, access to water or soap). Using them as slave laborers and systematically murdering them. There were about 20 main camps with a few hundred sub camps throughout the war.

Liberation – Allied forces fighting the Germans came across concentration camps and liberated the victims of the brutal Nazi’s. The Allied soldiers were horrified to find the people were little more than walking skeletons. Disease was an ever present danger and the Allied troops burned down many camps to limit the risk of epidemics breaking out.

Displaced Persons Camp – these were places where people (mostly Jews) who had lost their homes during the war went to live. Many were on the grounds of former concentration camps, located in Austria and Germany. While the conditions were terrible, it was shelter and a place to go until the survivors could get back on their feet.