Judaism

Lesson #1

THE

HISTORY

OF

JUDAISM

Introduction

Learning Goals

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• By the end of the lesson, I will be able to explain the history of Judaism.
• By the end of the lesson, I will be able to identify some key figures and dates in Judaism.

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Catholic Graduate Expectations

�An effective communicator who speakers, writes and listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in light of gospel values.

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Seven Grandfather Teachings Connection

Truth

Origins of Judaism

• Judaism traces its origins back 3800 years to Abraham and Sarah (the patriarch and matriarch of the “Hebrews” or “Israelites”)

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• The story of Abraham, Sarah and their descendants is told in the Jewish scriptures

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• It is a story of a covenant or promise between God and Abraham

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Judaism Explained: Religions in Global History

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWsKZ2Xto4Y

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Links to the Past

• The area that now known as Israel was once divided into two kingdoms: �a. the kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom)

b. the kingdom of Judah (the Southern Kingdom)

• The religion that began with Abraham among the Hebrew people is called Judaism because the Jewish people of today trace their heritage to the Hebrew people who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah

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Diversity In Judaism

• Present day Judaism can be best understood as the

product of historical circumstance and development

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• Judaism has spawned two subsequent religions:

Christianity and Islam, but is by far the smallest of

the three

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• Judaism is frequently considered an ethnic religion

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The Biblical Period

The Historical Development of Judaism

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• The Torah contains the history of Israel written from the perspective of a people as they understand and follow a God who chooses them as his instrument
• We don’t see a dividing line between biblical legend and biblical history until the end of the thirteenth century BCE.

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The Book of GENESIS

• The first twelve chapters describe the primeval history of the universe: these include the creation narratives, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Noah’s Arc, etc.
• Historical events result from the direct intervention of God in response to the nation’s behaviour
• Over several centuries, sects within the early Israelite religion interpreted the events of their history in widely varying ways in terms of the covenant idea.

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Moses and the book of Exodus

• The narratives of the patriarchs are followed by the dramatic account in Exodus of Moses
• There is some confusion regarding the actual dates of the Hebrew migration into the land of Canaan
• It is believed that the Hebrews migrated from Mesopotamia straight to Canaan, but the story of Moses has them taken into slavery in Egypt and freed by Moses who (after forty years) leads them to Canaan (The Promised Land)

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• In Exodus, God is revealed as YHWH (the vowels between are

actually unknown)

• This name is so holy that it is not allowed to be pronounced – it is blasphemy if you do
• YHWH means “I am who I am” (possibly meaning “I am the one who causes things to happen)

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The Ten Commandments (ethical guidelines) are found in the book of Exodus

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The Emergence of Israelite Kingship

• The Israelites turned away from nomadic life and settled in Canaan after Joshua (Moses’ successor)
• The Israelites settled in Canaan and took a long time to assert hegemony over the land
• HEGEMONY the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group
• The Israelites are warned by God to not follow the Canaanites, but they don’t listen
• A king is finally appointed to deal with the threats of their neighbours just after 1000 BCE

The first kings were Saul and then David

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• David’s son, Solomon (from his wife Bathsheba), built the first elaborate temples and ambitious building projects
• He died around 921 BCE and the kingdom broke up
• The Northern tribes, centering on Samaria, seceded and thereafter went by the name of “Israel” and weren’t overrun until they were invaded by the Assyrians in 722 BCE and then were referred to as “the ten lost tribes”

The Southern tribes were centered on Jerusalem and used the name Judah.

They continued until the Babylonian invasion of 586 BCE

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Israelite Society

• Unfortunately, we do not know a lot about how the people lived or celebrated their religion because the history is so rich and was the primary focus
• We can only analyze scripture to determine these facts

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The Prophets

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• the prophetic movement has influenced more people than any other prophetic movement
• This grew out of Ancient Near Eastern spirit possession
• We have only the words of the prophets from 750 BCE
• The prophets criticized the ways of the people and warned what would happen if they did not change

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The Judean Kingdom fell to Babylonian

invasion and deportation in

586 BCE

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The  Exile marks the transition from the national cult of an ancient kingdom to the religious heritage of a dispersed people

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Solomon’s temple was destroyed and lay in ruins for three generations

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From the sixth century on we speak of Jews and Judaism rather than Hebrews and Israelites

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The religion of the people changed drastically because they were no longer a nation

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• Since the Jewish people were separated and their temple destroyed they needed to change their religious traditions.

