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The Holocaust is an term to describe the same event that was led by Adolf Hitler, which genocided European Jews.

Origins[]

Medieval era[]

World War I and Prelude[]

Etymology and use of the term[]

The term holocaust originally derived from the Greek word holókauston, meaning a "completely (holos) burnt (kaustos)" sacrificial offering to a god. Its Latin form (holocaustum) was first used with specific reference to a massacre of Jews by the chroniclers Roger of Howden[1] and Richard of Devizes in the 1190s. Since the late 19th century, it has been used primarily to refer to disasters or catastrophes.

The biblical word Shoah (שואה) (also spelled Sho'ah and Shoa), meaning "calamity," became the standard Hebrew term for the Holocaust as early as the 1940s.[2] Shoah is preferred by many Jews for a number of reasons, including the theologically offensive nature of the word "holocaust."[3]

References[]

  1. (((((((((Simon Schama))))))))), A History of Britain, episode 3, Dynasty; BBC DVD, 2000
  2. ""The Holocaust: Definition and Preliminary Discussion", Yad Vashem, accessed June 8, 2005.
  3. For an opposing view on the allegedly offensive nature of the meaning of the word "Holocaust," see Petrie, Jon. "The Secular Word 'HOLOCAUST': Scholarly Myths, History, and Twentieth Century Meanings," Journal of Genocide Research 2, no. 1 (2000): 31-63.
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