Kaddish
A Jewish prayer that is traditionally recited as a mourner’s prayer for the dead.
Talmud
A core text for Rabbinic Judaism, and a central source of Jewish religious law and theology.
Kabbalah
A philosophy and school of thought rooted in Judaism, that centers on the question of infinity, the eternal, and the unchanging.
Zohar
Meaning “radiance” in Hebrew, Zohar is a foundational work of literature within the Kabbalah. Themes center on many subjects such as mysticism, the nature of God, and psychology.
Ghetto
A section of a city in which minority groups either live of their own accord or are forced to do so through legal, economic, or social pressure.
Synagogue
A Jewish house of worship.
Sage
A profoundly wise person.
Notorious
Famous, particularly for a negative quality or deed.
Lucidity
The ability to think clearly with clarity of expression.
Oblivion
The state of being unaware or unconscious, or the state of being forgotten, especially to the public.
Gypsy
A member of a traveling group, normally ethnically from the ROMA community.
Blockälteste
Inmates that were in charge of a single barrack in the concentration camp; literally meaning, “block elder.”
Kapo
A prisoner who was assigned by the SS guards to supervise labor or carry out administrative tasks.
Lagerälteste
The highest position in the camp: was responsible for selecting which roles the prisoners would serve and ensuring that orders were carried out.
Bureaucrat
An official in a government department, normally perceived as one who ensures procedural correctness.
Kommando
A basic organization of slave laborers in the concentration camps.
Yom Kippur
Known also as the Day of Atonement, it is the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
Aryan
Relating to people of Caucasian race, not of Jewish descent.
Beadle
A minor parish official or caretaker.
dysentery
An infection of the intestines resulting in severe diarrhea with the presence of blood. Bacterial dysentery is caused by the bacteria Shigella and can spread through contact. It is an illness affiliated with areas of people living in close quarters with poor water supplies.
