Aktion [German] roundup

Aliya [Hebrew] ascending, emigration to Israel

Arbeiterin [German] worker (f)

Arbeitslager(s) [German] labour camp

Aufseherin [German] work supervisor (f)

"Babsky" [Slavic. Coll./Yiddish] A "Babba", grandmother's remedy

Blokhova(s) [cc. language] female supervisor of a block of barracks

Blockälteste(r) [German] prisoner in charge of a barrack

Bombioshka [Yiddish/Russian coll.] lit. air raid, in this case, a partisan attack

Briah [Hebrew] A Zionist movement devoted to illegal immigration to the land of Israel

Daven [Yiddish] to pray

Effektenlager [German] warehouses where confiscated clothing and personal possessions of prisoners were sorted

Einsatzgruppen [German] "Special action" Nazi military groups, referring to mobile killing units

Einsatzkommando [German] "Special action" commando, referring to Nazi mobile killing squad

Farbalten zach [Yiddish] hidden thing

Faltung {German] folded; convoluted

Finift'l (ach) [Yiddish] groups of five

Forarbeiten [German] work foreman (f)

Führer [German] leader, usually referring to Adolf Hitler

Garmoshka [Russian] accordian

Generalgouvernement [German] General Government, referring to areas of Poland that were occupied by Germany but not incorporated into the Reich; an administrative unit headed by Hans Frank

Gimatria [Hebrew] Hebrew numerology. Each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a numerical value

Gwardia Ludowa [Polish] People's Guard

Gymnasium [German] In Germany and other European countries, an academic secondary school, preparatory for University

Halakha [Hebrew] Jewish law, incorporating the oral and written traditions

Hevra Kaddisha [Hebrew] Jewish burial society

Huppa-Kiddushin [Hebrew] marriage canopy and ceremony

Judenrat(e) [German] Jewish Council, responsible for conducting the affairs of the community and fulfilling German orders

Kapo [German] prisoner-trusty in concentration camp

Kibbutz [Hebrew] collective farm Kupat Holim [Hebrew] the Israeli National Health Service

Lager [German] camp

Lagerführer [German] camp leader

Laufer (in) [German] runner, courier in a ghetto or camp

Mazel Tov [Hebrew] good luck, a blessing used on happy occasions or as a toast

Meister [German] foreman

Menschlikh [Yiddish] humane

Meshalim [Yiddish] parables

Mikveh [Hebrew] ritual bath

Nekama [Hebrew] revenge

Oblava(s) [Polish] search for partisans

Otrad [Russian] partisan unit, military unit

Palmah [Hebrew] acronym for Plugot Mahatz, strike force of the Hagana, the underground army of the Jewish community in Palestine prior to Israeli statehood

Passierschein [German] safe-conduct passs

Pesah [Hebrew] Passover

Pulverraum [German] gunpowder room

Rebbetzin [Yiddish] Rabbi's wife

Revier [French/German] sick bay, infirmary

Schein(en) [German] official permit, pass, certificate

Schron [Polish] hiding space

Sefer Torah [Hebrew] holy scrolls of the five Books of Moses, on parchment

Sh'hita [Hebrew/Yiddish] slaughter, massacre

Shmates [Yiddish] rags

Schochet [Hebrew/Yiddish] ritual slaughterer

Shtel [Yiddish] to set up

Shtibel [Yiddish] small synagogue

Shtetl (ekh) [Yiddish] small town(s)

Shul [Yiddish] synagogue

Shtubova [cc language] female inmate in charge of a section of barrack

Shvitz [Yiddish] steam bath, lit. to sweat

Sonderkommando [German] Special work squad, usually workers in the crematoria

Tisha B'Av [Hebrew] the ninth day of the month of Av, a fast day to commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem

Verzögerung [German] delayed action fuse for a rocket or bomb

Wehrmacht [German] German Army

Yahrzeit [Yiddish] anniversary of a death

Zahlappell [German] roll-call in concentration camp

Z'khut [Hebrew] merit

Ziemlanka(s) [Russian] camouflaged, underground dug-out living space, in forests, used by partisans