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• Synagogues are introduced during this time period and less emphasis is placed on a temple.
• Home worship becomes popular.
• The Aramaic language replaced the Hebrew language (making Hebrew ritualistic).
• The people came to desire a Messiah (a savior).
• The nation was giving up and they needed a sign to know that God was still there.

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The Second Commonwealth

From 538 BCE to 331 BCE, Palestine was ruled by the Persians.

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Not all Jews wanted to return to Judea under the new Persian policy.

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The Talmud was founded during this time.

The Jews tried to form their cities again, but their buildings were small and decayed quickly.

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We cannot find many today because of this.

They began to appoint “princes” from the line of David again to look after the kingdom.

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The second Temple was built in 515 BCE.

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Hellenistic Period

• The age following Alexander’s conquest of the Persian Empire in 331 BCE is called Hellenistic (“I speak Greek”).
• This is known as “the Diaspora” (dispersal) for the Jews (there were two groups: the Ashkenazim in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and the Sephardim around the Mediterranean basin).
• They began adopting the culture and traditions of the Greek people.

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• Most Jews lost the ability to read Hebrew so the bible was translated into Greek: it is said that seventy scholars in in Egypt worked independently and produced identical copies therefore being titled the “Septuagint”.

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• The bible became a piece of literary work to be studied and meditated on.

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• Some anti-semitism did exist in this time period.

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The Maccabean Revolt

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Competition between two Greek

dynasties; the Ptolemies of Egypt

and the Seleucids of Syria caused

two decades of fighting.

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The Seleucids won and crowned

Antiochus III as King.

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When his son; Antiochus IV became

ruler he misunderstood the Jewish

religion and persecuted them.

In 166 BCE a general revolt broke out, led by a group of resistance fighters called Maccabees.

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They prevailed and the temple was

rededicated in 164 BCE.

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In 66 BCE, Judea fell under Roman

occupation.

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The Maccabean Revolt

continued

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As a result, a group of Jews known as the Zealots rose up against the Romans.

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As a response to the movement of the Zealots, the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem, destroying the city and the Temple.

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Three thousand people who had taken refuge in the Temple perished when

the Temple fell in 70 CE.

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Two religious movements, Christianity and Judaism survived, but were

greatly changed by it.

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The destruction of Solomon’s temple changed a Jewish movement that had begun 40 years earlier for

forever.

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This movement involved both Jews and non-Jews (gentiles) who followed Jesus of Nazareth.

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Jesus was crucified in 30 CE and his followers became known as “Christians”.

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This started a conflict between the Pharisees (Rabbinic Jews) and Christian Jews.

Rabbinic Judaism

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The second movement (Rabbinic or Halakhic Judaism) was started by the Pharisees.

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With no temple they decided to bring worship home or to synagogues.

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Lesson #2

Branches of

Judaism

Learning goals

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By the end of this lesson, I will be able to describe the divisions within Judaism that were the result of geography and local culture.  

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Catholic Graduate Expectations

• An effective communicator who speakers, writes and listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in light of gospel values.

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• A Self-directed, Responsible , Life-long Learner who develops and demonstrates their God-given potential.

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Seven Grandfather Teachings Connection

• Wisdom

Origin of divisions

• During the seventeenth century, a new way of thinking began to dominate Western Europe and people adopted the way of reason.
• Prior to this, people understood life through mysticism and religion but the new movement taking over Western Europe enlightened people, thus it became known as the Enlightenment.
• The Enlightenment emphasized intellectual freedom and reasoning was considered acceptable. Everything else was superstition.

