The term Holocaust typically refers to the persecution and mass murder of as many as 11 million people by the Nazis, or German fascists, between 1933 and 1945. It comes from the ancient, Greek word that means, "consumption by fire." In addition to the nearly six million Jews he targeted, there were more than five million non-Jewish victims as well. The Nazi regime tried to eliminate anyone who might pose a political threat, including communists, journalists and various Christians who opposed Hitler, those they believed would dilute the Aryan gene pool, such as Romani people, Jews, Black people, individuals with disabilities, incarcerated people, and others who were perceived by the Nazi government as a drain on the economy, in addition to groups they just didn't like, such as LGBTQ people. Since at least the end of WWI, Hitler had specifically blamed Jews for his nation's problems. Antisemitism wasn't a new phenomenon in Europe, but the Nazis ramped up the prejudice to a murderous level. First, Jews were identified by voluntary registration, other research, like census and immigration records and synagogue membership, and through informants who were paid bounties. Then, beginning in 1933, a series of increasingly strict laws stripped away Jewish rights, including land ownership. They were barred from many professions like law, medicine, journalism and the military. By 1935, they had lost their citizenship, and even more personal, business and property restrictions and regulations were enacted in the coming years.

The Night of Broken Glass, or Kristallnacht, in November 1938 marked a turning point in Jewish persecution. As retribution for the murder of a German embassy employee in Paris by a German-born Jewish student, more than 9,000 Jewish-owned businesses, homes and synagogues were destroyed or vandalized. As many as 91 Jewish men were murdered, and upwards of 30,000 were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Within days, the German government eliminated Jews from the economy, most remaining Jewish-owned property was seized and Jewish children were expelled from public schools. The Jewish community as a whole was also fined one billion marks to pay for the damage of Kristallnacht. We discussed the Nazi's "Final Solution" and the death camps. We also discussed rebellion within the ghettos and the partisans who lived in the woods. We discussed the impact the Holocaust has left on modern world history. Why is it vital that future generations never forget this tragic time and event in modern world history?