What do we mean by the term ‘The Holocaust’?

Question 1

The Holocaust:

Answer 1

the murder of 6mil Jews and 200,000 Romani gypsies by the Nazis and their collaborators

Question 2

How many people died in ghettos?

Answer 2

100,000s of people died from hunger and disease in ghettos (poor areas of town where Jews were forced to leave)

Question 3

Breakdown of the word ‘Holocaust’:

Answer 3

• “holos” meaning completely

- “kaustos” meaning burnt sacrificial offering

Question 4

Have people objected to the term ‘Holocaust’ and if they have what word would they prefer to use?

Answer 4

many have objected to term Holocaust - prefer to use the word “Shoah” - Hebrew for catastrophe

Question 5

Usage of the word ‘Holocaust’ throughout History:

Answer 5

1st recorded use in English was to describe killing of Jews in France 1942 - recurring throughput medieval period in reference to anti-Semitic events