• People became very skeptical about political, social, and religious beliefs.
• The Enlightenment had an enormous impact on Judaism and Christianity. Since religion was not as emphasized during this period, it allowed Jews in some parts of Europe to be accepted. However, at the same time this caused divisions within Judaism.
• Ashkenazic Jews (Central and Eastern European Jews and their descendants) split into three different traditions: Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox.

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Branches of Judaism

Modified Jigsaw Activity

*You will complete the “Branches of Judaism worksheet”

*when finished you will complete the “Comparative chart”

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Lesson #3

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Beliefs

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Converting, Monotheism, Afterlife

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Learning Goals

1.During today’s lesson, I will discuss how one can become Jewish and compare that to becoming Catholic.

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2.Today, I will begin to look at the main beliefs of Judaism to help me understand their practices.

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Catholic Graduate Expectations

• A reflective, creative and holistic thinker who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.

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Seven Grandfather Teachings Connection

• Honesty

Converting

• If a person wishes to convert to Judaism it is possible (in some branches)

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• The conversion process is known as a gerut

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• The conversion involves Jewish study, affirmation of beliefs and evaluation of ethical connections to the Jews

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• “Converting to Judaism: An Explanatory Guide”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abi4a5X6udo

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Two years after the new government of Israel came into power in 1948, it passed the "Law of Return" which states anyone born of a Jewish mother or anyone who had converted to another religion, is still considered a Jew and could claim Israeli birthright.

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• This immediately caused issues since some Jews practiced a different religion, identifying only ethnically with Judaism. Such as when Hitler when he identified Judaism as a race and not a religion.
• Converting to Judaism is not an easy task. It takes a lifestyle change (following all 613 laws from the Torah), a year of study and connecting with a Rabbi (Jewish religious leader, teacher of Jewish Law)

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• There is a “conversion court” that must oversee the conversion process and candidate. The court must be convinced that a person is sincere, converting for the right reasons, converting of their own free will, has thorough knowledge of the beliefs and practices and will live an observant Jewish life.

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There are two ritual components as well:

1. If you are male you must become circumcised, if you already are there must be one drop of blood drawn for symbolic reasons.

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2. The convert must be fully submerged in a mikveh (ritual bath) with the appropriate prayers read

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• Many Orthodox groups do not accept converts especially if they are done by a non-Orthodox Rabbis as they do not recognize their rabbinical status.

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monotheism

• There is no Trinity (God is one God, and exists in the form of three coeternal and consubstantial persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) like in Catholicism
• Judaism is monotheism: belief that there is only one God.

Who are the Jews?

• You can either be born into the faith or convert to the faith depending on the branch
• Jewish lineage follows the matrilineal descent – meaning if your mother is Jewish then you are usually Jewish
• Some Reform groups believe that if either of your parents are Jewish then you are automatically Jewish

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what do Jews Believe?

• God is the creator of everything

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• God is immaterial – not made of flesh and bones

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• He is indivisible

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• God is ONE

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• Judaism is monotheistic

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• God made a covenant with the chosen people to show his caring nature – “ Honour Me and I shall honour you”

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How do Jews Honour God?

• Jews believe that everything is interconnected

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• They follow the commandments to understand and respect the interconnectedness of everything

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• The act of performing a good deed is called a MITZVAH

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• A mitzvah is a commandment from God that gives the people direction on how to live ethically

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• The Tanakh (The Hebrew Bible, is the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures, including the Torah) contains 248 positive commandments (“do”) and 365 negative commandments (don'ts)

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How does God show commitment to the covenant?

• God has a personal relationship with the Jews

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• The Bible refers to God as YHWH, its exact pronunciation is not known

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• There are many names for God, often with the pronoun “he” as a substitute

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Concept of sin and afterlife

Do Jews believe in an afterlife? What is Judaism’s understanding of human sin?

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• They believe everyone is born innocent and are responsible for their own actions and sinning occurs when someone does something wrong
• A person sins when they “miss the mark” (chet)
• There are three types of sin: against God, against others and against yourself
• Ten days leading up to Yom Kippur are for repentance and you must ask those you’ve hurt for forgiveness, Yom Kippur is a day for atonement
• Only by atoning for the sins can a person balance out their relationship with God
• To be forgiven you must recognize the sin, feel remorse, try to fix it and resolve to never do it again
• Jews do believe in an afterlife, but the opinions vary greatly (Text, page 148)

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Lesson #4

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Feasts

&

Festivals

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Learning Goals

• I will examine Jewish feasts, festivals and celebrations.

