The Holocaust: simply explained

What does the word “Holocaust” mean?

The term “holocaust” comes from the ancient Greek and means “completely burnt”. Before the Second World War, the term was used to describe the extermination of entire ethnic groups. Since 1945, the word has often been used synonymously with the murder of European Jews during the period of National Socialism. In Hebrew, this is referred to as the “Shoah” which means “great catastrophe”.

What was the Holocaust?

The systematic marginalisation and persecution of Jews and other groups began after the National Socialists seized power in Germany in 1933. Vilified as an “inferior race”, the Jews were disenfranchised and deprived of their property, and from 1941 onwards they were forced to wear the Star of David on their clothing. Many were deported and imprisoned in ghettos such as the one in Warsaw, or else murdered in concentration camps. The systematic genocide of Jews, along with the murder of Sinti and Roma, politically persecuted individuals and other groups, resulted in the killing of some six million people between 1933 and 1945 – around 2.7 million of them perished in the extermination camps. The largest extermination camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau near Kraków in Poland.

Why is Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January?

The annual commemoration of these horrors on 27 January is an important part of the German culture of remembrance. It was introduced in 1996 by the then Federal President Roman Herzog as a day of remembrance dedicated to the victims of National Socialism. In 2005, the United Nations declared 27 January the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. But why this date in particular? 27 January 1945 was the day on which the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was liberated. For this reason, numerous events such as readings, theatrical performances and church services are held in Germany on this day to keep alive the memory of the crimes perpetrated by the Nazis. People from all over the world share their commitment to remembering the Holocaust under the hashtag #WeRemember.

What is meant by the German culture of remembrance?

The commemoration of the victims of war, tyranny and ideologically motivated crimes of the 20th century is a key element of Germany’s culture of remembrance. The idea of being able to learn the lessons from these crimes of the past is what provides the foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is often encapsulated in the words: “Never again”. One especially important aspect is preserving the accounts of survivors so as to ensure that future generations remain aware of the crimes committed under National Socialism. There are numerous memorials and museums throughout Germany that are dedicated to the various groups of victims, and they also contribute to keeping these memories alive. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin and the Jewish Museum Berlin are two outstanding examples. There are also more than 90,000 so-called “Stolpersteine” (brass plaques embedded in pavements) throughout Germany and Europe which commemorate the victims of National Socialism, an idea originated by Cologne-based artist Gunter Demnig.

How are younger generations educated about Germany’s Nazi past?

The subject of National Socialism and the Holocaust is included as a compulsory element of the curriculum at all schools in all of Germany’s federal states. This frequently involves class visits to concentration camp memorial sites, too. The fewer survivors there are, the more important it will be to maintain digital forms of remembrance in the future. For this reason, innovative educational formats are used by numerous museums in Germany as well as on social media.