Systematic persecution and genocide of six million Jews by Nazi Germany
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered approximately six million Jews, around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population.
Anti-Semitism had deep roots in European history, but the Nazi regime, led by Adolf Hitler, transformed it into state policy after coming to power in 1933. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 stripped Jews of citizenship and prohibited marriage between Jews and non-Jewish Germans.
In 1941, Nazi leadership decided on the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" – the extermination of all Jews in Europe. This led to the establishment of extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Sobibor, and others, where Jews were murdered in gas chambers and through forced labor, starvation, and disease.
Despite overwhelming odds, Jews resisted both spiritually and physically. Uprisings occurred in ghettos (Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 1943) and camps (Sobibor, Treblinka). Non-Jews who helped hide Jews, known as Righteous Among the Nations, risked their lives to save others.
The Holocaust ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. Survivors faced immense challenges rebuilding their lives. The atrocities led to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and prompted international human rights laws, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention.
Today, Holocaust remembrance is vital to combat hatred, prejudice, and genocide. Museums, memorials, and educational programs worldwide strive to ensure that the lessons of this dark chapter are never forgotten.