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Catholic Graduate Expectations

• A reflective, creative and holistic thinker who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.

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Seven Grandfather Teachings Connection

• Wisdom

the significance of feasts

Summarize the biblical account of:

• Passover (Exodus 11:1–10 and 12:1–32)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+11%3A1-10%3B+12%3A1-32&version=NIV

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Summarize the biblical account of:

• Psalms 113–114 from the Old Testament https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms+113-114&version=NIV

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Jewish festivals

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The Jewish Lunar Calendar and the Christian Gregorian Calendar

• According to the Jewish lunar calendar the year is 5781 (2020/2021) since it is calculated from the Creation
• Each month begins on the new moon
• The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, with twelve lunar months of 29 or thirty days, which is about ten days short of a solar year, so seven years in every nineteen have an extra month. This ensures that the seasonal feasts keep to their correct season.
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• The Gregorian calendar is solar, and its dating system is used by most of the world
• Every four years the Gregorian calendar has to add a day ( 29th February ) to keep the calendar in step with the Earth's progress around the Sun.
• Gregorian, calendar uses CE or BCE; CE standing for Common Era and Before Common Era.

Let’s Celebrate

• Rash Hashanah
• Yom Kippur
• Hanukkah
• Pesach
• Seder

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You will research 2 of the Jewish Festivals and explain all about the Jewish celebration.

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Lesson #5

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Rituals

& Prayer

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Learning Goals

• I will examine Jewish prayer and connect it to Catholic prayer.

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Catholic Graduate Expectation

• A reflective, creative and holistic thinker who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience for the common good.

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Seven Grandfather Teachings Connection

• Wisdom

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The Synagogue

• communal place of worship; place of gathering, prayer, and study/learning

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The Torah Scroll

• Contains the first five books of Moses; most sacred object of Jewish life
• essential for worship; kept in a place of honour in the synagogue
• every synagogue needs at least one

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• they are held in a Holy Ark (cabinet-like structure) in the synagogue
• the Torah is unrolled and read on a special table called schulchan

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Clergy/Laypersons

• any knowledgeable, trained and capable Jew can conduct a service (usually Rabbi)
• a rabbi is a trained scholar, a teacher, an interpreter of the Jewish law, a counselor and an officiate of special ceremonies

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Blessings

• blessings are the foundation of Jewish prayer
• through blessings, Jews believe they acknowledge, praise, thank, and petition God

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Services

• there are 3 daily worship services: evening, morning, afternoon
• Jews start and end their day with sunset
• Torah reading is the central part of worship services

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Kashruth: (dietary laws)

• important to keep kosher (acceptable)
• serving kosher foods:
• establishes Jews as a unique group
• kosher food laws speak to the humanity and humility of the Jewish people

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Prayer

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The Shema

• the most important prayer of the Jewish faith
• first prayer that is taught to a Jewish child and the last prayer that is said before death.
• The Shema is said both in times of joy and in times of great sorrow, to praise and to beseech God.
• It is a declaration of faith and a pledge of allegiance to One God
• said first thing in the morning and just before going to sleep at night

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“Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God,

The Lord is one. You shall love the Lord

Your God with all your heart and with

All your soul and with all your strength.

Take to heart these instructions with

Which I charge you this day. Impress

Them upon your children. Recite them

When you stay at home and when you

are away. Bind them as a sign on your hand

And let them serve as a symbol on your

forehead; inscribe them on the doorposts of

Your house.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

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From the Shema

Shabbat

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Shabbat

• Shabbat is the Jewish Day of Rest.
• It happens each week from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
• During Shabbat, Jewish people remember the story of creation from the Torah where God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th day.

