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The Holocaust : The Meaning Of The Holocaust

Decent Essays

Introduction The term Holocaust is one that the world is used to hearing, but only a few people really know what it really means. Today the Holocaust is understood most clearly by Jews and those living during World War II, but not all currently in the world know the full meaning of what the Holocaust meant to those it affected most—the Jews. The word Holocaust is a Greek word that was used to describe the horrific historical event that occurred during World War II. The term holos means “a whole”, and kaustos means “burned” in Greek. Historically the Greek term Holocaust was used to describe the sacrificial offering burned on the altar.
But today the world no longer sees it in that light, but rather understands its meaning differently. Today it refers to the mass murder of six million European Jews. Additionally, the German Nazis killed members of other persecuted groups during World War II such as homosexuals and Gypsies. This devastating Nazi moment in time has caused the world to wondering how it could have happened. According to the Adolf Hitler (a historical figure most people recognize) the Jews were an inferior race that was an alien threat to the purity of the German race and community. So as a result of his beliefs, the Holocaust happened during his Nazi rule. Unbelievably, common humanity was lost during this time in Germany with acceptance of Hitler’s solution to eliminate an “inferior race”.
Most people are aware of the mass murder of Jews. But

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