Term | Definition |
Anti-Semitism | Noun
Hostility to or prejudice against Jews
During World War II there were many examples of Anti-Semitism among the Nazis |
Appalled | Verb
Greatly dismay or horrify
Elie was appalled while watching small children being burned in fires |
Concentration Camps | Noun
Camp where persons (such as prisoners of war, political prisoners, or refugees) are detained or confined
The Jews and Gypsies alive during World War II were forcibly taken to Concentration Camps. |
Disgruntled | Adj
Angry or dissatisfied
Elie and his father were disgruntled because their family was split. |
Emigrated | Verb
Leave one's own country in order to settle permanently in another
Elie wanted to emigrate to Palestine from Hungary. |
Genocide | Noun
Deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation
The Nazis committed genocide against the Jews. |
Gestapo | Noun
German state secret police during the Nazi regime, organized in 1933 and notorious for its brutal methods and operations
The Gestapo was a harsh group of people who mass murdered Jews. |
Inarticulate | Adj
Unable to speak distinctly or express oneself clearly
Elie was inarticulate when talking to SS officers because he was scared they would beat him after he couldn't explain why he ate some of his father's soup. |
Indignantly | Adv
In a manner indicating anger or annoyance at something perceived as unfair
The SS officer indignantly rejected Elie's request for more food. |
Intolerable | Adj
Unable to be endured
Sarah has a bad case of the chicken pox and the itching from the spots was intolerable. |
Latkes | Noun
Pancake, especially one made with grated potato (Jewish Cooking)
Elie's favorite food was his mother's homemade latkes. |
Mercurial | Adj
Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind
Idek is a mercurial because he will suddenly become enraged or violent towards the prisoners and begin to yell at them or beat them. |
Ostentatiously | Adv
In a pretentious or showy way designed to impress
Elie tried to march ostentatiously to impress the SS officers. |
Pandemonium | Noun
Wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar
When the United States performed air strikes of Auschwitz the prisons and guards when into a state of pandemonium. |
Progrom | Noun
Organized massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jews in Russia or eastern Europe
Hitler and the Nazis organized a pogrom designed to kill the Jews of Europe. |
Rabbi | Noun
Jewish scholar or teacher, especially one who studies or teaches Jewish law
The rabbi was seen walking out of a synagogue on Tuesday night with five small children walking to their parents cars. |
Ration | Noun
Fixed amount of a commodity officially allowed to each person during a time of shortage, as in wartime
The people in the United States had to ration during World War II so food could be sent to American Troops. |
Remorse | Noun
Deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed
The child was filled with remorse after he lied to his mother. |
Stealthily | Adv
In a cautious and surreptitious manner, so as not to be seen or heard
The boy stealthily ran to an inmates bunk hoping to find hidden food. |
Wallow | Verb
Indulge in an unrestrained way in (something that creates a pleasurable sensation)
Elie wallowed in the thick bowl of soup. |
Zeal | Noun
Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective
Elie has a zeal for being with his father. |