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Shabbat

• Sabbath, most important ritual
• Based on the creation stories of Genesis
• Is a time to put aside work, shopping, housework, homework etc.
• Opportunity to do the important things in life: prayer, family, friends
• Sabbath begins Friday at sunset and ends on Saturday at sunset
• Prayer and worship occurs on Saturday mornings

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Lesson #6

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Sacred Text

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Learning Goals

• Today, I will be introduced to Jewish scripture and I will demonstrate my understanding through a variety of tasks.

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CGE

• A discerning believer, formed in the Catholic Faith community who celebrates the signs and sacred mystery of God’s presence through word, sacrement, prayer, forgiveness, reflection and moral living.

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Seven Grandfather Teachings Connection

• Humility

Jewish scripture

Text Breakdown:

• The Jewish “bible” is called the “Tanakh” (we place vowels in English, but in Hebrew they do not have vowels so it’s simply TNK)
• The T = Torah: This is the “Law” and rules that should be followed. It contains Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
• The N = Nevi’im. This is the prophets
• The K = Ketuvim: This is the “writings”

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Remember ...

• The Jewish “Bible” is what we call the “Old Testament”
• The Tanakh has 39 books whereas our Old Testament has 46
• The books are in different order

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Tanakh not the only text�

• The Tanakh is not the only text followed, there are four others:
• Oral Torah: teaches how to live
• Talmud: the teachings explained
• Mishnah: Lessons and teachings of the Oral To
• Midrash: Commentary that reads between the lines of the Tanakh and Talmud

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3 important stories from the Torah

1. The story of Creation
2. The story of Abraham and Sarah

3. The story of Moses

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The Story of Creation

• There are 2 different version ofs creation in the book of Genesis
• Genesis 1:1-3:24

The seventh day of creation is the Sabbath day. Just as God rested on the seventh day, all must rest.

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• The second Story of Creation
• Genesis 2:4-3:24

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The Story of Abraham and Sarah

• God called Abraham to start a new nation in Canaan.
• He obeyed unquestioningly the commands of God, because God creates a covenant that his “seed” (many children) would inherit the land
• Abraham is considered the patriarch (forefather) of Christians and Muslims, as well as Jews.

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The story of Moses

• The Book of Exodus tells how the Israelite people were freed from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses.
• Moses is considered an important prophet in three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

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A Catholic Connection

• A CatholicLiturgy (mass) is comprised of 2 readings. The first is from the Tanakh (what Christians call the Old Testament) and the second is from the New Testament.
• The readings link the Jewish and Catholic understanding of the laws as perfect, as reviving the soul, and as gladdening the heart (Psalm 19:7–14)

(See; Romans 1:16–17, 3:20–26, 28; Matthew 7:21–27.) After the liturgy, make the

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Deuteronomy 10:12–13, 11:18, 26–28, 32

'And now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God ask of you? Only this: to fear Yahweh your God, to follow all his ways, to love him, to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and all your soul, to keep the commandments and laws of Yahweh, which I am laying down for you today for your own good.

'Let these words of mine remain in your heart and in your soul; fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a headband.

Listen, heavens, while I speak; hear, earth, the words that I shall say!

May my teaching fall like the rain, may my word drop down like the dew, like showers on the grass, like light rain on the turf!

For I shall proclaim the name of Yahweh. Oh, tell the greatness of our God!

He is the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are equitable. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, he is the Honest, the Upright One!

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Lesson #7

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Anti-Semitism

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Learning Goals

I will learn about anti-Semitism and brainstorm some ways to overcome it.

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Catholic Graduate Expectation

A responsible citizen who gives witness to Catholic Social teachings by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life.

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Seven Grandfather Teachings Connection

• Truth

A Definition

According to the American Heritage Dictionary

(2006), Anti-Semitism is defined as “hostility

towards or prejudice against Jews or

Judaism.”

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It is important to realize that “Judaism” is a

religion, whereas “Jew” was considered by

most cultures to be a “race.”

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Early Anti-Semitism

• 70 B.C.E.: Jerusalem is conquered by the Romans. The Jewish temple was destroyed and Jews were ordered to begin worshipping Roman gods. Most Jews resisted.

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• About a hundred years later, Christianity began to spread after the death of Jesus. Eventually, it became the official state religion of the Roman Empire.

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Judaism vs. Christianity

• By the 4th century, Jews were disliked by Christians in general. Important Christian leaders, such as St. Augustine, called Jews a “wicked sect” and said they should be driven into permanent exile due to their wickedness (de Cruet, 1997).

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Anti-Semitism Becomes Law

• Laws were passed in Christian nations during this time that forbid Christians to eat with or do business with Jews.

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• By the 6th century, Jews were not allowed to employ Christians as servants, hold public office, or even be seen on the streets during “Holy Week,” which is the week commemorating the time between the “Last Supper” and the crucifixion (de Cruet, 1997).

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Think about this: It is clear that such laws were meant to make life difficult for Jews. How could these laws also make life difficult for the Christians they were meant to “protect?”

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The Crusades

• In 1096, the Crusade against the Muslims began. Christian leaders wanted to take control of Palestine, since it was the birthplace of Jesus.

• On their way to the Middle East, the Crusaders attacked Jewish communities. Jews were given a choice: be baptized as a Christian or be killed. Most chose death. Nearly 10,000 Jews died in the first 6 months of the First Crusade (de Cruet, 1997).

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“Leave No Single Member Alive”

The leader of the First Crusade, Godfrey Bouillon, vowed “to leave no single member of the Jewish race alive.” He ordered his troops to burn down the synagogue in Jerusalem with the congregation trapped inside (de Cruet, 1997).

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Few Choices

• Jews had few ways of earning money, except to become moneylenders. The Catholic Church felt that it was sinful for a Christian to be a moneylender, and so they allowed the Jews
• to take on this position in the community. This, however, led to a stereotype of Jews being greedy.

• Eventually, Jews were driven out of the banking industry as well.

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Rise of Ghettos

By the end of the 15th century, Jews were almost totally isolated from their Christian neighbours. In many countries, they were forcibly confined in ghettos, which were sectioned off from the rest of the city by high walls that gave them a prison-like aura.

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Think about it:�Today, in North America, there are areas, especially in inner cities, that are called “Ghettos.” Is the use of this name appropriate for these areas? Why or why not?

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Taking the Blame

• Jews became scapegoats for society's wrongs more regularly, and were portrayed as servants of
• the devil (de Cruet, 1997). The Black Plague was even blamed on Jews, who were accused of poisoning wells, among other things.

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Mass Migration

Over the course of a few hundred years, most Jews were pushed from central Europe and ended up in Poland and Russia. However, those countries were not free from danger. In 1648-1649, thousands of Polish Jews were killed. In the late 1800’s, Jews in both

countries were slaughtered in organized mass killings called “pogroms” (de Cruet, 1997).

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Vive La France!

One of the side effects of the French Revolution was a call by many French Christians for the emancipation of Jews. By the mid 1800’s, most Western & Central European Jews were enjoying new freedoms brought about by this emancipation (de Cruet, 1997).

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Enter Hitler

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of

Germany, and quickly mounted a campaign of

heavy-handed propaganda against Jews.

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This would culminate in the “Final Solution,” a

plan to physically annihilate the Jewish race,

along with other undesirable members of

society.

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An Example of Anti-Semitic Nazi�Propaganda

A Children’s book entitled “Trust No Fox on his Green

Heath And No Jew on his Oath”

by Elwira Bauer

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This book included lines such as “From the start the Jew has been A murderer…”

(Calvin College)

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Work cited

anti-semitism. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,

Fourth Edition. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from Dictionary.com website:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anti-semitism

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De Cruet, R. H. Perez. “A Brief History of Antisemitism.” The Holocaust Project.

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Retrieved January 15, 2008, from The Holocaust Project Website:

http://humanitas-international.org/holocaust/antisem.htm

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Calvin College. German Propaganda Archive. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from the

Calvin College website: http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/

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THE HOLOCAUST

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“

hat Does “Holocaust” Mean?

• The Holocaust began in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany (Chancellor) and ended in 1945 when the Nazis were defeated by the Allied powers. 
• The term "Holocaust," originally from the Greek word "holokauston" which means "sacrifice by fire", refers to the Nazi's persecution and planned slaughter of the Jewish people.

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• The Hebrew word "Shoah", which means "devastation, ruin, or waste," is also used for this genocide. 

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• In addition to Jews, the Nazis targeted Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the disabled for persecution. Anyone who resisted the Nazis was sent to forced labor or murdered. 

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• The term "Nazi" is an acronym for "Nationalsozialistishe Deutsche Arbeiterpartei" ("National Socialist German Worker's Party"). 

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• The Nazis used the term "the Final Solution" to refer to their plan to murder the Jewish people. 

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The Big Numbers

• It is estimated that between 16 and 20 million people were killed during the Holocaust. 6 million of these were Jews. 

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• The Nazis killed approximately two-thirds of all Jews living in Europe. 

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• An estimated 1.1 million children were murdered in the Holocaust.

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Persecution Begins

• On April 1, 1933, the Nazis instigated their first action against German Jews by announcing a boycott of all Jewish-run businesses. 

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• The Nuremberg Laws, issued on September 15, 1935, began to exclude Jews from public life. 

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• Nazis then issued additional anti-Jews laws over the next several years.

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• During the night of November 9-10, 1938, Nazis incited a pogrom against Jews in Austria and Germany in what has been termed, "Kristallnacht" ("Night of Broken Glass"). 
• This night of violence included the pillaging and burning of synagogues, breaking the windows of Jewish-owned businesses, the looting of these stores, and many Jews were physically attacked. Also, approximately 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

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• After World War II started in 1939, the Nazis began ordering Jews to wear a yellow Star of David on their  clothing so that Jews could be easily  recognized and targeted.

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Ghettos

• After the beginning of World War II, Nazis began ordering all Jews to live within certain, very specific, areas of big cities, called ghettos. 
• Jews were forced out of their homes and moved into smaller apartments, often shared with other families. 
• Some ghettos started out as "open," which meant that Jews could leave the area during the daytime but often had to be back within the ghetto by a curfew.

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• Later, all ghettos became "closed," which meant that Jews were trapped within the confines of the ghetto and not allowed to leave. 
• In most ghettos, Nazis ordered the Jews to establish a Judenrat (a Jewish council) to both administer Nazi demands and to regulate the internal life of the ghetto. 
• Nazis would then order deportations from the ghettos. 
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• To get them to cooperate, the Nazis told the Jews they were being transported to another place for labor, 
• When the Nazis decided to kill the remaining Jews in a ghetto, they would "liquidate" a ghetto by boarding the last Jews in the ghetto onto freight trains destined for concentration camps. 

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Concentration and Extermination Camps

• Although many people refer to all Nazi camps as "concentration camps," there were actually a number of different kinds of camps, including concentration camps, extermination camps, labor camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and transit camps. 
• From 1933 until 1938, most of the prisoners in the concentration camps were political prisoners and people the Nazis labeled as "asocial." 

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German phrase meaning "Work sets you free" is known for appearing on the entrance of Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps. .

• After Kristallnacht in 1938, the persecution of Jews became more organized. 
• Life within Nazi concentration camps was horrible. Prisoners were forced to do hard physical labor and yet given tiny rations. Prisoners slept three or more people per crowded wooden bunk (no mattress or pillow). 

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• Torture within the concentration camps was common and deaths were frequent. 
• At a number of Nazi concentration camps, Nazi doctors conducted medical experiments on prisoners against their will. 
• While concentration camps were meant to work and starve prisoners to death, extermination camps (also known as death camps) were built for the sole purpose of killing large groups of people quickly and efficiently.

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• The Nazis built six extermination camps.
• Prisoners transported to these extermination camps were told to undress to take a shower. The showers were gas chambers, used to kill Jews
• Auschwitz was the largest concentration and extermination camp built. It is estimated that 1.1 million people were killed at Auschwitz. 

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Nazi regime’s prisoner uniforms made of coarse grey-blue striped material was standard issue in the concentration camp system.